Today’s post is 1100 words, 32 photos, a 5 minute read. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to Traveling With Tom. This week I’ll take you to the Botanical Gardens of Rio de Janeiro. At this UNESCO biosphere reserve, we’ll see the iconic giant royal palms, tiny orchids, the amazing Victoria amazonia lily pads, and other interesting plants.

Hope you enjoyed the first post in this series, an introduction to Rio and our visit to a local farmers market. If you missed it, click here.

Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro

After our morning tour of the Ipanema Farmers Market, Neyla and Maurico dropped us off at the hotel where we met up with another person in our group. Since the Uber app was down, we decided to take a taxi to the Botanical Gardens of Rio de Janeiro. There was a taxi stand in front of the hotel, one of the drivers quoted us R$100 (about $20 USD) for the four of us. Without other options, we hopped in his taxi. Interestingly, the ride back from the Gardens cost us R$50 (about $10 USD). A lesson learned.

It was a short walk to the entrance where we purchased our entry tickets. For non-residents, tickets are R$80 or about $15 USD, residents of Brazil pay half that amount.

After securing a map, we entered and this is the first thing we saw among all the greenery of the lush garden. This sculpture of the female figure joyfully dancing is one of the most photographed features in the park. Therefore, I had to join the crowd, photographing that is, not dancing!

The Rio Botanical Gardens enjoys a long history. It was founded in 1808 by King John VI of Portugal and is home to over 8000 species of plants from around the world, some of them endangered. It is also home to 140 species of birds seen fluttering around the garden.

The public portion of the 140 hectare (350 acres) garden is over 130 acres (about 55 hectares). Since we only had a few hours to experience the park, we carefully chose what was important for us to see.

This species of palm is commonly known as the Caribbean Royal Palm or Imperial Palm. There are two alleys or avenues in the gardens dedicated to these magnificent trees. These palms reach the height of between 135-165 feet (45-50 meters).  As I walked along one of the avenues I stopped several times to admire their beauty. They are considered one of the iconic features in the garden.

In the center of the avenue of the palms stands the magnificent Fountain of the Muses’ that features themes from poetry, music, science, and art. Cast in England in the late 1800s, this fountain has become another iconic feature of the garden.

While I had a lot of favorites in this garden, the pond with the giant waterlilies or Victoria lilies named in honor of Queen Victoria of England is my top favorite. These aquatic plants can grow to between 6 and 10 feet (2-3 meters) in width with a raised rim of 4-8 inches (4-8 centimeters) high. The flowers can grow to nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) in diameter. This whole plant is not only huge, it beautiful to look at. I walked around this pond looking for good angles to photograph. I came across another photographer, we chatted for a few minutes about photography and the giant waterlilies. This is a feature not to be missed.

The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden is renowned for its stunning collection of orchids, one of the largest and most diverse in Brazil. Housed in a special greenhouse, the orchids display a dazzling range of colors, shapes, and fragrances, showcasing both native Brazilian species and exotic varieties from around the world. Their delicate blooms highlight the incredible biodiversity of the country and make this corner of the garden a favorite stop for visitors seeking beauty and tranquility. It certainly was one of our favorite stops.

Did you know that the plant that produces vanilla is part of the orchid family? It’s native to Mexico and Belize, now growing in tropical and subtropical regions of the world including the Americas, Africa, and Southern Asia.

This area outside the orchid house is where bees are showcased. I stayed back since I’m allergic to bee stings but also know how valuable bees are to the plant world.

This is the cannonball tree, a remarkable tropical species native to South America. The large, round fruits that hang directly from the trunk resemble cannonballs, giving the tree its name. The tree is also famous for its spectacular flowers, which grow on long stalks emerging from the trunk and branches. These flowers are fragrant, with a striking mix of pink, red, and yellow, and are highly attractive to pollinators like bees. Imagine if one of those fell on your head!

As we walked around the gardens, I snapped a few photos of some of the features such as this waterfall. It was in this area where we saw a troop of monkeys that entertained us several minutes with their antics.

We saw several birds while in the gardens but this heron is only one that I captured in a photo.

My last photo is a closeup of a palm leaf.

If you are interested in gardens and plants, this botanical garden is a must see. It requires more time that we took, I recommend at least six hours or a full day to see everything. We skipped some of the inside exhibits and the far reaches of this large garden. We did want to see the well-regarded Japanese garden but it was closed for renovations.

Near closing time, we were making our way back to the entrance when a downpour began. Earlier in the day, I’d left my umbrella at the açai stand so I had to share with my traveling partner.

Now for the five senses plus one.

Smell – the sweet smell of the orchids

Hear – the crunch of gravel, the chirping of birds, the sound of water falling at the fountain, raindrops on the umbrella, the sound of horns honking, buzzing of bees

See – the tall palms, the orchid house, the giant lily pads, the wet sidewalks and streets, all the green plants and trees, informational signs

Touch – the bark of a tree,

Taste – a delicious dinner that evening

Learned – to carefully check the expected taxi fare, the garden was started by the King of Portugal over 210 years ago

That evening after a fine dinner with friends, we went back to our room at the Rio Othon Palace where I snapped a few night photos of Copacabana Beach. It’s a busy place even well into the evening.

That does it for this week. Next join me for a city tour of Rio with Marcia and Selso.

Until then, happy travels!

Tom

PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM