Visiting Puerto Vallarta - Part 53

THINGS TO DO :-- Visit the Vallarta Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens hours of operation are 10 am – 6 pm. During the period December to March, they are open 7 days a week for the rest of the year it is 6 days per week as they are closed Mondays. Admission is a very reasonable $80 pesos for Adults and $20 pesos for those under 12.

Visiting this botanical garden is a nice restful experience, plus you can enjoy a delicious lunch at their restaurant Hacienda del Oro. This gives visitors a panoramic view of the gardens and the sparkling Rio los Horcones. The Vallarta Botanical Gardens are located at the 24 Km. marker of Highway 200, which is the only road that goes south from Puerto Vallarta. The drive to the Gardens takes approximately 30 minutes from Old Town Puerto Vallarta. If you want to take a public bus from the Romantic Zone then catch the bus to “El Tuito” at the corner of Carranza and Aguacate streets in the Romantic Zone. This bus leaves every half hour or so. This bus will also return you to Puerto Vallarta. Bus fare is 20 pesos each way. This is a Botanical Gardens so be sure to bring bug spray with you as it is home to many things that view you as a tasty snack. If you forget then you can buy a small container of bug spray at the entrance.

The Vallarta Botanical Gardens began life in 2004 with a vision of building Mexico’s greatest botanical garden in the tropical highlands of Jalisco. The twenty acres that are now the Gardens were a ranch property, half of which was overgrazed cattle pasture and the other half was old growth tropical deciduous forest. The first phase of construction was the Hacienda de Oro Visitor Centre and Restaurant which was the centrepiece of the Gardens. Then came the nurseries for plant propagation, trails throughout the property, a statuary making facility, and of course many plants.

They have planted over 6000 Blue Agaves to create the “Blue Agave Hills” while this area is slowly being re-forested with native tropical hardwood trees. More than a 1000 native tabebuia, mountain pine and mahogany trees have been planted in this former cattle grazing area which was deforested over 30 years ago. Native oak species are being grown from acorns to establish the Mexican Oak Collection. It is a little-known fact that Mexico is the world leader in oak diversity with over 160 different species. At some point in the future, this is bound to become a prized feature of the Gardens.

The Vallarta Botanical Gardens has started a foundation so that grants and donations can allow them to improve the grounds and plant collections. One of the latest expansions that has been added is the Holstein Vanilla and Orchid Conservatory with a rotating array of exquisite orchids and other stunning flowering plants.

The Vallarta Botanical Gardens were instrumental in the establishment of the Vallarta Orchid Society which is dedicated to the study, preservation and the understanding of the special cultural practices of native Mexican orchid species. They were also the driving force behind the birth of the Puerto Vallarta Garden Club whose beautification efforts are transforming Puerto Vallarta into the “City of Bougainvilleas. ”

Continued in part 54.