Baguio: Botanical Garden

Going to Mines View Park from the Plaza area, you’ll pass by and notice the prominent sign of the Botanical Garden on your right hand, after Teachers Camp.  You’ll also spot a group of elderly Igorots (indigenous people) dressed in their tribal costume, at the main entrance beside the signage of the park.  For a meager amount of P20, you can pose with them for a nice souvenir photo.  

I've heard many local tourists muttering "may bayad yan" (there's a fee for that) motioning to the tribes people hanging out at the entrance.  Don't be stingy now, grab the old lady or man and take a selfie.  You'll be glad later, you've contributed to local tourism.

The Botanical Garden is also known as Igorot Village as substantiated by several Igorot native huts around the park.  The women selling souvenir items along the covered (with crawling plants) cemented pathway are also Igorots.  This is where I've discovered that prices at Mines View are costly compared to here.

There are huge wooden sculptures surrounding the pitch where a group of sunflowers line the opposite side.

The park is almost as big as Burnham Park but I like this park better in that, it’s quieter, it's serene, it’s more natural, you can enjoy the surrounding minus the big crowd.  There are lots of spaces and grasses where you can just sit or lie down, meditate and appreciate nature.

The park is dotted with tall pine trees and flowering bushes and further up the path, some themed garden – Korean, Chinese and Japanese gardens complete with small concrete bridges, a Chinese temple, statues of Buddha and dark caves at the very end side of the park.

The bronze art monument portraying men working together located just down the main entrance is a work of a celebrated Filipino artist named Ben Hur Villanueva.

Artworks on sale and souvenir shops clustered a bit down the park and the good news is, they have better prices here compared to other tourist sights.  Some nice oil paintings costing only P700 to a thousand pesos.

Baguio Botanical Park is located along the road between Teachers Camp and The Mansion, so if you’re coming from The Mansion and Wright Park, it’s an easy leisure walk down the other side of the circular junction.

Entry is free.

TIPS: 

You can combine a visit to Botanical Garden, The Mansion, Wright Park and Mines View Park,  in one day full DIY tour by public transport (jeepney) + walk.  All of these sights are along the same route.

Transports

Jeepney Fare

P 10.00

How to get there:

Take the jeepney that goes to Mines View, along Mabini Street corner Harrison beside the Dane’s Bakery and adjacent to McDonalds Session Road.  Otherwise, jeepneys that goes to Pacdal and Beckel also passes by the Botanical Garden.

Address: Leonard Wood Rd, Baguio, Philippines

Google Map Direction (from Jeepney terminal to sight):  Baguio Botanical Garden

Up next -  Bell Church (Taoist Temple)