Royal Botanic Gardens of Peradeniya, the largest and most extensive in Sri Lanka, are amongst the best we’ve visited anywhere in the world. If these gardens feel insanely grand, it’s because they were formerly reserved exclusively for Kandyan royals to stroll through before they were transformed into the Botanic Gardens in1821 at the behest of the ruling British.

Today, even measly commoners like us are allowed to wander the grounds, which are now home to over 10,000 trees spread across 60 hectares. The gardens also showcase all of Sri  Lanka’s unique flora along with representative species from all around the tropical world.