Enjoying the mountain stream at the Botanical Gardens.

FEBRUARY 4 - BOTANICAL GARDENS

It has been three years since we visited the Botanical Gardens in the jungle mountains south of Puerto Vallarta. Besides the gorgeous gardens, there are arduous jungle hikes, a delicious mountain river to swim in, and an excellent open-air restaurant on the top floor of a unique building on the top of a steep hill overlooking a lush valley. It is eating dinner in the treetops.

Getting there is a trip all its own. First, we took the 45-minute bus ride from Bucerias to the Las Glorias neighborhood in the Hotel Zone of Puerto Vallarta (24 pesos, $1.25 US). Here we took a short two-block side trip to reconnoiter the ATM Red Bus station. I needed to get the bus schedule to San Sebastián, the Magic Town deep in the mountains we have wanted to visit for years. While there, we pre-bought our tickets to La Estancia, the gateway town to San Sebastian, for tomorrow. 

Our next bus was the city bus from Las Glorias to downtown (10 pesos, 53¢ US). Finding the last bus was tricky, only because the bus stop had been moved a couple of blocks from where it had been located for years. This bus route is a gorgeous run that follows the ocean about halfway before it heads deep into the jungle mountains (50 pesos, $2.70 US).

Admission into the Botanical Gardens is now 300 pesos ($16 US), up from 200 pesos the last time we were here. Still, it is worth it for an all-day excursion into a beautiful floral wonderland, a stiff jungle hike, a refreshing swim, and access to a fine restaurant.

The bus dropped us off at the Jardín Botanico de Vallarta.

The garden section is about 5 acres of jam-packed color. There are a couple of open-air greenhouses, paths through floral displays, and even a chapel surrounded by a lush forest of trees, bushes, shrubs, and flowers.

The lush giant leafy plants were as spectacular as the colorful flowers.

The chapel is in the middle of the garden grounds. Weddings are often booked at the chapel.

The walkway leading up to the chapel.

Hey, did we land in the Galapagos Islands? I counted four of these big fellas.

In mid-afternoon, it was time to cool off at the mountain stream. This is the stream responsible for carving out the deep valley where the Botanical Gardens are located.

There are swimmable pools in the stream. We waded thigh-deep.

A couple of miles of steep jungle trails surround the garden grounds. This section has been developed into a vanilla plantation. Vanilla is a vine that has to be trained to stay short because vanilla beans are produced at the top of the vine. If the vine climbs too high, it is impossible to harvest the beans.

Poles are set up for the vanilla vines to climb.

This is an example of a vanilla vine reaching out past its pole and climbing a tree. This vine needs some more training.

Jungle trees wrapped in all kinds of vines.

A swinging bridge over a small creek.

Large koi in a pool.

The restaurant at the Gardens.

Making pizza at the restaurant.

There are two floors at the restaurant. This is the bottom floor. Like most people, we opted for the top floor, where the view is spectacular

The view from the second floor.

Our complimentary water. It is a subtly sweetened refreshing drink. We couldn't place the delicate flavor.

Above: Enchiladas. Below: Chicken burrito. Notice that both are bathed in colorful sauces to mimic the Mexican flag.

One downstairs room featured some lovely paintings.

Tomorrow we visit San Sebastián. We have wanted to explore this Pueblo Mágico (magic town) for a long time. It is a little complicated to get there as there isn't a bus directly to San Sebastián. I have finally figured it out. We are psyched.

Dave and Wanda

Get Vaccinated To Save Lives.

Virtual Business Card

North America . Europe . Mexico . Asia . Product Reviews . Books & Maps

Please send us your thoughts and any errors we may have missed. We're on the road and cellular service is intermittent in the remote areas. As soon as we get online, we are eager to read all of your messages.

Message us: 715-252-6664 | 715-252-3326

Email: alloverthemaptravelventures@gmail.com