Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo, Tafira

The Jardín Botánico Canario "Viera y Clavijo" sits on the edge of the Guiniguada ravine, just outside Las Palmas. It was started in 1952 by the Swedish botanist Eric Sventenius, who wanted the plant life of the islands gathered in one place. It now covers 27 hectares, which makes it the largest botanic garden in Spain, and it still works as a research centre for the flora of Macaronesia: the Canaries, Madeira, the Azores, Cape Verde and a strip of the Moroccan coast.

The planting is arranged by habitat, so a walk through takes you between the island's ecosystems. Coming in from the Dragonal road you reach the ornamental Macaronesian garden first. Elsewhere there is the thermophilic woodland on the slope, the Plaza de las Palmeras dedicated to the Canary palm, the salt-tolerant coastal plants, the tabaibal-cardonal of the dry lowlands, pine woods either side of the ravine and a patch of laurel forest.

Smaller corners reward a slow pace. El Jardín Escondido is a little greenhouse of tropical plants, ferns, bamboo and bonsai made from Canarian species. The Fuente de los Sabios honours the 18th and 19th century naturalists who wrote about this flora. The Palmetum has palms from around the world, and the Jardín del Mundo, opened in 2002, is split into five areas for the five continents. Near the Tagoror you can see a pine trunk dug out of volcanic sand in the Cañada de las Arenas, dated at about 3,075 years old.

Free guided tours run at weekends and on public holidays by prior booking through the form in the non-school visits section of the garden's site. On weekdays, guided visits can include the seed exhibition at the germplasm bank.

• The address is Camino del Palmeral 15, Tafira Alta, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The main entrance is on the Carretera del Dragonal, km 7 (GC-310).
• Opening hours Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, are 7:30 to 19:00 from April to September and 7:30 to 18:00 from October to March. Weekends and public holidays are 10:00 to 18:00 all year.
• Last entry is always one hour before closing.
• The garden is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 January.
• The garden will also be closed from 19 to 25 October 2026 inclusive for improvement works.
• Because of those works, access via the hillside paths from Tafira is temporarily closed and entry is only through the main entrance. There is currently no bus stop near the main entrance and the pedestrian route is not accessible.
• Improvement works are under way across the garden, including solar-panel canopies in the car park and new nurseries, so fewer parking spaces than usual are available and the look of parts of the garden may be affected.
• Jogging and any other sporting activity are not allowed anywhere in the grounds.
• Animals may not be brought in, and feeding any animals on site, including stray cats and pigeons, is forbidden.
• Guided tours at weekends and on public holidays are free and must be booked in advance using the registration form under non-school visits.
• Management may close the garden without notice if anything puts visitors or staff at risk.
• Telephone: +34 928 219 580.