Bursting with beauty and vivid colors, full of fragrances, birdsong and the flutter of butterfly wings, in San Andres a Garden of Eden takes attention from the waves and sand of the Caribbean for those, both tourists and islanders, who love the world of flowers and plants.
Located on Harmony Hall Hill, right in the center of the island, The Botanical Gardens with an are of 80,000 square meters is administrated by the Caribbean branch of the National University of Colombia. The precious collection found there showcases the natural beauty and life of the Colombian islands as well as an exhibit of the exuberant life in the Caribbean.
Moreover, while appreciating the vibrant colors and species, you can learn about how the islanders use these plants in their daily lives. It’s a priceless, educational opportunity for travelers to understand the complex balance of species in West Indian ecosystems and learn to value them, care for them, and, hopefully, preserve them.
In the heart of the Botanical Gardens, there is a lookout that towers 12 meters high above the canopy of flora and fauna from the San Andres Islands, offering visitors an enviable view of the panorama of the island. And just where the lookout tower stands, there’s an ecological path that, for a couple of hours, provides visitors and islanders with a guided tour that allows them to explore and learn about the diverse flora and fauna of the archipelago – both endemic species as well as non-native species.
We want to highlight the other areas that the Botanical Gardens contain: a nursery, laboratory, herbarium for research of local flora, a butterfly collection and other insects, a collection of fossils of corals from the island, and a series of marine aquariums where you can appreciate small ecosystems of mangroves, coral reefs, marine grasslands and algae.
To enter the Botanical Gardens during visiting hours is reasonable. Entrance fees vary from $7.000CP for Colombian nationals to $10.000CP for foreigners. It’s open from Tuesday to Saturday: 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Sundays and Holidays from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm.
