Jardín botánico La Carolina, Botanical garden in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador.
Jardín botánico La Carolina is a 17-hectare garden (42 acres) with sections dedicated to palms, orchids, medicinal plants, and fruit trees that display Ecuador's tropical plant diversity. Each zone is organized to show different aspects of the region's vegetation.
The site originated in 1996 when the Juan Eulogio Paz y Miño cooperative donated 10 hectares of land to the Diocese of Santo Domingo. What began as an initial gift grew into the current botanical project over time.
The garden was named after a Swiss volunteer who worked on social projects with the Santo Domingo diocese. This choice reflects how the space honors people who contributed to the local community.
The garden is open Tuesday through Sunday with walkways throughout and mostly flat terrain that is easy to navigate. Plan several hours to comfortably explore the different plant zones at a relaxed pace.
The garden holds more than 160 palm species and 250 orchid varieties gathered through research expeditions across Ecuador and beyond. This collection makes it a significant location for studying tropical plant diversity.
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