The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden (“Jardim Botânico” in Brazilian Portuguese) is a worth-visiting magnificent 137-hec (338-acre) garden over 200 years old featuring a 750-meter (half-mile) avenue of 134 impressive royal palms.
There are also orchids, bromeliads, cacti, huge bamboos, and carnivorous plants, among many others. The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden is lushly green but not exceedingly floral.
Monkeys are sometimes visible during the visit, and there are always plenty of birds flying over the trees (the more recognizable ones are toucans, but they are rarely seen).
The open-air Café Botânica is busy on weekends and holidays, serving sandwiches, quiches, salads, other snacks, and an assortment of beverages.
Opening Hours
Every day, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (until 6 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time)
How to visit the Botanical Garden in Rio de Janeiro
Ask the taxi driver to take you to the entrance of the parking lot. Pay the driver, walk to the ticket booth, and pay R$6; US$3; €2.50 for admission. Then, choose one of the following options:
If visiting the garden on your own on foot
(See Botanical Garden map/layout in Chapter 4 of My Rio Travel Guide PDF e-book.)
Option 1) Quick-look visit: walk straight to the Avenue of Royal Palms and back, which will take about 15 minutes.
Option 2) Short visit: if you focus on viewing the following items, allow 40 to 60 minutes, depending on your pace: the cactus collection, the insectivorous greenhouse, the orchid’s greenhouse, the bromeliads greenhouse, the bamboo trees recess, and the Avenue of Royal Palms.
Option 3) Long visit: explore the garden at a relaxed pace for about 2 hours, ending with a stop at the Café Botânica.
Note: There are no bikes for rental and visitors are not allowed to explore the garden with their own bycicle either.
For further practical and updated information on the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden as well as how to combine it with other must-visit attractions, get a copy of My Rio Travel Guide – The Essential How-To Visitor’s Guide to Rio de Janeiro.
If visiting the garden with a local guide
Option 1) Long guided visit: arrange for a Botanical Garden in-house guide to walk with you, providing a wealth of interesting details about the garden. A walking tour with an English-speaking guide takes from 90 minutes to 2 hours and is free of charge. Tours can be booked on the spot (subject to guide availability) or in advance (updated detailed information on how to book in advance can be found on My Rio Travel Guide).
Option 2) Electric-cart guided tour (no walking): It is possible to visit the garden for a 50-minute English-speaking guided visit (at no charge) in the comfort of a 7-seat golf cart. It departs hourly from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (excepting the noon hour). However, it can only be booked on the spot and is in increasing demand from mid-morning on. To increase your chances of booking a seat, arrive before 10 a.m., or even 9 a.m. if possible, especially on weekends and, summer (December through February) and winter national holidays (July). Pregnant women and seniors have priority.
Note: it is easy to hail a taxi at the garden’s main entrance/exit when you are done with your visit.