Utterly magical - Do not think twice. Just go. And if the VIP tour is in your budget, it's worth every peso. I'm an avid gardener and I've traveled extensively. These gardens blew my mind. An utterly magical space full of silly guinea hens, fascinating spider webs and every orchid imaginable! I have NEVER seen so many wild butterflies in my life. Our guide, Eduardo knew every single plant and critter and had patience for all our questions. The restaurant exceeded my expectations and after the morning hike, we were hungry!

Incredible experience, not to be missed. Plant lovers - bring sunscreen/bug spray and an appetite! - TL;DR – incredible experience, not to be missed. Plant lovers - bring sunscreen/bug spray and an appetite! This was hands-down my favorite experience during a weeklong family trip to Puerto Vallarta. I’m a plant fanatic, so I booked the private tour (Botanical Delights with Culinary Adventure) for myself, my mother and my sister. The entire experience was amazing - even my sister who could care less about gardening/houseplants loved this tour! We took a taxi to the check-in spot, which is right near the marina. The meeting spot is actually in front of a liquor store, so we were worried initially that we were in the wrong place, but then Juan (our driver) and Eduardo (tour guide) arrived and we were off! Juan drove us south through Puerto Vallarta – through Zona Romántica and the seaside villages that dot the coastline heading towards the mountains, while Eduardo told us a bit about the area and what we could expect for the day ahead, including the menu for lunch. The drive takes a little less than an hour, and follows a winding/curvy road up into the mountains to the Botanical Garden. When we arrived at the garden, we re-applied our sunscreen and started the tour. A note about bug spray – we brought it, and Eduardo also had some, but being late March, the bugs weren’t a problem for us. I could see bug spray definitely being helpful for later spring or summer tours. Eduardo took us through the various conservatories and gardens at the site, all the while teaching us about the history of the botanical garden and pointing out native plants of particular interest (vanilla orchids, monsteras, cacao, etc.) and even giving us a taste of the ones that were edible. The vastness of the orchid collection alone was amazing – but then to see so many tropical plants – philodrendrons, monsteras, allll the succulents – and each specimen was absolutely living its best life in that environment. Eduardo’s knowledge of plants and the region in general is extensive and we felt so lucky to have him to ourselves and to be able to pepper him with questions the entire time. Following the tour, we had lunch in the on-site restaurant with Eduardo. The food was fantastic – I had tortilla soup and fish tacos, with their signature vanilla mojito (made with vanilla produced on-site) and vanilla ice cream (best I have ever had, no lie) for dessert. When lunch was finished, we had an hour to ourselves to do whatever we wanted before meeting Juan back at the van for the ride back to PV. That time went by too quickly! We visited the pet cemetery, another quick peek at the orchids, flew through the gift shop and then poof! Time to go:/ I cannot recommend this tour highly enough – my only regret is that we couldn’t come back the next day and do it over again! Eduardo is such an incredible resource, and we had so much fun hanging out with him for the day.

Birthday tour with a view - I had an amazing time on this tour for my birthday. Juan was a great driver and arrived right on time no stress about pickup. Eduardo was charismatic and seemed to love sharing all he knows about the garden and small bits about Puerto Vallarta itself. This tour included delicious lunch with a view and the experience overall was everything you could ask for on a sunny day. Total trip time including drive was about 5 hours and worth every minute ! If you go make sure you book with Eduardo you'll have a great time !

An enchanting green oasis - My wife and I did a full tour with Abraham as a guide this past week. We had an amazing time. It was a nice break from the beach. The gardens were simply stunning - every inch of these hundred-plus acres was packed with various plants and trees set in beautiful arrangements. Highly recommended.

Beautiful and Tastey - Very cool to see plants growing in their native environment, especially when it is in a jungle. The selection is very interesting and the guide gives a lot of information. The lunch was a treat as well. We will definitely be going back to explore more when we return to PV. Our particular guide kept us in the main part of the botanical garden. As a result, it was a very easy walk. This is very different than many of the comments about the terrain. Keep that in mind when booking.

Great Experience - Such an amazing excursion. The grounds were beautiful. Our tour guide Cristobal was very knowledgeable and funny. His passion for the plants and flowers was infectious. The lunch was fantastic. The tacos, club sandwich, and hibiscus tea were all delicious. A relaxing, fun day. Don’t forget the bug spray.

A must if you’re in Puerto Vallarta - Highly recommend this tour. Our guide was fantastic and the meal was incredible. We were picked up right on time and the drive there was scenic and comfortable. The botanical garden is just spectacular.

Favorite botanical garden! - I started this review Jan 2020 and didn’t seem to finish it. The visit was Jan 2020. What I can say now, 3 years later, is that it continues to be one of my favorite all time botanical gardens in the world. When I return to Vallarta, I will most definitely have a return visit The atmosphere and people there made the noticiable difference. Our tour guide…I almost remember her name… was feisty and full of love for the garden. She was a pleasure to listen to. I recommend a walk down the hill to the river. The food and beverage was excellent.

Beautiful - We loved this experience although we were not prepared for the steep terrain and long walks. this is a beautiful garden and it is fascinating to look at the vast variety and beauty our creator put on this earth. Dinner was good at the restaurant as well. Good place to visit if you can get out here

Not worth it - They have pickup points and ask the night before which one you want, you tell them and then they don't show up. We have to pay $1000 pesos to a taxi to catch up with the tour at the garden. We get there and they say you were not there. The other people on the tour said they never came to that stop. They never took responsibility for poor communication. I would have expected the taxi refunded. The tour itself is nice although not long enough half the time is spent in the restaurant. If you want to save money take a taxi spend as long as you want in the gardens, there is always a taxi waiting to take you back. $50 us per taxi plus admission. Bring or buy your food you will have a better experience,