National flower of Costa Rica “La Guardia Morada”

Costa Rica Spotlight: At The Botanical Orchid Garden in Costa Rica,  Learn about the Life Cycle of  Orchids

If you are vacationing in Costa Rica and have a free morning or afternoon and you are an orchid lover, come on over to The Botanical Orchid Garden, located off the Jaco exist in La Garita de Alajuela.   Departing The San Jose  international airport,  head north on the inter American highway  (highway 1) and take the Jaco exit and turn left.  Complete directions listed below.

If you are curious about these exotic plants and want to learn more about how they are grown and their complete life cycle,  then The Botanical Orchid Garden is the place to visit.  It was established precisely for that purpose:  to educate people about the beautiful orchids and to remind people to slow down and enjoy what nature has to offer  and the importance of conserving it.

The owner Claudio Salas  said that he and his family have spent more than thirty six years developing the garden which opened to the public two and one half years ago. Mr. Salas explains that of the 25,000 species of orchids in the world,  1500 are found in Costa Rica, which has all the right conditions for orchids to thrive.  There is the combination of heavy rainfall, high humidity, and warm tropical temperatures and tropical breezes.

A thousand things must occur, all at the same time  for an orchid to thrive, Mr Salas explains.  Typically a tropical orchid seed in the wild will take growth on the trunk of a tree, and if all these conditions are right, the orchid seed will sprout and grow into a beautiful adult orchid.

We enter the first greenhouse filled with potted orchids which is a kind of laboratory where we can actually see the cultivation process of the orchids, from seed to full maturation of the flower.  This taught me more than I could ever learn from reading a book about growing orchids.

The second greenhouse  is home to dozens of orchid varieties in full bloom and what a beautiful sight!   Mr. Salas explained  the different varieties and what makes one different from the other and how to care for each variety.  I left feeling like I could actually grows orchids myself with a little  help from mother nature .

Getting There: From San jose international airport continue on highway 1  until you see the Jaco Exit (12 km) 7.5 miles. At the top of the exit ramp take a left turn.  Go 3 km or 1.8 miles to La Fiesta De Maiz Restaurant.  Take a left turn here and go 800 meters.  You will see the entrance on the left to the Botancial Orchid Garden.

Hours open:  8:30 am to 4:30 pm Tuesday thru Sunday.  Closed on Mondays.  Entrance fee $12  Kids are $6  ages 5-12.

The Vanilla Cafe, located on site offers food and drinks.

Read more  about the Botanical Orchid Gardens  www.orchidgardencr.com

Highly recommended!  If you love orchids and would like to tell us about your Costa Rica orchid experiences, we would love to share it with our readers.    Thanks,  10.255.150.253/costaricalearn