Covering 80,000 sq metres, rising from 150m to 300m above sea level and crammed with the most exotic collection of plantlife in Europe, Madeira's main botanical garden is like few others. Unlike other institutions of its ilk – normally the preserve of botanists and bored schoolgroups – the Jardins Botânicos da Madeira teem with tourists who wander in amazement at the leafy spectacle on offer. Only created in the 1950s, it's one of Madeira's top tourist attractions.
There's so much to see here it's difficult to know where to start. Some of the highlights include the Madeiran indigenous and endemic species section, the area of succulents and cacti, the topiary section, the area devoted to medicinal and aromatic plants, the palm tree garden and the formal shrub garden mosaic, one of Madeira's top photo opportunities. Plants to look out for are the estrelícia (bird of paradise) that flowers in winter, the mammoth prickly pears with leaves like saw blades, the indigenous Musschia aurea with their triffid-like blossoms and the Geranium maderense that bursts like a firework in a shower of purple flowers.
The neighbouring aviary at the southern end can be visited on the same ticket. Here parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, budgies, canaries and warblers squawk and chitter the day away in their spacious cages. The multi-coloured birds here are from every corner of the globe but most hail from South America. A colossal, ancient-looking turtle occupies the artificial pond around which some of the cages are arranged.
Away from the main areas, the gardens have many hidden corners that are worth seeking out. The Lover's Cave is a fern-lined rocky grotto with a table and chairs made of volcanic pebbles. The miradouro (viewing point) has cracking views of the Bom Sucesso creek – controversially, however, the via rápida (motorway) actually tunnels its way just below the gardens, which spoils the effect somewhat. In another nook you'll discover a typical Santana A-frame house.
