Hakgala Botanical Garden - in Sri Lanka's cool highlands
Hakgala, a village at a rock of the same name 16 km southeast of Nuwara Eliya, harbours Sri Lanka’s second largest Botanical Garden, the only one in the vegetation area of the cool montane regions. However, an orchid house is also one of Hakgala's attractions. The Botanical garden, established in 1884, is contiguous to Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve, which is not accessible without special permission. The Hakgala sanctuary is well known for its highland avifauna. Many of the birds can easily be observed in the Botanical Gardens, too. The best time to see flowering plants is late April.
Hakgala is located in the central mountain range of Sri Lanka, just nine kilometers southeast of Nuwara Eliya on the mountain main road A5 to Badulla. Along the way, you pass Lake Gregory, above which you can see Sri Lanka's highest mountain, the forested Pidurutalagala, in the background. On the right is Baker's Farm, where Samuel Baker made his first attempts at farming in this then almost inaccessible high valley in 1850.
Hakgala itself is only a few hundred meters away from the Sita Amman Kovil. Hakgala is the name of the distinctive rocky ridge to the right of the road. It reaches a height of 2178 meters (7129 feet), steeply descending to the south and west, making it one of the best vantage points near Nuwara Eliya. However, the ascent from the village of Hakgala is challenging and is said to take about two hours.
The name Hakgala means "Pine Rock," and there are two explanations for this name. Some say it looks like the jaw of an elephant, while others believe it fell from Hanuman's jaw when he brought a piece of the Himalayas to Lanka through the air to heal a wound on Rama with Himalayan herbs. This beautiful story is also known in Ritigala, Arankale, and Galle, to name just a few of the most well-known places whose richness in Ayurvedic plants is explained by this episode from the Ramayana.
The surroundings of the Hakgala Rock are covered by tropical mountain forest. To the south of the rock, there is a nature reserve that can only be accessed with special permission (Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve). It is one of the few nature reserves in Sri Lanka classified under the strictest category. The others, including the core of Yala National Park, the elephant sanctuary Wasgamuwa, and the mountains of Ritigala, belong to the dry zone in the lowlands. With its 11.4 square kilometers, Hakgala's nature reserve is relatively small. It’s the only "Strict Nature Reserve" in the highlands. With 211 rainy days per year and an annual rainfall of 2400 mm, it is also the only one located in the wet zone (though the surrounding area is otherwise considered intermediate zone).
The vegetation protected here at altitudes above 1650 m is a montane cloud forest, now found only in isolated patches in the tea landscape, with its survival threatened, as is the case in Hakgala. One distinctive feature of the forest is the shrub-like tree Hortonia floribunda, one of the three laurel-like monimiaceous plants endemic to Sri Lanka. The forest is renowned for its abundance of orchid species. Elephants have become extinct in this area, but as rare wild cat species, leopards and fishing cats can be found. Some mouse species are endemic, occurring only in Hakgala.
On the slope of Hakgala Rock, at an altitude of 1830m, lies Hakgala Gardens, Sri Lanka’s only botanical garden in a high altitude and thus in the temperate climate. Alongside Peradeniya, it’s the second botanical garden in the Central Province. With an area of 22 hectares, the garden is of more modest size.
However, its charm lies in its location on the slope of the rock, offering expansive views of the southern highlands. It attracts approximately half a million visitors annually and remains open throughout the year. However, visiting the garden is not recommended between January and April, as only few plants are in bloom during that period.
Most visitors arrive in the pre-monsoon season, equivalent to our spring. During this period, the garden is a particularly colorful experience. For botanists, it presents an impressive array of 10,000 plant species from temperate and subtropical zones across all continents.
The Botanical Garden of Hakgala is well appreciated especially for its tree ferns and over a hundred varieties of roses. An acacia avenue and lotus ponds make strolling through the garden pleasant. In addition to the Orchid House, there is also a Cactus House sheltering 800 species, a rock garden dating back to 1921, and behind it, an arboretum. To the right of the entrance, there is a spice garden with cinnamon and cardamom trees, as well as nutmeg trees, some of which were planted as early as 1840.
In 1860, a cinnamon plantation was established in Hakgala, which was transformed into a model garden by the Briton William Nock in 1861. Originally, the British primarily planted the cinchona tree (Cinchona) here for commercial purposes, as its bark was the long-known remedy (though exaggeratedly called a "cure") for malaria, yielding quinine. Later, experiments with tea cultivation were initiated in this area, a crop that would eventually completely replace cinchona and coffee in the plantation economy of the highlands. The establishment of the Botanical Garden began in 1884. Hakgala was suitable for the cultivation of plants from the temperate climate zone due to temperatures that never exceed 30 degrees but also, unlike Nuwara Eliya, do not fall below freezing. Until shortly before Sri Lanka's independence, the gardens remained in the possession of the same family for three generations.
Due to the nearby nature reserve, the Botanical Garden is also one of the best places to observe the typical birdlife of the highlands. During the period of our winter months, in addition to the native birds, migratory birds also frequent this area.
One commonly encountered native bird species is the Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus), locally referred to more precisely as the Orange Minivet. The male's plumage is dark gray on top and bright yellow or orange underneath.
Furthermore, you can see the Small Minivet (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus), with a white belly and a partly orange, partly yellow chest.
A striking migratory bird is the Orange-headed Thrush (Luscinia brunnea), a bird from the Himalayan region, which also has a yellow belly but intensely blue wing feathers.
Among the endemic birds of Sri Lanka represented in Hakgala is the Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon (Columba torringtonii), also known as the Ceylon Pigeon, the Yellow-fronted Barbet (Megalaima flavifrons), also called the Gold-fronted Barbet, and the Ceylon Junglefowl, also known as the Lafayette Junglefowl (Gallus lafayettii), which resembles our domestic chicken.
A typical endemic highland bird of Sri Lanka is the greenish-yellow Yellow-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus penicillatus), with yellow patches around its ears and eyes and white patches around its eyes and throat. This songbird can also be seen in forested agricultural areas. Another endemic bird mainly found in the highlands is the easily recognizable Ceylon White-eye (Zosterops ceylonensis) with a white eye-ring. It can even be spotted in tea plantations and is larger than its closest relative, the Indian White-eye. An olive-green bird, its chest and belly are noticeably lighter than its wing feathers. The Black-throated Munia (Lonchura kelaarti), belonging to the family of Estrildidae, is sometimes considered a subspecies of its South Indian relatives, but mostly regarded as a distinct species unique to Sri Lanka.
The smallest bird on the island, the Sri Lanka Yellow-fronted Barbet, occurs in the Hakgala Gardens, too. It is seen singly or in pairs, preferring open woodlands.
Hakgala itself is only a few hundred meters away from the Sita Amman Kovil. Hakgala is the name of the distinctive rocky ridge to the right of the road. It reaches a height of 2178 meters (7129 feet), steeply descending to the south and west, making it one of the best vantage points near Nuwara Eliya. However, the ascent from the village of Hakgala is challenging and is said to take about two hours.
The name Hakgala means "Pine Rock," and there are two explanations for this name. Some say it looks like the jaw of an elephant, while others believe it fell from Hanuman's jaw when he brought a piece of the Himalayas to Lanka through the air to heal a wound on Rama with Himalayan herbs. This beautiful story is also known in Ritigala, Arankale, and Galle, to name just a few of the most well-known places whose richness in Ayurvedic plants is explained by this episode from the Ramayana.
The surroundings of the Hakgala Rock are covered by tropical mountain forest. To the south of the rock, there is a nature reserve that can only be accessed with special permission (Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve). It is one of the few nature reserves in Sri Lanka classified under the strictest category. The others, including the core of Yala National Park, the elephant sanctuary Wasgamuwa, and the mountains of Ritigala, belong to the dry zone in the lowlands. With its 11.4 square kilometers, Hakgala's nature reserve is relatively small. It’s the only "Strict Nature Reserve" in the highlands. With 211 rainy days per year and an annual rainfall of 2400 mm, it is also the only one located in the wet zone (though the surrounding area is otherwise considered intermediate zone).
The vegetation protected here at altitudes above 1650 m is a montane cloud forest, now found only in isolated patches in the tea landscape, with its survival threatened, as is the case in Hakgala. One distinctive feature of the forest is the shrub-like tree Hortonia floribunda, one of the three laurel-like monimiaceous plants endemic to Sri Lanka. The forest is renowned for its abundance of orchid species. Elephants have become extinct in this area, but as rare wild cat species, leopards and fishing cats can be found. Some mouse species are endemic, occurring only in Hakgala.
On the slope of Hakgala Rock, at an altitude of 1830m, lies Hakgala Gardens, Sri Lanka’s only botanical garden in a high altitude and thus in the temperate climate. Alongside Peradeniya, it’s the second botanical garden in the Central Province. With an area of 22 hectares, the garden is of more modest size.
However, its charm lies in its location on the slope of the rock, offering expansive views of the southern highlands. It attracts approximately half a million visitors annually and remains open throughout the year. However, visiting the garden is not recommended between January and April, as only few plants are in bloom during that period.
Most visitors arrive in the pre-monsoon season, equivalent to our spring. During this period, the garden is a particularly colorful experience. For botanists, it presents an impressive array of 10,000 plant species from temperate and subtropical zones across all continents.
The Botanical Garden of Hakgala is well appreciated especially for its tree ferns and over a hundred varieties of roses. An acacia avenue and lotus ponds make strolling through the garden pleasant. In addition to the Orchid House, there is also a Cactus House sheltering 800 species, a rock garden dating back to 1921, and behind it, an arboretum. To the right of the entrance, there is a spice garden with cinnamon and cardamom trees, as well as nutmeg trees, some of which were planted as early as 1840.
In 1860, a cinnamon plantation was established in Hakgala, which was transformed into a model garden by the Briton William Nock in 1861. Originally, the British primarily planted the cinchona tree (Cinchona) here for commercial purposes, as its bark was the long-known remedy (though exaggeratedly called a "cure") for malaria, yielding quinine. Later, experiments with tea cultivation were initiated in this area, a crop that would eventually completely replace cinchona and coffee in the plantation economy of the highlands. The establishment of the Botanical Garden began in 1884. Hakgala was suitable for the cultivation of plants from the temperate climate zone due to temperatures that never exceed 30 degrees but also, unlike Nuwara Eliya, do not fall below freezing. Until shortly before Sri Lanka's independence, the gardens remained in the possession of the same family for three generations.
Due to the nearby nature reserve, the Botanical Garden is also one of the best places to observe the typical birdlife of the highlands. During the period of our winter months, in addition to the native birds, migratory birds also frequent this area.
One commonly encountered native bird species is the Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus), locally referred to more precisely as the Orange Minivet. The male's plumage is dark gray on top and bright yellow or orange underneath.
Furthermore, you can see the Small Minivet (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus), with a white belly and a partly orange, partly yellow chest.
A striking migratory bird is the Orange-headed Thrush (Luscinia brunnea), a bird from the Himalayan region, which also has a yellow belly but intensely blue wing feathers.
Among the endemic birds of Sri Lanka represented in Hakgala is the Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon (Columba torringtonii), also known as the Ceylon Pigeon, the Yellow-fronted Barbet (Megalaima flavifrons), also called the Gold-fronted Barbet, and the Ceylon Junglefowl, also known as the Lafayette Junglefowl (Gallus lafayettii), which resembles our domestic chicken.
A typical endemic highland bird of Sri Lanka is the greenish-yellow Yellow-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus penicillatus), with yellow patches around its ears and eyes and white patches around its eyes and throat. This songbird can also be seen in forested agricultural areas. Another endemic bird mainly found in the highlands is the easily recognizable Ceylon White-eye (Zosterops ceylonensis) with a white eye-ring. It can even be spotted in tea plantations and is larger than its closest relative, the Indian White-eye. An olive-green bird, its chest and belly are noticeably lighter than its wing feathers. The Black-throated Munia (Lonchura kelaarti), belonging to the family of Estrildidae, is sometimes considered a subspecies of its South Indian relatives, but mostly regarded as a distinct species unique to Sri Lanka.
The smallest bird on the island, the Sri Lanka Yellow-fronted Barbet, occurs in the Hakgala Gardens, too. It is seen singly or in pairs, preferring open woodlands.
