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Sao Paulo is a large, bustling city in Brazil.
Sao Paulo is much greener than you would expect from such a big and busy city. There are a few nice parks in the city where you can relax from the noise and hustle and bustle. One of these parks is the Botanical Garden of Sao Paulo (Jardim Botânico de São Paulo). The botanical garden is located in Sao Paulo’s South zone, right next to the zoo. Founded in 1928, the botanical garden houses trees and plants from the Brazilian flora and offers a number of walking trails.
It’s a nice place for a walk in the nature. Great for families with kids. Read on to learn more about the botanical garden of Sao Paulo.
1. Botanical Garden of Sao Paulo: Basics
There are several sections in the botanical garden.
Asides from that, there are two greenhouses (one with Atlantic Forest plants and the other is for temporary exhibitions), the Ninféias Lake, the Riacho do Ipiranga trail and the Historic Gate dating back to 1894. The main feature of the park is the lagoon / lake (Ninféias Lake). Sections of Jardim Botânico de São Paulo are set around it.
Animals and birds are present in the park. If you are lucky, you can even spot a sloth. There’s a population of sloths there, in the park. You can see marmosets, agoutis and howler monkeys, too. They’re easier to spot than the sloths. It is estimated that 139 bird species live in the botanical gardens. This is why it’s also a nice spot for birdwatching.
MY ROUTE:
TIME AND DISTANCE: about 2 miles (3.2 km); 1 hour.
Even though the distance is not that great, as the park is not that big, it takes time to explore this botanical garden. You’ll be stopping to admire the trees and plants and take photos. So leave yourself plenty of time doing the Jardim Botânico de São Paulo walk. Something around 1.5 hour is enough for most.
The botanical garden is located right next to Sao Paulo Zoo. It is the largest zoo in Brazil, and one of the best things to do in Sao Paulo. If you are planning to visit both zoo and botanical gardens, it could take you almost a whole day.

2. How to Get to Sao Paulo Botanical Garden?
To get to Sao Paulo Botanical Garden, we took a metro and walked.
We took a metro to Jabaquara, and then we walked the remaining 2.5 km (1.55 miles) to the botanical garden. For the most part, it was an OK neighbourhood. There’s a footbridge a few minute walk away from the park, and it goes over a highway and a sketchy area (as it looked). But it was only a small portion of the route.
You can always take a taxi, if you don’t want to walk. Or don’t feel safe.
To get back from the botanical garden to our hotel in the city center, we took a bus (there’s a bus stop right in front of the garden) to the metro station, and took a metro to our hotel. You can see buses of Sao Paulo on Google Maps.
Also, you can take an Uber to Sao Paulo Botanical Garden.
3. Botanical Garden of SAo Paulo WALK: Our Experience
Sao Paulo Botanical Garden is one of the best places to visit in Sao Paulo.
It’s not as impressive and rich with plants and trees from all over the world as the botanical garden in Rio, but it’s still worth a visit. And it’s amazing! It’s a place of respite from the busy city. After exploring Sao Paulo’s central neighbourhoods, this quiet park was what we needed at the end of the day.
We used the metro to get there. We got off at the last station — Jabaquara. Then we walked the remaining 2.5 km (1.55 miles) to the botanical garden. For the most part, it was a regular-looking residential neighbourhood. There’s a footbridge a few minute walk away from the park, and it goes over a highway and a sketchy area (as it looked). But it was only a small portion of the route.
You can see it also in our Sao Paulo vlog (both the park and the walk):
You have to buy a ticket at the gate.
Once you’re inside the gate, you’ll see beautiful, tall palm trees. There’s a path lined by the palm trees, right next to the canal. There’s a lake in the central part of the park, and there are a number of historical gates that date back to the late 19th century.
The botanical garden houses trees and plants from the Brazilian flora and offers a number of walking trails. We explored all sections of the park, and walked along some little trails that lead into the nearby “jungle”. There was also one jungle trail that was closed at the time.
You can spot some animals in the park. If you are lucky, you can even see a sloth. Marmosets and howler monkeys are much easier to spot, though. We saw both of them.
It is estimated that 139 bird species live in the botanical garden. This is why it’s a nice spot for birdwatching. We saw a few birds, too. The botanical garden is located right next to Sao Paulo Zoo. It is the largest zoo in Brazil, and one of the best things to do in Sao Paulo. If you are traveling with kids, don’t miss the zoo.
Here are a few photos from our Sao Paulo Botanical Garden walk:









Have you visited Sao Paulo? Did you visit the Jardim Botânico / Botanical Garden of Sao Paulo? What was your experience? Did you enjoy the park?
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