Garden Review - Hakgala Botanical Garden, Central Highlands, Sri Lanka

Welcome to Gardens Around the World a series where I’ll be sharing observations and thoughts about gardens I have visited around the world.

During this post, we’ll take a look at Hakgala Botanical Garden in Sri Lanka, probably the most beautiful garden I’ve ever had the pleasure to visit. We’ll cover the garden’s history, layout, unique features and some basic visiting info.

Brief History of the Garden

The history of the garden intertwines a tale of colonial ambition, botanical exploration, and a commitment to biodiversity conservation. In the year 1861 the British colonial administration initiated the establishment of the Hakgala Botanical Garden as an experimental station for cultivating Cinchona trees. Cinchona pubescens and Cinchona ledgeriana were vital medicinal plants at the time, producing the alkaloid quinine—the primary treatment for…