One of Sri Lanka's grandest gardens, set against the Hakgala rock at high altitude and famous for its roses and orchids.

Overview

Hakgala is the second-largest botanical garden in Sri Lanka and reputedly one of the highest-altitude botanical gardens in the world, terraced up the slopes beneath the towering Hakgala rock. It is celebrated for its rose garden, orchid house, ferns, medicinal plants and cool-climate species that thrive in the mountain air. Shaded paths wind past temperate trees, lawns and glasshouses.

History

The garden was established in 1861, originally as an experimental plantation for cinchona (the source of quinine) and later tea, before being developed as an ornamental and scientific botanical garden. In Ramayana legend the surrounding hills are linked to Hanuman, who is said to have brought a mountain of healing herbs to the area.