The botanical garden is an oasis for your senses. The sweet scent of flowers blossoming in all imaginable colours and the many different insects humming around, make it an unique place. The botanical garden is situated right at the main street entering into Sóller and shares its property with the Majorcan natural science museum. The botanical garden opened its doors to the public in 1992, with the aim to protect rare and endangered plants which are endemic to the Balearic Island. Besides that, the botanical garden is also devoted to education and research of the flora and fauna.
Inside the botanical garden you will find mainly wild plants and flowers of the Balearic Island. The focus lies on endemic species – plants which need a certain habitat to survive – and species in danger of extinction. The garden is divided into different parts, each of them imitating a certain habitat of the species. This makes the botanical garden a special place, as you can observe each plant in its own environment. Various different routes guide you through the garden and show you the whole flora and flowerage. It is advisable to stick to the indicated routes, as the botanical garden sets them out in correspondence with the time of the year. This way they want to make sure you are having a great time and are seeing as much flowers and plants as you can.
The tour guides you through areas of river stream plants and wet areas and goes on to plants growing at the shore and in the sand. Later you will walk through an old holm oak forest, getting to know the typical plants and flowers for this habitat and observing the birds and insects flying around. You will come across the harsh and rocky area of mountain plants, getting very close to species normally growing on the mountain peaks of the Tramuntana mountains. You will pass more wetlands with plants and flowers typical for this region, observe water lilies floating on the pond and dragonflies flying around them. Other parts of the botanical garden show plants typical for the Canary Islands or other Mediterranean regions. There is furthermore an ethnobotanical part, which shows mainly plants used by humans, such as fruit trees, vegetables, medicinal and ornamental plants.
After an extensive walk through the flora and fauna of the Balearic Islands, it is time to visit the science museum (Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals). The museum is dedicated to the conservation and the education about the natural heritage of the Balearic Islands. The museum is situated inside the Finca Camp d’en Prohom, a house from the early 20th century. It contains five exhibition rooms, a library, a service area and an auditorium for classes. The permanent exhibition includes the history of natural science on the Balearic Islands, fossils from the past and exhibits showing the biodiversity of the island.
You can take the bus L211 from Palma to Sóller, the botanical garden is at the main road coming from Palma to the Sóller.