Hakgala Botanical Gardens
Description
Hakgala is a temperate hill-country garden, where the lovely low-country lotus and water lily mingles in their serene simplicity with sophisticated English roses, pre-historic looking ferns, and endemic orchids. The intimidating Hakgala rock provides an awe inspiring backdrop to the garden, rising 450 meters over it.
Hakgala Botanical Garden is the second largest garden among the five botanical gardens in Sri Lanka and is contiguous to Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve, which is the home to a variety of wildlife, including bears, monkeys and birds. Situated some 5 kilometers South of Nuwara Eliya, the road to Hakgala along the Badulla road is a pleasant downhill drive, mostly through pine forests. The comfortable cool weather that prevails throughout the year compliments the exotic flora and fauna, creating a true paradise. It boasts thousands of flora species. .
A network of small creeks, complete with wooden bridges, is seen throughout the garden, creating a magical atmosphere for the magnificent rose garden, conifers, cedars, cypresses, variety of pines and English oaks that make their home in the garden. The flora of the garden include Old tea trials, Eucalyptus, Camphor, Pinus, Melaleuca, Casuarina, Cupressusmacrocarpa, Cinnamomumcamphora, Syncarpiaglomulifera, Rhodoleiachampioni, Michelianilagirica, Rhododendron zeylandicum, Streptosolenjamesonii, and Santolinachamaecyparissus.
