The National Botanical Garden

The Jardín Botánico Nacional covers around two square kilometres in the north of the city, which makes it one of the largest urban botanical gardens in the Caribbean, and it is laid out as a series of collections rather than a park: an orchid pavilion holding the largest collection in the region with several hundred species, a palm collection, an aquatic plant garden, a Japanese garden with a lake and bridges, and a large area of preserved native forest running down into a ravine. A small trolley train circles the grounds for those who do not want to walk it all. The garden also runs the country's herbarium and much of its plant conservation work.

What you actually see

• The orchid pavilion - the largest collection in the Caribbean.
• The Japanese garden - lake, bridges and clipped planting.
• The native forest ravine - preserved woodland inside the city.
• The palm and aquatic collections - laid out across the grounds.

When to go

November to April is drier and cooler for walking. Mornings are best before the heat. Orchids flower across the year but the pavilion is at its fullest in spring. Weekends bring local families and the trolley queues.

Honest expectations

It is large and walking it all in the heat is more than most visitors expect, so the trolley is worth the extra even if it feels touristy. Maintenance is uneven and some collections are better kept than others. Labelling is in Spanish. It is a taxi ride from the colonial city with no easy transport link.

Nearby

Santo Domingo's Plaza de la Cultura museums are fifteen minutes south.