Santos Botanical Garden, Botanical garden in Santos, Brazil

Santos Botanical Garden is a facility with plant collections organized in different thematic areas that showcase both native and exotic species. The separate zones allow visitors to explore the differences between regional and worldwide plant types.

The garden originated in 1925 as the Municipal Nursery next to the Santa Casa hospital. In 1973 cultivation moved to the current site, and in 1994 the nursery became a botanical garden focused on conserving Atlantic Forest species. The city renovated it in 2001, adding a fountain and a wooden deck on the largest lake for cultural events.

The garden is named after Chico Mendes, the Amazonian rubber tapper and environmental activist. Its Quem Colhe Planta programme lets more than 17 volunteer groups tend about 86 vegetable and ornamental beds, keeping half the harvest and giving the rest to waste-picker cooperatives. The Cacau centre runs workshops on planting and composting and distributes seedlings and biofertiliser.

The garden covers 90,000 m², so plan your route around the three lakes and the four trails, the longest about 400 m. The accessible area beside the seating zone has swings, a climbing frame and sensory panels for visitors with disabilities. The 22 m bird tower and the Cacau composting centre, which runs workshops, are the main stops beyond the plant beds.

The 22-metre bird observation tower, added in 2015, has four floors and lets visitors watch over 90 bird species; a survey recorded 102 species in the garden, 8 of them endemic to the Atlantic Forest.