Popham’s Arboretum: A Perfect Escape into Sri Lanka’s Natural Beauty

Popham’s Arboretum, located in Dambulla, is Sri Lanka’s only dry zone arboretum. It is home to an impressive number of trees, along with many species of birds, insects, and mammals. Established by Englishman Sam Popham in 1963, the arboretum is spread over seven and a half acres of scrub jungle. Visitors will find several activities to do here, and it is one of the top nature reserves in Sri Lanka.

Popham worked as a tea planter, and while travelling through Dambulla one day, he decided to buy a small plot of land to cultivate mangoes. After working for a decade in the tea plantations, the call of trees and timber was too strong for Popham to resist. Alarmed by the deforestation he saw around him, he decided to dedicate his remaining years to reforestation and conservation. He began with a piece of barren scrubland and, through a technique known as assisted natural regeneration, helped revive the natural forest cover without planting exotic species.

Sam Popham made a significant impact on dry zone forest restoration. Over the years, what started as a single man’s project evolved into a flourishing forest sanctuary, now managed by the Forest Department of Sri Lanka.

The park today consists of a total of 34.5 acres (15.6 hectares). The original arboretum covered 7.5 acres, before a woodland area was added in 1989. It is owned and managed by the National Institute of Fundamental Studies, who received it as a bequest from Popham that same year. Most recently in 2023, new facilities for visitors, students and researchers to the arboretum were added, and the park upgraded with State assistance.

The Arboretum is easily accessible from Dambulla, and is about 5 kilometres away from the town. You can reach it through the Bakamuna/Kandalama Road, which is off the main road to Kandy. Accommodation can be found in hotels like Jetwing Lake, Dambulla – perfect for travellers who want to experience sustainable tourism in Sri Lanka

There are a number of activities for visitors, making it a wonderful spot for nature tourism in Sri Lanka. These range from daytime unassisted walks on three well-marked nature trails, to guided nighttime safaris to view the wildlife, and camping at designated locations. Many students and researchers also make use of the opportunities available here to study the dry zone indigenous flora and conservation.

Limited accommodation is available at Sam Popahm’s former cottage, designed by the famous Sri Lankan architect, Geoffrey Bawa. A small museum and a conference centre were added recently.

There are over 130 species of timber trees in the park, many of which are rare or endangered. While most of them have grown naturally through the method pioneered by Popham, some others have been planted. The ANR method relies on clearing the undergrowth of invasive species, to create space for timber seeds already in the soil to sprout and grow.

Some of the species that can be seen in this tropical arboretum include the Ebony (Diospyros ebenum), Satinwood or Burutha (Chloroxylon swietenia), Halmilla (Berrya cordifolia), Hulanhik (Chukrasia tabuaris) and Mee (Madhuca longifolia), Palu – a dense dry zone hardwood timber (Manilkara hexandra), and varieties of ficus. There are also fruit trees such as the Tamarind and Wood Apple (Tamarindus indica and Limonia acidissima ) and Mango. There are around 60 varieties of medicinal trees and plants, some of which are extremely rare, and have disappeared from their natural habitat, along with shrubs, herbs, climbers and parasites.

If you want to visit wildlife parks in Sri Lanka close to Dambulla, the arboretum is a lesser-known but worthwhile destination. There are over 80 species of birds and bats, 70 species of butterflies and 12 dragonfly species. In addition, the Arboretum is also home to the Jungle fowl, giant squirrels and a herd of deer. The nighttime safari will allow visitors to witness the slender loris, which is endemic to Sri Lanka, and the Indian pangolin, a shy and rare creature that calls the arboretum home.

Popham’s Arboretum continues to inspire environmental education and research, proving that reforestation is possible with patience, respect for nature, and human help.