Hakgala Botanical Garden

Hakgala Botanical Garden was founded in 1861 by Dr. G.H.K. Thwaites, initially to experiment with cinchona (the source of quinine) and later tea, before its conversion to a botanical garden in 1884, and it is now Sri Lanka's second-largest after the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. Sitting at around 1,700 metres on the Nuwara Eliya-Badulla road, its cool climate suits over 2,000 plant species, including around 500 endemic to Sri Lanka, and the garden is best known locally for its rose and orchid houses. In Ramayana tradition, the site is identified as Ashok Vatika, the garden where Ravana held Sita captive, and a small shrine near the entrance marks this association for visiting pilgrims. Foreign visitor tickets are sold at the gate for a few thousand rupees; go on a clear morning, since cloud typically rolls in over the hills by early afternoon.