Betty and Bob Price, a mother and son team, were successful restaurant owners in Florida before deciding to move to Mexico. After settling in Puerto Vallarta, the two started to go orchid hunting in the Sierra Madre mountains outside of town. On their first outing, they found eleven different orchid species, and these trips became a twice-a-week hobby. Before long, Bob and Betty came to the realization that the Vallarta area was desperately in need of some sort of venue dedicated to the conservation of local flora and fauna – in the twenty years prior to that, about 30% of the area had been deforested with slash-and-burn techniques. The two decided to build botanical gardens.
After a long search, Bob and Betty finally found a suitable site for their project: twenty acres located high in the tropical dry forest of the Sierra Madres, about twelve miles (nineteen kilometers) south of Puerto Vallarta. Starting from scratch, they built the Vallarta Botanical Gardens, which opened on November 15, 2005.
In the few short years since, the botanical gardens have grown into one of the premier attractions of Banderas Bay. While taking a guided or unguided tour through the winding, tranquil paths, you can see over 3,000 different plant species.
First, though, you’ll probably want to visit the Hacienda de Oro Visitor Center. Styled after an 18th-century plantation house, this beautiful open building contains a learning center and natural history library. Don’t miss the restaurant upstairs, where you can enjoy the stunning view from the balcony tables while eating brick oven pizzas and Mexican classics like fajitas. Also upstairs is the gift shop, where you can buy local handicrafts and coffee.
The grounds of the botanical gardens are divided into a number of areas according to the kinds of plants. For example, the Blue Agave Hills are so named because of the 6,000 blue agaves that were planted there (these are the plants from which tequila is made). Other areas include the Tree Fern Grotto, Palm Gardens, Orchid House, Mexican Wildflowers, Rose Garden, Aquatic Plant Pool, and the River Walk, where you can take a dip in a swimming hole in the beautiful Los Horcones River. And birdwatchers should remember to bring their binoculars – the gardens are a great place to observe countless species of wild tropical birds.
No matter how you do it, even getting to the botanical gardens is an experience. From Puerto Vallarta, you’ll travel south along Highway 200, which hugs the coast and gives stunning views of the Pacific to your right and the jungle-covered mountains to your left. You have two options: you could take a taxi, which from Old Town and back will cost about $20 USD each way. Your other option is to take a bus. You can catch the bus – it will say “El Tuito” on it – every thirty minutes or so from the corner of Carranza Street and Aguacate Street in Old Town. It costs 20 pesos each way. Tell the bus driver “jardín botánico,” which means “botanical gardens.” See the map below for more details.
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