Botanical Gardens of Costa Rica
By Bus
Goldberg
On my last trip to Costa Rica in Feb. 05, while doing research for my botanical tour
programs, I visited the three most important botanical gardens in this small Central
American Republic - Wilson Botanical Gardens, Lankester Gardens and Arenal Botanical
Gardens. Each of these venues was quite different from each other in terms of design,
location and focus. If you are botanical enthusiast, it wouldn't hurt to visit all three
venues. To follow is a brief description of all three ...
Wilson Botanical Garden
Located in southern Costa Rica near the Panamanian border at an elevation of 4500 feet
above sea level, Wilson Botanical Garden covers an area over 25 acres and were designed in
part by the famous landscape designer and architect, Roberto-Burle Marx. The gardens are
operated by the Organization of Tropical Studies (OTS) as a center for research,
scientific study and public education in tropical botany. The gardens are terraced to give
it sort of a natural feel; plants of the same culture requirements are grouped together -
Bromeliads, marantas, heliconias, gingers in particular are well represented here. There
are over 700 species of palms alone, the second largest collection worldwide. Easy to
navigate walking trails circle the entire property which abuts a private biological
reserve. Believe it or not, this is one of the most popular venues for the birdwatcher
crowd. When I was there, a small group of real avid Birdwatchers from California and
Massachusetts stayed at the lodge and were really stoked as they added many new bird
species to their life history list. Nearby is the quaint little town of San Vito which was
founded by Italian immigrants sometime after World War II; there are several great pasta
and pizza ristorantes in the area.
Lankester Garden
Located in the Central Plateau near the historic colonial city of Cartago, Lankester
Garden are operated by the University of Costa Rica. It's an easy 1-hour drive from San
Jose. For several years, this facility was poorly maintained, however when I visited the
gardens in Feb 2005,the gardens were in good shape as the University spent some money on
upgrading the facility. The gardens are located on a relatively flat terrain at an
elevation of about 3,000 feet above sea level; while it does not have the raw and wild
look of Arenal Gardens or the classical natural terraced landscaping of Wilson's, it is
still an absolutely delightful place to see and is especially popular with visiting Tico
Families from San Jose.
Featuring over 1,100 different species of orchids including the most important
collection in the world of the miniature Pleurothallids, Lankester is definitely the place
to go if you're an orchid enthusiast. Walking inside their Orchidarium, I saw many unusual
and colorful species of cattleyas, ladyslippers (Phragmepidiums), moth orchids (Phaelonopsis)
oncidiums, stanhopeas as well as the tiny looking " dwarf orchids". I'm not
really an orchid enthusiast per se, but I have to admit some of the exotic orchids on
display in the Orchidarium were real knockouts. For your information, The National
Orchid show, a special weekend festival in San Jose takes place every year in March.
Arenal Botanical Garden and Serpentarium
Located about 3 1/2 hours northwest of San Jose, Arenal Botanical Garden is situated on
a sloped hillside directly across from Arenal Lake. These gardens are primarily a native
species preservation project; it definitely has the wildest feel of the three described
venues and features many native Costa Rican plants, trees and flowers in addition to a
good selection of imported and introduced species. Overall, 2,200 species are represented
here including an extraordinary collection of Cycads and ferns. The trails climb a
relatively steep grade and circle the entire facility. There is also a small Serpentarium
on site - if you're interested in becoming familiar with some of the indigenous snakes of
Costa Rica, this is definitely the place to visit. Boas, pythons and poisonous species are
equally represented here
There lots of attractions in this region of Costa Rica, including the majestic Arenal
Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world; in addition there are some small
butterfly gardens in the area and several venues with thermal hot springs. Sportfishing
and windsurfing are two of the most popular activities at Arenal Lake, a large manmade
lake, located just east of the volcano.
In addition, if you're staying in the San Jose Area, you must visit the lovely gardens
at the Bougainvillea Hotel, located in the quiet San José suburb of Santo Domingo.
Bus Goldberg is a seasoned world traveler and the director of Calypso Island
Tours, a travel company that specializes in botanical adventures and nature
tours to such diverse destinations as Costa Rica, Thailand and the Caribbean. He also
maintains his own travel blog, Calypso Island Chronicles
You can learn more about the outdoor adventures in Costa Rica by visiting our other
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