Jardin de Aclimatacion de La Orotava

The garden was ordered by Carlos III in 1788 with a specific and largely unsuccessful purpose: to hold tropical plants brought from the Spanish colonies in Tenerife's mild climate until they had hardened enough to be moved on to Madrid and Aranjuez. Most did not survive the second move, so the collection stayed here instead and has been growing for over two centuries into a dense, shaded couple of hectares. The centrepiece is a Moreton Bay fig whose aerial roots have fused into a mass of trunks you can walk beneath. Paths are short and the whole thing is compact, closer to a walled garden than a park.

What you actually see

• The Moreton Bay fig - fused aerial roots forming a walk-through mass of trunk.
• The eighteenth century layout - the original walled enclosure and central pond.
• The palm collection - species gathered from across the tropics.
• The shade - a canopy dense enough to keep the garden cool through the day.

When to go

It works in any month, since the north Tenerife climate is mild year round and the collection is evergreen. Mornings are quieter than the coach hours after eleven. The north coast is cloudier than the south of the island, which suits the plants and means you rarely have to plan around heat.

Honest expectations

It is genuinely small and a slow walk covers it in an hour, so treat the ticket as part of a wider day in Puerto de la Cruz. Labelling is patchy and some beds look tired. Coach groups arrive in bunches mid-morning. The same north coast cloud that keeps it green also makes for grey, flat photographs.

Nearby

The Puerto de la Cruz seafront, and the town of La Orotava on the slope above.