A beautifully kept town-centre park of flower beds and lawns, prized by birdwatchers for its rare highland species.

Overview

Laid out beside the town's post office, Victoria Park is one of the best-maintained public parks in Sri Lanka, with manicured lawns, seasonal flower beds and shady walking paths crossed by a small stream. It is a favourite of birdwatchers, who come for scarce highland species such as the Indian pitta, Kashmir flycatcher and grey tit. It makes a gentle, pretty stop in the heart of Nuwara Eliya.

History

The park was created in 1897 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, from whom it takes its name, on land that had formed part of the old Hakgala botanical garden's nursery. It has been a centrepiece of the town's colonial-era layout ever since.