Last updated on March 27, 2024.

The small town of Calarcá, just outside of Armenia, hosts the Quindío Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico del Quindío). It’s one of the best botanical gardens in all of Colombia and a must-see when visiting the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia

Hummingbird at Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Quindío, Colombia
Hummingbird

Other than the diverse plant life and bird species that can be found in the garden, it’s mostly known for its Butterfly House (Mariposario).

 

Visiting the Quindío Botanical Garden

Admission to the Quindío Botanical Garden is COP$60,000 per adult and COP$30,000 per child aged three through 12 (as of May 2023). The garden is open from 8am to 4pm but it’s best to go earlier in the morning. If you’re staying in Armenia, the Quindío Botanical Garden can be reached via buses marked “Mariposario” leaving from Constitution Park (Parque de la Constitución), or via taxi.

Entrance to the Quindío Botanical Garden
Entrance

The entrance to the garden is through a small building. There’s a café selling some snacks and coffee as well as a gift shop and educational area. Tours offered in Spanish and English leave roughly every 15 minutes and last about 2 ½ hours. Make sure you tip your guide!

Café at Quindío Botanical Garden
Café
Educational area
Educational area
Gift shop
Gift shop

 

Trail Through the Quindío Botanical Garden

Visitors are led through the grounds along a loop trail. About half of the trail is concrete while the other half is dirt. It’s good to wear long pants and sturdy shoes. The grounds are stunning and very well maintained. Many of the trees and plants along the paths are labeled and the guides do a great job giving information along the way.

Quindío Botanical Garden
Quindío Botanical Garden

 

Palm Collection at the Quindío Botanical Garden

The first part of the trail takes visitors through the palm collection, featuring many of the over 200 palms found in Colombia. The country boasts the third highest number in palms in the entire world.

Palm collection
Palm collection
Trail through the palm collection at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Trail through the palm collection

The guide stops and gives explanations about some of the more interesting species, including their features and uses. The corozo, with its edible fruit and spiky trunk, and the wine palm, which has a sap used to make wine, are just a couple.

Fishtail palm
Fishtail palm
Corozo at the Quindío Botanical Garden
Corozo
A type of palm
A type of palm
Wine palm
Wine palm

While crossing a bridge, the guide stops to show groups the garden’s fern collection. They’re included along the route through the palm collection.

Bridge at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Quindío, Colombia
Bridge
Ferns at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Ferns

 

Topographical Map

One of the highlights after the palm collection is a huge topographical map of the department of Quindío. It displays every settlement in the department as well as the Cordillera Central (central range) of the Colombian Andes that passes through the department.

Topographical map of Quindío
Topographical map of Quindío

 

Labyrinth

Further along is a topiary labyrinth that’s a favorite for many visitors. It was designed by the founder of the garden, Alberto Gómez Mejía, in 1999. It’s inspired by labyrinths at the Garden of Moratalla in Spain, made in 1907 by French landscape architect Jean-Claude Forestier (1861-1930), and the Garden of Saint Denis in France, made in 1998 by German artist Olaf Nicolai. Mejía used the boxwood shrub to construct it.

Topiary labyrinth
Topiary labyrinth

 

Bird Watching at the Quindío Botanical Garden

Next, visitors follow the guide across a long suspension bridge. It crosses a deep ravine and leads to a short loop trail used for birdwatching. There are over 90 species of birds living in the Quindío Botanical Garden. Many are native to Colombia while others are migratory. Some are threatened with extinction.

Suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
Suspension bridge at Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Quindío, Colombia
Suspension bridge

In the middle of the loop is a structure with a large picture window inside. Visitors quietly sit behind tinted glass to view some of the several colorful bird species that live in the garden. Birds are more likely to come out if the weather is sunny. The guide said that toucans are likely to be spotted in the morning.

Bird watching area at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Quindío, Colombia
Bird watching area
Bird watching area
Bird watching area
Two birds
Two birds
Bird watching
Bird watching
Blue bird sitting on a bird of paradise
Blue bird sitting on a bird of paradise

 

Observation Tower

After completing the short loop and crossing the suspension bridge again, the trail leads to an observation tower. Visitors can climb up the observation tower for a bird’s eye view of the Butterfly House, which was built in the shape of a butterfly.

Observation tower
Observation tower
Butterfly House at Quindío Botanical Garden
Butterfly House

 

Café

Next, visitors have a chance to take a short break. There’s a small plaza with a café with picnic tables. Bathrooms are located there as well. Under one structure is a collection of bamboo roots that some guests pointed out looked like aliens.

Café area
Café area
Bamboo roots
Bamboo roots
Small pond
Small pond

 

Museums at the Quindío Botanical Garden

After the break, the tour continues with a collection of small museums.

 

Ethnobotanic Palm Museum

First is the Ethnobotanic Palm Museum. It features several items produced using different palms found in Colombia. They include furniture, instruments, food products, kitchen utensils, storage items, transport items, and more.

Ethnobotanic Palm Museum
Ethnobotanic Palm Museum
Ethnobotanic Palm Museum at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Ethnobotanic Palm Museum
Food products at the Ethnobotanic Palm Museum
Food products
Kitchen utensils at the Ethnobotanic Palm Museum at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Kitchen utensils
Storage and transport items at the Ethnobotanic Palm Museum
Storage and transport items

 

Geological Museum

Next is the Geological Museum, which covers the geology of the Quindío department and how it helped develop the flora and fauna of the region.

Geological Museum
Geological Museum
Geological Museum at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Geological Museum

 

Tunnel Museum

Attached to the Geological Museum is the Tunnel Museum (Museo del Túnel II Centenario), which is one of the most interesting museums at the Quindío Botanical Garden. It covers the tunnel system built on the highway from Bogotá to Armenia, complete with scale models. It was quite a complicated project and took over 14 years to complete. Outside the museum is a topographical model of the mountain range where the tunnel was built.

Topographical model at the Tunnel Museum
Topographical model

The entrance to the museum is a mock tunnel with examples of the three stages of construction. They are excavation, reinforcement, and finishing.

Entrance to the Tunnel Museum at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Entrance to the Tunnel Museum
Excavation (Stage 1) at the Tunnel Museum at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Excavation (Stage 1)
Reinforcement (Stage 2) at the Tunnel Museum
Reinforcement (Stage 2)
Finishing (Stage 3) at the Tunnel Museum at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Finishing (Stage 3)

At the end of the tunnel is a large open space. Once inside, the guide explains the details of the construction of the tunnel. There are photos of machinery and equipment used during construction, a topographical model of the entire tunnel system, and a working mechanical model of the tunnel itself.

Machinery and tools used during construction at the Tunnel Museum
Machinery and tools used during construction
Topographical model of the tunnel at the Tunnel Museum
Topographical model of the tunnel
Model of the tunnel at the Tunnel Museum at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Model of the tunnel
Model of the tunnel at the Tunnel Museum at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Model of the tunnel

The fun thing about the model is that it opens up to reveal cars and trucks running on a track inside the mountain. It’s one of the most memorable things at the Quindío Botanical Garden.

 

Pergola

After the Tunnel Museum, the path takes you through a pergola. It was built with twisted iron from buildings in Calarcá destroyed by an earthquake on January 25, 1999. It was designed by Alberto Gómez Mejía and completed in 2000. The vines represent the process of reconstruction of life since the tragedy.

Pergola
Pergola
Pergola
Pergola

 

Insectarium

The final museum at the Quindío Botanical Garden is the Insectarium and Insect Zoo. It was designed in a traditional Antioquian style by Carlos Eduardo Agudelo based on a drawing by Alberto Gómez Mejía and completed in 2001.

Insectarium at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Insectarium
Insectarium
Insectarium

The Insectarium features showcases created Alejandro Cardenas and entomological work done by the biologist Eduardo Amat. Material was donated by the Humboldt Institute, the Natural Sciences Institute of the National University of Colombia, and private collectors and donors.

Insectarium at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Insectarium
Arachnids, crustaceans, centipedes, and millipedes at the Insectarium at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Arachnids, crustaceans, centipedes, and millipedes
Social insects at the Insectarium
Social insects
Beetles at the Insectarium
Beetles
Beetles at the Insectarium
Beetles

One section contains a collection of insects from Colombia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. They were seized from an illegall trafficking ring and sent to the Quindío Botanical Garden.

Trafficked insects at the Insectarium
Trafficked insects

Another section contains live specimens, such as a beehive, chrysalises, spiders, centipedes, and other insects from the region.

Beehive at the Insectarium
Beehive
Chrysalises at the Insectarium
Chrysalises

The second room of the Insectarium is dedicated to butterflies. Several species of butterflies found in Colombia are displayed in cases. There’s also an impressive case covering the complete life cycle of a butterfly as well as a case featuring moths.

Butterfly room at the Insectarium at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Butterfly room
Butterflies of Colombia at the Insectarium
Butterflies of Colombia
Life cycle of a butterfly at the Insectarium at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Life cycle of a butterfly
Moths of Colombia at the Insectarium at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Moths of Colombia

 

Butterfly House at the Quindío Botanical Garden

The highlight of the Quindío Botanical Garden for most visitors is the Butterfly House. It was the brainchild of the garden’s founder, Alberto Gómez Mejía, who discussed it with British scientist Miriam Rothschild (1908-2005) in London in 1991. Entomologist Richard Hesterberg provided scientific and technical assessment, and the structure was designed by Luis Fernando Gaviria. It was completed in 2000 and all butterflies were developed by the Quindío Botanical Garden.

Butterfly House at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Butterfly House

Visitors are able to take their time to walk through and admire the colorful butterflies fluttering around. You can even dip your fingers into the lemons placed on butterfly feeders. This attracts the butterflies to come and sit on your fingers.

Butterfly feeder at the Butterfly House
Butterfly feeder
Butterfly feeder at the Butterfly House at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Butterfly feeder
Butterfly at the Butterfly House at Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Quindío, Colombia
Butterfly
Butterfly at the Butterfly House
Butterfly

The guides are happy to show you features you may not notice, like butterfly eggs. A photographer is on hand taking photos you can purchase at the gift shop on your way out. Also, watch out for the tortoises walking around the paths!

Butterfly eggs at the Butterfly House at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Butterfly eggs
Tortoise at the Butterfly House at the Quindío Botanical Garden in Calarcá, Colombia
Tortoise

 

Our Thoughts on the Quindío Botanical Garden

The Quindío Botanical Garden is a very enjoyable time and definitely better than any other botanical garden I’ve visited in Colombia. It’s great for visitors of all ages. I can highly recommend taking the time to see it while visiting the Coffee Region.

 

Map Including the Quindío Botanical Garden

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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