Second time here and this time with my almost 4 year old son. This place continues to be a staple. Definitely stop by for visit when you're in Oaxaca. If you're doing this trip in the summer do not forget to pack sunscreen. A hat. Pros Tour guide was funny and informative Beautiful all around Cons Super hot, no real shade Must take a tour (can't explore alone or skip to the picture friendly areas ie cactus wall, mirrored pond etc ) read more

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Very quick, no English but not a big deal. Lovely see the cactus flowers up close. Not allowed in most of the garden including the ethnobotanical, which was sad. Best view of garden is from the museum with no time limit. read more

El Jardín Etnobotánico - Open M-F 11am for English tour. Free but but be guided for 20 mins. - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Oaxaca, OAX

Tours are at 10:30, 11, 11:30, 12 and 12:30. You can't enter without a tour and it's free. No more English tours and not much was said during the tour which lasted 30 minutes. Bathrooms were nice. Overall a pretty place but if you don't have time, it's ok to miss it. read more

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An absolutely wonderful and immersive ethnobotanic garden! I learned so much from the tour guide - from the cultural and spiritual use of plants and trees to the historical context of the garden itself. It's important to note that tours are only available in Spanish. There's a 50 peso fee per person and they only accept cash. read more

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They no longer offer tours in English. Arrive early. When you get there you will have a wait Outside the gate. They have you sit to wait on your guide. You can't bring your water or beverages with you. The tour is fast and it's very loosely organized. You can't get in without a guide but you ultimately just walk around on your own. Bathrooms are clean. read more

Beautiful gardens located in the heart of the city! Limited hours of admission and capacity. English tour no longer offered at the time of this writing. Double check the details and enjoy! read more

El Jardín Etnobotánico - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Oaxaca, OAX

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Amazing garden behind the church. You can only visit the gardens with a guided tour, of which there only one English one per day which sells out quickly during busy season. We had to take the Spanish one so we missed out on the explanations of the different plants and their history and usage but we still had a great time. The gardens have beautiful cacti and succulents alongside native economically and historically important plants. The church is also not to be missed as it is unique and spectacular. Spanish tour 50p, English 100p. Be sure to arrive 30 minutes early if you want to be guaranteed a spot on the English tour. read more

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Beautiful garden The tour is well-run, but there is only one English tour offered at 11 am daily. There are limited places available (apparently only 25 although there seemed to be more on our tour). We were told that if we wanted to secure a spot we should arrive before 10 am. We arrived at 9:30 am and we were at the front of the queue outside. At 10 am we were let into the complex but we seated in the courtyard for another hour before the tour started. When the tour started at 11 am it was really hot - so it seemed silly that we spent the next 2 hours wandering around in the heat instead of starting the tour earlier. Our guide Enrnesto did a good job though and we were provided with straw hats which helped a lot!! read more

Jardin Etnobotanico de Oaxaca has the most gorgeous beautifully designed garden full of edible (all the xeric milpa foods plus vanilla, cacao etc), medicinal (Dioscorea mexicana & D. composita responsible for birth control pills; plus epazote & Solanum erianthum leaves induce abortion, berries toxic), fiber (cotton), dye (cochineal, anil) and tools that I have ever seen. Agaves and cactus are here in their native region and in a well designed garden. The cloud forest plants (vanilla, Dioscorea mexicana & D. composita) are in the most gorgeous green house I have ever seen. Visit the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca in the former nunnery next door to see this gorgeous garden from above. Oaxaca to Guatemala is a Vavilov center of biodiversity, so the world owes Mexico a hearty thank you for so much of the wonderful food we eat. Not only a useful and informative garden, but also spectacularly beautiful and well laid out. Only 1 English language tour per day at 11 am on the days offered, so you must arrive no later than 9 am to get in line to buy a ticket. read more

There are many tours of this you can take. We are American and my partner speaks pretty good Spanish, but the English tour fills up very quick. So we decided to do the Spanish tour. It was excellent! Our tour guide was so kind with us and our questions. She was so knowledgable of the history, architecture, and the botany. The tour is about an hour and a half and the group can be as large as 50 people so be prepared for that. There's not too much walking as the gardens aren't huge, but there is A LOT to see. Not only will you find lots of beautiful plants but also a historic aqueduct system. Everything was so fascinating and it was such a unique experience. Make sure you bring cash for the tickets! Go and visit this place while you're in town. read more

Stunning gardens containing plants from Oaxaca state. Incredible collection of cacti and other plants. Well worth a visit. To see pond reflecting a row of cactus is worth the entry cost alone, Do check if you want an English tour as there are only a few each week. Well worth the effort though. read more

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This is definitely a must stop during your visit to Oaxaca! We wanted to visit since we saw some amazing photos of the garden and wanted to see the different types of trees and plants they have; I'm a crazy plant lady and have been completely obsessed with plants lately so this was definitely a must on my list. Let me tell you about the visit: we had the most amazing tour guide, his name is Emilio. He knows the in and outs of the garden, the plants and the ecosystem. We definitely were there to admire the beauty of the plants and take fab photos but Emilio turned our experience into something even better! We learned so much about the ecosystem, the plants, where they come from and how this place is trying to preserve them. (We did have time to take the photos at the end of the tour as they give you a chance to roam around) The whole experience was amazing and we will definitely be stopping by the next time we're in town! read more

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We had a wonderful tour led by Alejandro, one of the founders and the director of the garden, which was the highlight of our visit to Oaxaca. The tour focused on the historical, economic, and political relationships between native plants of the region and humans from the original settlement of the area 10,000 years ago through the ancient Mesoamerican period, the Spanish Conquest, and the present day. The only way to visit the garden is as part of a tour - there are Spanish, English, and German tours offered at different days and times. Alejandro is extremely knowledgeable and a terrific teacher, giving extensive background information, answering our questions, and asking the group probing questions to help elucidate the ecological and evolutionary processes. Don't miss! read more

We arrived at 9:20am on 8/1 and the line was already long. We are were the last two admitted to the 11:00am tour. On Monday the tour is only given in Spanish. I thought the gardens were charming, more green and cactus plants and not many flowers. I would have enjoyed paying a larger donation to NOT have the guide. Its a lovely place to stroll and take pictures at your leisure. I do not think it was worth the 1 hour and 40 minute wait. Other reviews indicated a two hour tour but the tour today lasted one hour. read more

I've been looking forward to visiting this garden for two years when I discovered it from the balcony of Templo Santo Domingo. Unfortunately, it was closed that day so it was one of my goals to visit it on this trip. It doesn't seem like any of the links to a website work. It was difficult to get information to plan a visit before actually going to the garden. There is a Facebook page and on the cover photo (I've included in this post) are the hours for the tours. The only way to visit the garden is through a tour, there is no strolling unattended. I think they're afraid people will take "souvenirs." This tour is currently offered in English tuesdays, Thursdays, and saturdays at 11am. Don't misunderstand, the garden is beautiful but you can't wander and take photos all day like in all other botanical gardens I've visited. The tour guide, Carol, was the highlight. Our group was huge! But she was so well spoken and professional at guiding us through a tour of the garden. She provided insight to the uses of the plants and the history of the site. I would definitely return. read more

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I would have loved to stroll through this garden. Instead I stood for 30 minutes while an elderly, knowledgeable volunteer tried to cram everything she knows into our heads. Too much talking, not enough walking. Would gladly pay more to be allowed to stroll through alone and perhaps have a couple of people posted here and there who can answer questions. I was excited about this visit, but after 30 minutes of standing still as a captive audience member, I gave up and left. read more

Amazing! Don't miss this! Wonderful and educational tour. Wear sunscreen! They do have umbrellas and hats for sun protection though. Absolutely gorgeous read more

Our visit and tour of the garden was the. highest quality experience of our trip to Oaxaca. On the face of it the tour was about the plants in the garden but the bigger picture that was presented put the plants into the context of Oaxaca's history, culture, politics, and our guide told the story of how plants and people have interacted over many hundreds of years. Our tour guide was Alejandro, the garden founder and director. I am sure the other tour guides are knowledgeable as well but the next time I am in Oaxaca I will hope to take the tour again and hope to hear again Alejandro's fascinating account of this unique and beautiful garden. read more

You won't believe what's behind the walls of some buildings in Oaxaca. It's a beatiful place, it has it's own story on how it became the place it is today. To visit the ethnobotanical garden you have to pay for a guided tour (which is totally worth the $50 pesos). Unless you take the tour, sadly you can't visit the gardens on your own. Each tour can only handle a certain amount of people so try to arrive early to buy your ticket. Once you meet the tour guide you'll understand why you can't do the tour on your own, he knows a lot about all the plants, their uses and also about the history of the building. Be sure to ask in advance about english tours, as they only happen about 2-3 times per week. If you're ever invited to a wedding at the ethnobotanical garden, don't miss it! My husband & I went to a wedding last year, and I can only say WOW! If I could, I would get married here, surrounded by beautiful, amazing plants everywhere! read more

Beautiful natural elements, architecture and design with unique history--it was designed by two painters. You can get great guided tours to learn about the history behind the location as well as about the native plants present there. Great photo opps. read more

Too long wish we had the freedom to just walk around and take pictures of our own pace. The like I mentioned is too long therefore making it BORING! read more

My favorite place in all of Oaxaca. But the only way to see it is to take a tour that is painfully slow, structured and didactic. The information imparted is all good and worthwhile but is delivered in a manner that is just agonizing. Good luck! read more