See native birds, plants and animals in this secluded wildlife area just half an hour away from Puerto Vallarta.

The Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens are a 20-acre (8-hectare) natural wildlife area. Follow tranquil paths and walk amongst native oak trees, orchids and bromeliads. See the plants from which vanilla and tequila are made. Spot local birds and swim in the watering holes. These gardens are a beautiful spot dedicated to preserving Mexico’s natural environment. The bus from Puerto Vallarta drops visitors right outside the entrance to the gardens. Follow the main trail toward the seasonal flowers and vegetables, and see the giant strangler fig tree to the right. These trees are found all of over this part of Mexico. Continue along the main trail toward the vanilla conservatory, which is dedicated to the cultivation of vanilla orchids. See the aquatic plants pond right next to the conservatory. Stop for a sandwich or sit-down lunch at the restaurant, located in the Hacienda de Oro Visitor Center. This building has excellent views of the nearby Sierra Madre mountains. Take the Jaguar Trail from the visitor center, and observe these graceful mammals as they wander through the surrounding mountains. The Agave Hills Trail features over 6,000 blue agave plants. These spiky plants, native to this part of Mexico, produce the key ingredient in tequila. The gardens also have a large collection of native oak trees, as well as mountain pine and mahogany trees, plus a variety of birds including trogons and macaws.Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens are a 30-minute drive south from central Puerto Vallarta down Highway 200. Catch a bus headed toward El Tuito from the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta. Buses are cheap and leave every 30 minutes. The gardens are open daily between January and March, and closed Mondays between April and December. Make sure to wear insect repellant to ward off local bugs called jejenes, which are similar to mosquitoes and can deliver an itchy bite.

Plan a trip to see Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens

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Amaca Beach Hotel - Quimixto Eco Resort

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per person

May 22 - May 29

found 1 day ago

Roundtrip non-stop flight included

Vancouver (YVR) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

8.8/10 Excellent! (10 reviews)

If you truly want to get away, this is the place. Don’t expect nightlife or very much of a day-life outside hiking to the waterfall or sitting on the beach. For me, that was just enough! The room/hut we were in also had a really bad smell of mold though I didn’t see any. Awesome staff and the breakfast overlooking the ocean was worth it.

Reviewed on Feb. 4, 2025

Decameron Isla Coral Guayabitos Ramada All-Inclusive Resort

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Apr. 23 - Apr. 30

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Roundtrip flight included

Edmonton (YEG) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

7.4/10 Good! (44 reviews)

Great location right on the beach. It’s like a block away from a main avenue that has lots of stores and restaurants. There were 2 issues we had with this stay. The main issue was they didn’t give us the room that we paid for through Expedia. We paid for the sea view room and they gave us a partial sea view. Their explanation was that Expedia doesn’t list the rooms properly. We did agree to another room. They did not offer a refund for the price difference I paid for that room. 2nd issue was the brown blankets are thin and don’t cover the bed enough. The AC works extremely well you may need to keep it low.

Reviewed on Mar. 9, 2024

Decameron La Marina Guayabitos, Ramada All-Inclusive Resort

per person

May 25 - May 31

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Roundtrip non-stop flight included

Edmonton (YEG) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

7/10 Good! (40 reviews)

we have stayed at this property for three years now. I feel like the pros outweigh the cons overall. The pros are it is close to the beach, it is clean. The staff is friendly and considering it’s all inclusive it’s relatively affordable. It is not a five star luxury resort by any means and we don’t always love the dinner options but breakfast and lunch are good. We’ve never had issues getting lounge chairs out front, the beach in front of the hotel is always clean and there is a security guard watching over the area. We have never once felt unsafe while staying here. The grounds are kept very clean, there’s always somebody doing maintenance and our housekeeping staff for the daily room tidy has done an excellent job. Now, onto the cons. The beds are not comfortable, but we have stayed in other places in Mexico and found that to be the same thing. They’re just very firm. Also, if you would like to have a quiet time earlier than 10-11pm, This is not the place for you. During the day there is music playing at the pool (which is spotless btw) and at night from 9-10 there’s karaoke or a band, it sometimes stretches past the 10pm mark. Also, at times there are “beach mariachi bands” that are hired by people staying in the hotel that play long past 11pm and it is quite loud. If you want a relaxing quiet oasis then this is not it. But overall we have been happy with our stays.

Reviewed on Jan. 18, 2025

Tours & day trips

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Full-Day Trail to 6 hidden Beaches, Colomitos and Snorkel

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Private & custom tours

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Private quad bike tour with waterfall and Tequila tasting

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Wildlife & nature

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Los Arcos, Animas and Quimixto Snorkel Cruise in Puerto Vallarta All-inclus...

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Food, drink & nightlife

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Rhythms of the Night - Sunset Cruise, Dinner & Performance at Las Caletas

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Shows & concerts

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Rhythms of the Night - Sunset Cruise, Dinner & Performance at Las Caletas

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Reviews of Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens

4.5

Top destination

5 - Excellent

94

4 - Good

51

3 - Okay

7

2 - Disappointing

3

1 - Terrible

0

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

If you go on the "J" (Jaguar) trail, you'd better be in decent physical shape as it is quite a workout!

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Do not miss going to this great location when in Puerto Vallarta. Great restaurant and excellent shopping. Has nature trails and a smaller church. Features an great variety of plants and flowering shrubs and trees I have been there several times. Travel there by inexpensive regular bus from location near Cathedral in older southern part of City just a few blocks from Malecon. Do not miss seeing the active bird feeder which is filled in early afternoon. You can see it from several locations including the open balcony at restaurant. No flies or moDelightful spot. Do not miss going here. Entrance fee is good for two days so keep your receipt.

2/5 - Disappointing

Verified traveller

Eaten alive with bugs... Wear long pants and long sleeve shirt & apply bug repellant

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Bring bug spray from home,expensive at the gardens. Mostly noseeums.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

This is easy to arrange yourself by taking a bus to the last stop in downtown Puerto Vallarta (10 pesos). Then you catch the bus for the botanical garden 2 blocks away at the corner of Carranza street and Aguacate street (30 pesos each way). It is about a 45 minute ride to the gardens and be prepared for the bus to be standing room only. Entrance to the garden is 200 pesos. The restaurant is amazing with a beautiful mountain view and hummingbirds at the feeders. To catch the bus back to downtown Puerto Vallarta you just walk up the hill a few hundred feet on the opposite side of the road from the garden entrance to the bus stop. There are guided tours at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. very interesting and take about 30 minutes. Be prepared to walk up and down a lot on the trails. Also the restaurant is upstairs.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Didn't go this trip but recommended it to many. It's worth checking out but take some good insect repellant and definitely have lunch in the restaurant at the gardens and try the home made ice cream which was the best I ever had when I was there five years ago. There is a bus that heads south and will drop you off across the street.

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