Vallarta Botanical Gardens

[purpledew]

Hi,  Need help going to Vallarta Botanical Gardens from cruise port.  Ship arriving on a Wednesday from 7am - 6pm.  Any other transportation beside taxis?  Also like to go to Malecon after gardens.  Thank you.

Edited November 5, 2019 by purpledew

[Ine]

Cab will indeed by far the easiest to get there. You can get there also by Uber,  but they donot pickup right at the cruise terminal, so walk outside to get one.

Public transport is possibe but you need at least 2 different buses (sometimes even  3) with a walk in between in old town.. Of course due to many stops the bus will take much longer. You need a bus to Centro, get off at Plaza Lazaro Cardenas and walk to Aquacate/V. Carranza to take the bus to El Tuito. That one stops in front of the botanical gardens. Sometimes bus to Centro needs another transfer at the stadium. 

https://vallartainfo.com/botanical-gardens/

https://www.vbgardens.org/visit-us/

Malecon is a short walk from Plaza Lazaro Cardenas on the way back.

[purpledew]

Thank you Ine.

[pppiglet]

Cab is best.  Just make sure you ask to be taken to Jardin Botanico and not Vallarta Gardens. We had a miscommunication with our driver and he took us to Vallarta Gardens which is a resort in the complete opposite direction! 

The Botanico Gardens are beautiful and the onsite restaurant is delicious!  Nice hiking trails too. 

 

 

[Hlitner]

I am not sure that "cab is best."  It is a matter of price and even possible mis communication (read pppgilet's post).  Uber will usually be somewhat less expensive and you can lock-in the price and destination before making a commitment.  In Mexico, Uber works just like in the USA (except that it is possible to pay cash).  Also beware that some (perhaps many) taxi drivers takeadvantage of cruise passengers by charging higher prices or giving a really lousy exchange rate if you plan on using US Dollars.  We do not generally recommend using public transport (Ine touched on the issue) because it is a bit complicated and will take a lot longer then Uber or a taxi.

 

One other warning about the Botanical Garden.  The Mexican government actively sprays insecticide, in the immediate PV area, to lessen any problem with Mosquitoes and related diseases (Dengue has been an ongoing issue).  But when you go south to the Botanical Gardens you are moving far away from this spraying zone.  My advice is use a decent mosquito repellent (with Deet or Pircaridin).  I can go through the entire winter in PV without mosquito bites (and we do not use screens) but a single trip out to the Botanical Gardens left me scratching away :(.

 

Hank