El Jardín de Aclimatación

The La Orotava Acclimatization Garden is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the Canary Islands, established by royal decree in 1788 to acclimatize exotic plants brought from overseas. Its founder, Alonso de Nava y Grimón, saw Tenerife as the ideal climate for healthy tropical species to grow, and since then, it has become a center for research, conservation, and botanical exploration. It houses more than a thousand different species, including tropical, subtropical, and endemic Canarian species.

The garden retains its original late 18th-century design, with geometric paths, two main avenues, and side walkways that allow visitors to explore green corners, ancient ponds, monumental trees, rare palm trees, and breadfruit trees. One of the most striking specimens is the large columnaris ficus, trailing aerial roots that descend from the canopy to the ground, creating living columns. Other trees include centuries-old trees such as tipuanas, palo borrachos, and species native to remote places such as America, Asia, and Africa.

One of its most notable functions is scientific: it houses a herbarium with tens of thousands of sheets documenting the Canary Islands' flora and conducts botanical research, germplasm conservation, and international plant exchange programs. But it also has great scenic value: its evocative spaces with shade, light, ancient ponds, and corners that invite contemplation, silence, or simply enjoying nature.

Visiting this garden is not just about seeing beautiful plants, but also about reconnecting with something we often forget: the importance of preserving nature, of appreciating how a single species can tell stories of journeys, climates, and distant cultures. Going there, walking among trees that have lived for centuries, breathing in the greenery, helps anchor gratitude and responsibility toward the environment.