Botanical gardens in Chile: Enjoy the beginning of spring

With the arrival of spring in the Southern Hemisphere starting on September 23^rd, the flora awakens and the sun gives us all its energy again, and there is no better place to enjoy this time of the year than in the botanical gardens in Chile.

To visit a botanical garden is an unsurpassable plan to enjoy the arrival of spring. Education, preservation, investigation and dissemination are the objectives of these spaces, where visitors can learn about the plant species in Chile and around the world.

If you are looking for a place to connect with the flora, here at Chile Travel we will tell you about four botanical gardens in Chile that you can’t miss.

1. Viña del Mar National Botanical Garden

The Viña del Mar National Botanical Garden is the largest in the country. Photo: @jardinbotanicovdm.

With 400 hectares, the Viña del Mar National Botanical Garden is positioned as the largest on our list of gardens. You can even have barbecues, do canopy, have a picnic, rent bikes and go trekking on its two paths.

The place was created in 1951 due to the donation of the then El Salitre Park to the government. On its website, the foundation that administers the garden mentions among its objectives to create “a network of Botanical Gardens where environmental education is implemented, scientific research is carried out, and the genetic heritage is maintained and preserved in the administration of botanical gardens across the country”.

To get there by car, you have to head to the El Salto area, crossing Limache street towards Camino El Olivar. It is just outside of Viña del Mar, towards Quilpué.

Prices:

• Adults (13 to 59 years old): $3,000. Students with TNE: $1,500.
• Seniors (+60 years old) and children (5 to 12 years old): $1,500.
• Children from 0 to 4 years old: Free entry all year round.
• Cars: $3,000 extra, motorcycles: $1,500 extra.

Opening hours:

• Monday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m

2. Botanical Garden at the Universidad Austral

The Botanical Garden at the Universidad Austral is a must-see destination for tourists that visit Valdivia. Photo: @jardinbotanicouach.

The over 10 hectares of the Botanical Garden at the Universidad Austral are located on the Isla Teja Campus at this university in the district of Valdivia, Los Ríos Region.

It is one of the most well-known natural environments in the country. It maintains around 1,000 plant species distributed into 10 demonstrative areas, which are surrounded by the Cau-Cau and Calle Calle rivers.

The space was created in 1957 by the then Rector Dr. Eduardo Morales Miranda. According to the website, the Botanical Garden aims to generate “the necessary knowledge to preserve the floristic diversity of Chile and to transfer it to society for its benefit. For this, it creates live collections of plants and germplasm, carries out scientific research and creates educational programs”.

The entrance to the garden is behind the Faculty of Science and there is a parking lot for small vehicles on Doctor Eduardo Tallman Street.

• Prices: Free.
• Opening hours: From Monday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

3. Botanical Garden at the Universidad de Talca

The Botanical Garden at the Universidad de Talca is also a place of protection for endangered birds. Photo: @lehcim_leon.

We move to the Maule Region to the Botanical Garden at the Universidad de Talca, made up of 13 hectares and over 2,500 plant species.

The place has an arboretum, an aviary, lagoons, and an educational farm with 60 species, such as pheasants, peacocks, and cochin chickens, in addition to endangered animals such as the tricahue and choroy parrots.

Inaugurated in 2006 after an agreement with the University of Dresden in Germany, the Botanical Garden is described on its website as “a meeting point for the community, that finds here a space to spend time with the family and at the same time, learn about the value of nature”.
The garden is located on the installations at the Universidad de Talca, which you can enter through Lircay avenue. Consider that the academic institution is located on the northern side of the regional capital.

• Prices: Free.
• Opening hours: Monday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. From Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

4. Mapulemu Botanical Garden

Mapulemu is an oasis of nature in the middle of Santiago. Photo: @aumaldonado.

The Mapulemu Botanical Garden is located in the green lung of the capital. Its 4.5 hectares are located in the grounds of the Parquemet in the district of Providencia, Metropolitan Region.

Inaugurated in 1983 with the aim of helping in the rescue of the endemic flora, this Botanical Garden is divided according to the different parts of Chile: north, central, and south, which a medicinal area is added to. Here you will find over 70 native flora species.

To get there, you have to enter San Cristóbal Hill through the north Pedro de Valdivia access, which is near the metro station of the same name on Line 1 of the Santiago Metro.

• Prices: Free.
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.