A baobab tree on Mannar Island estimated at over 700 years old with a trunk circumference of 19.5m — one of the largest and oldest baobab trees in Asia, brought by Arab traders.
Duration
30-45 minutes
Entry Fee
Free
Difficulty
easy
Budget
free
The Mannar Baobab is a single ancient Adansonia digitata (African baobab) tree standing in an open field on Mannar Island, its girth of approximately 19.5m in circumference making it one of the largest individuals of the species documented anywhere in Asia. Baobab trees are not native to South Asia — they were brought to the Indian Ocean littoral by Arab seafarers over centuries of trade between East Africa and the Indian subcontinent, and the Mannar tree is believed to have been planted by Arab merchants around 700 years ago when Mannar was an important entrepot in the Indian Ocean trade network. The age estimate ranges from 700 to over 1,000 years depending on the methodology used, though precise dating of baobabs remains difficult. The tree's extraordinary dimensions are genuinely striking: the hollow trunk is large enough for several people to stand inside, the canopy spread is considerable, and the overall scale communicates something of the deep time these trees inhabit. Baobabs lose their leaves seasonally, presenting different visual characters through the year.
The tree is on Mannar Island, about 3km from Mannar town. Ask a local or use a GPS coordinate to find the field — signage is minimal.
Visit in the dry season (February-September) when the roads around Mannar are passable and the tree's leafless silhouette is most distinctive.
Combine with Mannar Fort (10 minutes away) and the Mannar causeway drive across the lagoon for a half-day on the island.
Mannar is known for bird migrations — the Adam's Bridge area sees spectacular concentrations of waders and migratory birds from September to January.
Best time of day: February to September (dry season, accessible roads)
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ALSO IN THE AREA
Dambakola Patuna
The historically significant landing site on Sri Lanka's northern coast where the Bodhi sapling and the Sanghamitta Theri arrived from India in 288 BC, marking the beginning of Sri Lanka's Buddhist tradition.
Explore →Mannar Fort
A Portuguese-built coastal fortification from 1560 on Mannar Island, later expanded by the Dutch — one of the oldest European forts in Sri Lanka and en route to the north by road.
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