Puerto Vallarta’s Beautiful Botanical Gardens is a must-see for nature lovers.
Hi, it’s Maya! Many people have asked me what would be a really good day-trip to do in Puerto Vallarta? Well, there are many different fun and interesting things you can do in one day such as shopping, sight-seeing, adventures, day-cruises, water parks, zip lines, eating and drinking, or just hangin’ out on the beach with your toes in the sand. Most of these are just a few minutes from downtown and a short ride in a taxi, Uber, or city bus. Quick FYI; if you are leaving from the airport or ship terminal the taxis that are permitted there are more expensive than the yellow city cabs that you can find just outside. And don’t worry-Puerto Vallarta is just like any civilized city, it is mostly good neighborhoods with a few questionable outlying areas, and for the most part good family people, just like anywhere else. Just use the same common sense you use at home and you will be fine, and I promise I won’t send you anywhere that I wouldn’t feel safe myself. What you should really be watching out for while walking around is uneven pavement, unexpected steps, and protruding sharp objects that may be electrically active.
The Botanical Gardens was opened to the public back in 2005, and hosts a huge collection of plants from the tropical dry forests of Jalisco and varieties from around the world. It is actually a non-profit sanctuary and not government funded, relying on donations, memberships and admissions, and restaurant and gift shop sales. The Gardens are situated at about 1300 feet above sea level, where the climate is drier and the flora and fauna is different than right along the coast, with oak and pine trees as well as palms.
It has 64 acres of gardens, walking paths, nurseries, greenhouses, and a large restaurant/learning center with a really cool display of crazy preserved jungle bugs like you’ve never seen and probably wouldn’t want to in real life! I actually did get to see the tailless whip scorpion in real life a couple of times- Talk about creepy! They’re as big as a plate and fast as the wind, and they’re not really spiders though they have 8 legs, and not really scorpions though they have pincher-y-things, and technically not either as they are their own species.
Okay, back to the plants! After you pass through the entrance, you walk down a beautifully landscaped path surrounded by amazing plants, flowers, trees, bees, and humming birds. They have hundreds of different plant species, many of which will astonish you with their unique beauty and color. On either side of the path are green grassy areas, going uphill on the left and downhill on the right, and you are welcome to roam around exploring. Besides all the beautiful and fascinating plants tucked into the landscape, on the uphill side you may find the nursery greenhouse and the orchid greenhouse. On the downhill side there are some walking paths that cross a ravine and through some gigantic majestic trees, and up and around the wooded hill on the other side, with some stops marking some special plants and trees. In fact, everywhere you go there are plaques and information signs, so you can actually really learn a lot while you’re there!
The Botanical Gardens have a special love for orchids, and their delicate cultivation and propagation is a main focus. Orchids are everywhere, mostly nestled in the trees, and in the Holstein Orchid House, where you can find my favorite, the reclusive jade orchid. The jade orchid is a vine that grows these amazing hanging clusters of claw-shaped green-turquoise blossoms from ceiling to floor. They also have a fancy for vanilla bean vines, and they plant them everywhere there is shade.
The grand pathway leads to a large building with a colorfully tiled coy pond out front, which serves as a point of welcome, an informative specimen museum, a gift shop with beautiful art and crafts, and I think some books, too, and their second floor restaurant/bar/hangout area overlooking the river gorge. There is also a plant sales area with all sorts of flowers, vines, orchids, tropical plants, herbs, trees, succulents, and cacti that you can purchase to start your own botanical garden!
La Hacienda de Oro Restaurant is reasonably priced, and has pretty good food! They love to see their customers happy, so you always get service with a smile. And the whole time during your lunch you will be buzzed by hummingbirds coming to the many feeders just above you, and you may see any number of tropical birds munching at their feeders below you. The menu is not huge, but they have a nice selection, and they have a full bar.
Down a path to the river there is a nice sandy area with big rocks and big, wide swimming areas that are perfect for kids. You can venture up or down the river if you seek privacy or a deeper swimming hole. My sister and I used to go down there and spend most of the day catching tadpoles or frogs, which my mom always made us release. Then my sister figured out to empty her water bottle and use it to covertly haul tadpoles home. Fortunately she also brought home some floating river plants that she thought were pretty, and it turned out the tadpoles ate the moss on their roots, so most of them made it to froghood.
The Botanical Gardens is about a 45 minute drive south from the Romantic Zone in Puerto Vallarta, which is about a 400 peso taxi ride, or a 50 peso bus ride on the bus marked El “Tuito,” which can be caught at the corner of Carranza and Aguacate Streets. You can ask at the restaurant and they will be happy to call you a return cab. Admission to the Gardens is 200 pesos for the day, with children under 4 free. There are also various membership packages. They are open 7 days a week December to March from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, and are closed Mondays April to November. It is recommended to bring walking shoes, insect repellent, and sunscreen, and swimsuit and towel if you want to swim in the river. And don’t forget your camera!
For more information and a full gallery of beautiful photos, you can visit their website:
https://www.vbgardens.org/visit-us/
Or their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/vbgardensac/?ref=page_internal
If you enjoyed this article or found it useful, CLICK HERE to visit my other Day Trippin’ suggestions. And speaking of suggestions, if you plan to visit Vallarta, allow me to give you two. First, especially if you come between December and March, whale-watching season, get yourself good quality, compact binoculars that you can carry around with you, and BRING THEM! Second, especially if you are in a poorer area, tip well and don’t haggle them down too far, they have families to feed! Have a Great Trip!!