Home for Orchids at Medillin’s Botanic Garden

One of the great pleasures of a city like Medellin is the number of parks and open spaces where people can walk and enjoy their leisure time in spaces filled with cooling plants and trees. The Jardin Botanico de Medellin combines these goals with a chance to admire soaring trees and delicate flowers from all over the country.

Medellin’s Green Space Restored

Located at the Universidad (University) stop on the Metro, it is just across the highway from the Science Center and easy to access. During the troubled times leading up to the mid-1990s it fell onto bad times, but under the leadership of reformist political leaders like former Medellin Mayor Sergio Fajardo it, like the rest of the city, has been cleaned up and restored as an important part of urban life.

Entry is through a large modern building in the center of which is a large reflecting pool that could serve as well as a wading pool for kids on hot summer days. Inside, paths to the left lead to the Orchideorama, a path in the center to a jungle walk, and one to the right to an open, tree-studded area of shaded lawns and paths. Paisas, as the cities native are called, of all ages love to spend their leisure time here.

Orchideorama Showcases Orchid Varieties

The Medellin Orchideorama is perhaps the best feature of the Botanical Garden. Fourteen tall open structures rise from the ground, their superstructures spreading like trees at the top. Designed by architects Felipe Mesa and Alejandro Bernal, the complex was completed in 2006 and extends the sense of being in a tropical forest. At the bottom of each ‚”trunk” plantings serve as showcases for plants noted for their beauty, form and usefulness to birds, butterflies and similar creatures. Above, orchids cling to trees. This large open space is often used for meetings, including international orchids expositions.

A Walk in the Jungle

The jungle walk is another fascinating feature of the park. Immediately upon entering there is a feeling of immersion in a tropical forest. Tall trees of many varieties provide the dense cover and shade that encourage the verdant undergrowth. While there are some species identification signs, it would be helpful if there were more. This walk down a meandering raised wooden path is a very pleasant experience, especially for those who can’t get to Colombia’s real jungles.

The third part of the park is a great place to just walk. Tall trees provide shade over walking paths that ramble below. Large enough to provide good exercise but small enough not to get lost in, it is a good place to wander and watch Paisas of all ages relax and socialize. At one end of the garden, people relax over lunches and tall fruit drinks at the airy and popular In Situ Restaurant, the garden’s cafe.