
Matale City
Matale, Sri Lanka, is renowned for its lush vegetation and spice gardens. Located in the central province, it offers a rich cultural experience with cooking classes and demonstrations. Visitors can learn traditional recipes and techniques, such as clay pot cooking, and enjoy dishes like chicken curry and dhal curry, making Matale a culinary and cultural treasure.
Luck Grove Spice Garden
Luck Grove Spice Garden is located in Palapathwela, approximately 7 kilometers from Matale in Sri Lanka's Central Province. Established over three decades ago, the garden showcases a variety of local spices and medicinal plants integral to Sri Lanka's Ayurvedic traditions. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about the cultivation and uses of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper, as well as the therapeutic properties of various herbs.
Guided tours offer insights into the growth and processing of these spices, often including demonstrations of their applications in cooking and traditional medicine. Some tours may also feature complimentary massages using herbal products derived from the garden's plants. While the tours are generally free, visitors should be aware that there may be an expectation to purchase products or provide tips, as noted in some reviews.
In addition to its educational offerings, Luck Grove Spice Garden contributes to the local community by promoting sustainable agricultural practices and preserving the region's rich botanical heritage. The garden serves as both an educational resource and a point of interest for those exploring the cultural and natural landscapes of Matale.
Overall, Luck Grove Spice Garden provides an immersive experience into Sri Lanka's spice cultivation and Ayurvedic practices, making it a worthwhile visit for those interested in the island's botanical traditions.
About Central Province
The Central Province of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. The province has an area of 5,674 km², and a population of 2,421,148. Some major towns include Kandy, Gampola (24,730), Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela. The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors.
Both the hill capital Kandy and the city of Nuwara Eliya are located within the Central Province as well as Sri Pada. The province produces much of the famous Ceylon tea, planted by the British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations in the province. Central Province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as Kandy, Gampola, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya. Temple tooth or Dalada maligawa is the main sacred place in Centrel province.
The climate is cool, and many areas about 1500 meters often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places having almost 7000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone as it is receiving rain only from North-Eastern monsoon. The Temperatures range from 24°C at Kandy to just 16°C in Nuwara Eliya, which is located 1,889 m above sea level. The highest mountains in Sri Lanka are located in the Central Province. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The two main mountain regions are the central massif and the Knuckles range to the east of Kandy.