Outside in Medellin: Botanical Garden and Parque Explora

We had a nice afternoon exploring gardens and wildlife – and our minds! – today. The Universidad metro stop has a lot of options for tourists – we enjoyed both the Botanical Garden and the Medellin version of a science centre. The Medellin garden and park are not just for kids, although kids love them too!

The free Jardin Botanico is huge and amazing. Seconds after walking into the park, we heard loud birds squawking, looked up and saw 4 large toucans in a nearby tree. We had to zoom in quite close on our cameras but they were brightly colored, large and beautiful. We even got to see them fly over us. I was already hooked!

toucans Medellin garden and park
Toucans – blurry because they were far but still so beautiful

The gardens also included: a lagoon with ducks and swans, a butterfly sanctuary, a palm garden, a desert area, an orchid area and more! We wandered around for an hour or so just enjoying the lovely weather and views. The fact that this park is free is fantastic but I would have paid to visit.

ducks
Ducks marching
Jardin Botanica Medellin
The Stunning Orchid Area of Jardin Botanica
Orchids Medellin garden and park
Orchids
Butterfly at Jardin Botanico
Butterfly at Jardin Botanico

Afterwards, we walked across the street to the Parque Explora, where for about 15 bucks each we enjoyed all sorts of interactive exhibits for adults and kids and a small aquarium. It’s a new modern building which is fun to explore.

We had a very fun day, and Brian even got to slide down a slide!

view Medellin garden and park. View of park from garden
This is the view of the Parque Explora from the Jardin – very close!
Brian exiting the slide
Brian exiting the slide

When you visit Medellin, take the excellent city metro to the Medellin garden and park. The train stop is across the street and these two sites are so close together, you have to visit both. I loved it and imagine you will too.

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Author: Mel

Living aboard a sailboat, blogging about the places we visit and the adventures we have. Love hiking, cycling, scuba, animals and adventure.

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