El Jardin Botanico Canario “Viera y Clavijo”.
If you are fascinated by the botanical world this park will inspire you defenitiv. The Botanical Garden of the Canaries or even called Jardín Canario is located in Gran Canaria, just a few kilometers from Las Palmas. Here you will find the entire Canarian flora of these small continent, with more than 2000 different plant species – many of which are endemic. A lot, if you compare it with England that has only about 1600 species of plants and only 1/5 of it is endemic.
Although the park was founded by a Swedish Spanish or Spanish Swedish man named Erik Ragnar Svensson (the first director of the park in 1959) the park, however, was named after the naturalist Viera y Clavio: the author of the Dictionary of Natural History of the Canary Islands (Diccionario de historia natural de las islas Canarias).
The park is huge and has many areas for which I have to take as a botanical layman certainly not as much time as a professional. I am also sure that you´ll have a travel guide with you and therefore I don´t want to go in details of the highlights, as the original replica of the stone bridge, the fountain of the wise, the Plaza Matías Vega, the Jardín de las Islas, Cactus Garden y Suculentas, Jardín Macaronésico Ornamental, El Jardin Escondido, El Pinar, El Bosque de laurel or the Plaza de los nenúfares…
The opening times of the park are daily from 9:00 to 18:00 clock. There are few days and “spanish fiestas” the park will be not open – so it´s better to ask locals before you start the trip to the park.
