If you are traveling to Nuwara Eliya, you cannot forego a trip to the Hakgala Botanical Gardens. It is situated in the area known as Hakgala, along the Nuwaraeliya Badulla main highway, about 10 kilometers from the town of Nuwaraeliya. Its elevation rises to about 5600ft, at the bottom of the Hakgala Rock.
The garden was established in the year 1861, under the auspices of Mr G.H.W. Thawaites then director of Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya and M.R. W. MacNichholl was the pioneer curator of the gardens. One of the main reasons to establics it was the cultivation and promotion of Cinchona, a commercially valuable plant in the island. It was an experimental ground for breeding these plants, which was used to create Quinine, the anti-malaria drug. Later it was used to carry out experiments in acclimatizing temperate-zone plants to life in tropics. Today the 27 hectare garden is a showcase for roses, orchids, shrubs, ferns and many more plant life.
According to mythology, the Hakgala rock, which rises a 1000ft above the garden is one of the two places where King Ravana held Sita, the consort of King Rama of the great Indian epic Ramayanaya. In the area around the Sita Eliya temple, the soil is darker than elsewhere in the country. Legend says that this is the area where Lord Hanuman wreaked havoc on the villagers and the forest.
There are several types of gardens inside the main sanctuary. The Spice Garden, right of the main entrance bears a fine selection of Cinnamon, Cardamom and Nutmeg among other varieties. It also has some of the oldest nutmeg trees planted in 1840. The Rose Garden houses more than a 100 varieties of Roses, some imported and planted by British colonial rulers. More exotic blooms can be found in the Orchid House and the Small Plant House has a huge variety of green house plants. These include plants such as ferns, begonias, African violets, Episcia diffenbachia, Phildendron bromelia & Anthuriaums.
The Cactus house is home to about 800 varieties of Cacti, which includes Agaves, Opuntia, Kalachoe, Cereus, Rebutia, Rhipsalis, among others. There are many different type of native ferns to be found in the Fernery. This is a shaded area ideal for ferns, which grows under the shade of tall trees. The fernery also has some of the oldest tea bushes, used in early experiment with growing tea in the hill country. A thriving environment is provided for herbaceous plants in the Rock Garden, established in 1921. Just behind the Rock garden, covering a large area is the arboretum, home to various native species as well as species introduced from many subtropical countries.
With this abundant flora, the Hakgala Gardens is also one of the best places to spot endemic montane bird species and migratory birds during the North-East monsoons.
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