Day Trip to Vallarta Botanical Garden
Tara A. Spears
Bob explained, “I left the US because I was looking for new experiences after selling the restaurant I owned and managed for 15 years. I have long travelled in Mexico and always loved the people, the culture, the food, the nature. It was exciting to move here in 2004.” Just one year later the VBG opened to the public.
“I was also concerned with the activities of poachers. They were taking huge numbers of orchids from the mountains and trapping military macaws in the nearby jungles to sell commercially. I wanted a place where orchids could be propagated and displayed without depleting the local populations.
Since the original opening several structures have been added to house specialty plant collections, such as bromeliads and orchids. The meandering paths throughout the gardens include art, ceramic pots and identifying name tags to heighten the experience.
The Vallarta Botanical Garden’s new Chapel, named “Our Lady of the Garden,” was opened to the public in March 2016. The Chapel promotes peace, rejuvenation, inspiration and harmony within all cultures and faiths, while being nestled in a natural paradise. Nick DeLorenzo has offered pro bono master planning and landscape design services for the Vallarta Botanical Garden.
The VBG offers a series of jungle hikes and paths you can enjoy through different biomes (many trees and plants have small signs stating name and species), including the Tropical Dry Forest, which is the natural surroundings in the jungles of PV. There’s the Holstein Orchid and Vanilla Conservatory, the Aquatic Plants pond by the Visitor Center, the Galeana Family Cactus Garden, swinging bridge, the Emerald Pools swimming area, the Tree Fern Grotto, the Native Mexican Orchid Conservatory (orchid conservation and propagation is one of VBG’s main goals), Tropical Fruit Orchard, you’ll find collections of oaks, agaves, wild palms and bromeliads and much more.
The high points of my recent visit to the garden was becoming inspired by plants again; learning names for Mexican plants that I wanted to know; enjoying the birds in their natural setting. It’s worth the admission price to receive the Visitor’s Guide that includes maps, listings of birds, animals and plants with names. And the gift shop also has plants for sale!