Quick answer
The Matale spice gardens are roadside demonstration gardens along the A9 between Kandy and Matale, 20 to 30 kilometres north of Kandy, about 45 minutes to an hour by road. A guide gives a free 20 to 30 minute walk past cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, vanilla, nutmeg and cocoa plants, followed by a sales presentation of oils, balms and spices at prices well above market rates. The tour is worth doing if you are passing on the way to Dambulla. Buy cooking spices in a market instead.
Key takeaways
- Matale lies about 26 kilometres north of Kandy on the A9, the main road to Dambulla and Sigiriya.
- Spice garden tours near Matale are free, and the gardens earn their income from product sales and driver commissions.
- Sri Lanka is the original home of true cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum, and remains its largest producer.
- Prices for spices and herbal products in the gardens are commonly several times those in Kandy Central Market.
- Drivers and guides typically receive a commission on what their passengers buy at a spice garden.
What a Matale spice garden is
A Matale spice garden is a small plot planted with one or two specimens of each spice, labelled and arranged along a path. It is a showroom, not a farm. The commercial crops grow on smallholdings and estates in the hills behind, out of sight of the road.
Dozens of spice gardens line the road between Kandy and Matale, many with a number as well as a name. They look alike and work alike. Which one you visit is usually decided by your driver, who has an arrangement with a particular garden.
What you see on the tour
The tour of a Matale spice garden is genuinely informative for anyone who has only met spices in jars. A guide in a white coat walks you along the path, crushing leaves for you to smell and explaining how each plant is harvested.
The plants on a spice garden tour cover most of the Sri Lankan kitchen. Seeing pepper on the vine and cocoa pods on the trunk is the best part, and guides are skilled at pitching the talk to children.
- →Cinnamon: the inner bark of a small tree, peeled and rolled into quills.
- →Pepper: a climbing vine; black, white and green pepper come from the same berry.
- →Cardamom, cloves and nutmeg with its red mace covering.
- →Vanilla orchids, cocoa pods, turmeric and ginger roots.
- →Aloe vera, sandalwood and other plants used in ayurveda.
How the sales pitch works
The sales pitch at a Matale spice garden begins once the walk ends. You are seated, offered herbal tea, and shown a series of oils, creams and tonics, each said to cure a specific complaint. A free neck or leg massage often follows, after which a tip is expected.
The final stage of a spice garden visit is the shop, where an attendant follows you with a basket. Prices are high, medicinal claims are unproven, and hair-removal creams and "slimming" oils are best avoided. Saying no politely and firmly is entirely acceptable.
- →You are not obliged to buy anything after a free tour.
- →Decline the massage if you do not want to tip.
- →Ask prices before accepting any product in your basket.
- →Tip the guide a dollar or two if you enjoyed the walk and bought nothing.
Fair prices and where to buy instead
Prices in Matale spice gardens bear little relation to local values. A small bottle of oil or a packet of mixed curry powder can cost US$10 to US$30. The same spices, bought loose in a market or packaged in a supermarket, cost a small fraction of that.
The best places to buy spices near Kandy are the central market, supermarkets and the government-backed spice shops in town. Whole cinnamon quills, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns keep for a year or more. Lankan Stays & Trails tells drivers not to stop at spice gardens unless guests ask.
Getting there and fitting it in
Getting to the Matale spice gardens from Kandy means driving north on the A9 through Katugastota and Akurana. The first gardens appear after about 20 kilometres. As a return trip from Kandy the gardens are hardly worth two hours on a busy road.
The spice gardens make most sense as a 45-minute break on the transfer between Kandy and Dambulla or Sigiriya, which passes them anyway. On the same road are the Aluvihare Rock Temple, just north of Matale, and the stone shrine of Nalanda Gedige, both more rewarding.
- →From Kandy: 45 minutes to an hour to the main cluster of gardens.
- →Time at a garden: 45 minutes to an hour including the sales talk.
- →Combine with: Aluvihare, the Matale Hindu temple and Nalanda Gedige.
Is a spice garden worth it
A Matale spice garden is worth a stop for families and for anyone curious about how spices grow, provided you treat the sales session as theatre. Children enjoy the smelling and tasting, and the gardens have clean toilets on a long drive.
Travellers who dislike being sold to should skip the spice gardens without a second thought. A cooking class in Kandy or a walk in a village home garden shows the same plants in use, with no shop at the end.
- →Stop if you are passing, curious and comfortable saying no.
- →Skip if you have limited time or dislike sales pressure.
Frequently asked questions
Are the spice gardens in Matale a tourist trap?
The Matale spice gardens are commercial showrooms that rely on selling expensive products after a free tour, so in that sense they are a tourist trap. The tour itself is informative. Go for the plants, decline what you do not want and buy your spices elsewhere.
How far is Matale from Kandy?
Matale is about 26 kilometres north of Kandy on the A9 road. The drive takes 45 minutes to an hour because the road is busy and passes through several towns. Buses run frequently, and there is a slow branch-line train.
Is the spice garden tour really free?
The guided walk at a spice garden is free, and there is no entrance ticket. The garden expects to recover the cost through sales, and a tip is expected if you accept a massage. A small tip for the guide is courteous even if you buy nothing.
What should I buy at a spice garden in Sri Lanka?
If you want a souvenir, a small pack of cinnamon or a bottle of cinnamon or citronella oil is a reasonable buy. Avoid creams and tonics sold with medical claims. For cooking spices in any quantity, a market or supermarket is far cheaper.
Do drivers get commission from spice gardens?
Drivers and guides usually receive a commission from spice gardens on what their passengers spend, often a substantial percentage. That is why unrequested stops are common. A reputable driver will ask first and accept a refusal without complaint.
Which spices grow around Kandy and Matale?
The hills around Kandy and Matale grow pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, cocoa, vanilla, turmeric and ginger. Cinnamon grows here too, although the main commercial belt is on the south-west coast. Matale district is particularly known for pepper and cocoa.