Botanical gardens to visit in each region of Colombia

Colombia, recognized as the country with the greatest bird biodiversity, orchids, and butterflies, as well as being second in plants, reptiles, palms, amphibians, and freshwater fish, and fifth in mammals, houses an incomparable natural treasure. For every ten species that inhabit the world, at least one is found in the country.

With over 40,000 species of plants and 50,000 of flowers, Colombia holds between 10% and 20% of the total species worldwide. Despite these numbers, there is still endemic and native flora waiting to be discovered, and botanical gardens are an excellent way to explore and appreciate this rich diversity.

Colombia has the highest number of orchid species with over 4,200, of which 1,572 are endemic. The Eastern and Western Andes concentrate the majority of species, accounting for 78% of the registered endemisms.

If you consider yourself a nature lover and an observer, we invite you to immerse yourself in the wonder of these botanical gardens. These spaces not only protect nature and wildlife but also become must-visit places on your next trip to the country of beauty.

José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden (Eastern Andes)

Located in the Colombian capital, this botanical garden is a reference point for exploring the flora of the eastern region of the country. Its extensive grounds include a wide variety of Andean and paramo plants, offering visitors the opportunity to learn about the plant diversity of Colombia's high mountains.

Named in honor of astronomer and botanist José Celestino Mutis, this space functions as a center for dissemination, research, and conservation. More than 2,000 plant species and nearly 80 types of birds find refuge in this lungs of over 20 hectares in the heart of Bogotá.

Among its main symbols are the emblematic Mutis flower, endemic to the country, the walnut tree, the emblematic tree of the city, and the orchid Odontoglossum, a characteristic flower of the eastern hills in Bogotá's savanna. The garden also features The Tropicario, a structure made up of six domes where you can experience the bioclimatic conditions of various ecosystems in the country.

Additional Recommendation:

San Jorge Botanical Garden: Just 10 minutes from downtown Ibagué, you can discover a 60-hectare garden of sub-Andean natural forest with over 1,200 species and one of the most beautiful and largest collections of aroids in South America.

Joaquín Antonio Uribe Botanical Garden (Western Andes)

Located in the heart of Medellín, this botanical garden covers 13.2 hectares and houses over 1,000 living species and 4,500 individuals. Its main objective is the research, conservation, restoration, and ethical management of the natural environment and floral diversity of Antioquia.

The Joaquín Antonio Uribe garden, named in honor of the Antioquian naturalist, features collections of tropical forest plants, palms, wetlands that were once found in Medellín, plants from drier ecosystems, bromeliad gardens, carnivorous plants and orchids, and a medicinal garden with plants that have healing properties.

Additional Recommendation:

Quindío Botanical Garden: In the Coffee Cultural Landscape, you can discover a botanical garden that safeguards the National Palm Collection and is home to one of the largest collections of butterflies in the country, with over 30 native species.

Cali Botanical Garden (Colombian Pacific)

Cali Botanical Garden “Guillermo Piñeres” (Great Colombian Caribbean) Since 2001, the garden promotes education, conservation, and research of the plant wealth of the Valle del Cauca and the representative flora of the Colombian Pacific region. Its collections include over 190 species, 143 of which correspond to the conservation of the tropical dry forest.

The garden covers 14 hectares where you can see 30 species of bromeliads, 18 species of palms, 27 species of aroids, and 60 species of cacti. From the viewpoint, which pays homage to the Farallones National Natural Park, you can see 360° of the tropical dry forest.

Additional Recommendation:

Pacific Botanical Garden: In Bahía Solano, a territory of great natural beauty, you can find a botanical garden covering 168 hectares dedicated to the protection of native forest. Here, you will observe dryland forests, freshwater forests, mangroves, and wetland and beach vegetation.

Cartagena Botanical Garden “Guillermo Piñeres” (Great Colombian Caribbean)

Restoration of the piñuelo mangrove in the Cartagena Botanical Garden “Guillermo Piñeres”. — @jardinbotanicocartagena

Located in the hills of Turbaco, 25 minutes from Cartagena de Indias, this 9-hectare garden specializes in the flora of the tropical dry forest with over 300 species of native and exotic plants. Its privileged location has aided in the restoration of this ecosystem, safeguarding one of the last virgin native forests in the region.

With a natural spring that nourishes both plants, fungi, and animals, this botanical garden stands out for preserving native trees like Caracolí, Higuerón, Macondo, and Mahogany, among others. Along its 2,000-meter paths, you can observe these and more collections from the native forest. Interestingly, new insect species have been identified in this botanical garden.

Additional Recommendation:

Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino Botanical Garden: This beautiful 22-hectare garden is set in a rich historical and natural environment in the city of Santa Marta. Here, you can see representative species of the tropical dry forest, including orchids, mangroves, and fruit and medicinal plants preserved by locals.

La Macarena Botanical Garden (Amazon – Colombian Orinoquía)

Located in La Macarena, Meta, this botanical garden connects the biodiversity of the geographical heart of the country. Its 650 hectares contain over 4% of the plant biodiversity, making it an important center for studying the flora and fauna of the region.

This protected environmental area is home to more than 1,200 species of plants and trees, over 250 birds, and more than 70 fish. In response to deforestation, the La Macarena Botanical Garden conserves, registers, and creates ecotourism spaces to educate on environmental matters.

In the area, you can also visit Caño Cristales, the Angosturas Rapids, where petroglyphs hundreds of years old have been found, and the Lagoon of Silence.

Additional Recommendation:

Ecological Park Mundo Amazónico: 15 minutes from Leticia, it is the first and only center for ethnobotany with one of the largest collections of Amazonian plants in the department. During 6 guided stations led by a native environmental interpreter, you can explore medicinal plants, unique flowers, and fruits of the region.

Tabanok Botanical Garden (Colombian Massif)

In Vereda Bellavista, in the urban area of the municipality of Sibundoy, Putumayo, you can find the Tabanok Botanical Garden. This garden serves as a center for botanical research, scientific education, and the conservation of an ancestral planting method known as chagra, which seeks to follow the natural cycle of the jungle, contributing to its preservation.

Created to conserve, recognize, and recover native plants that protect the rivers and roads of southern Colombia, this garden contributes to the conservation of species native to the Sibundoy Valley and the Colombian Massif (such as orchids, ericaceae, fuchsias, anthuriums, bromeliads, and epiphytes), taking into account their medicinal, edible, and ornamental uses.

These are just some of the places where you can immerse yourself in the natural diversity of Colombia while discovering what each region has to offer. Let yourself be captivated by these and more corners of the country of beauty, its people, and the landscapes that make up one of the most biodiverse nations in the world.