Gampaha Botanical Garden

Gampaha, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka

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Gampaha Botanical Garden, also known as Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, is one of Sri Lanka’s national botanic gardens and is located in the town of Gampaha, about 29 kilometres north of Colombo along the Gampaha–Minuwangoda road and close to the railway station.

Established in 1876 by the British as a trial garden for economic crops, it is historically important as the site where the first Brazilian rubber trees in Asia were planted, from which Sri Lanka’s early rubber plantations were developed. The garden covers roughly 17–18 hectares (about 43 acres) along the Attanagalu Oya (river) and now displays around 2,000 plant species from Sri Lanka and other tropical regions, including large trees, palms, bamboos, ferns, orchids and medicinal plants, arranged along shaded paths and lawns that make it a popular spot for walks, picnics and nature observation.

In addition to its living collections and historical rubber trees (some now fallen and preserved), the garden provides habitat for many birds and other wildlife, and is especially attractive just after the monsoon when the vegetation is particularly lush and flowering displays are at their best.