Explore the rich diversity of native plants and animals at this beautiful desert garden just a stone’s throw from Phoenix city centre.
Nowhere is the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert more accessible to visitors than in the stunning Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. Founded by the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society, this gorgeous botanical garden has been welcoming visitors for over seventy years. The original concept was to create a space to highlight the beauty and diversity of the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert. Happily this aim has been achieved and surpassed and today, over 600, 000 visitors come to admire the wonderful exhibits that showcase 50,000 native desert plants.The gardens are located in Papago Park – only 13 kilometres east of Phoenix city centre. Whether you take a guided tour or wander at your leisure, this is a magical place to explore. As you meander through the cacti and other desert plants, watch out for native wildlife including chipmunks and rabbits as they scurry about. With several exciting displays, exhibits and trails to choose from, visitors will be spoiled for choice. Start at the Desert Discovery Loop Trail and learn about cacti and desert plants from all over the world. Pause to admire the seasonal butterfly exhibits before continuing on to the Sonoran Desert Nature Loop Trail. Here, gaze at the majestic organ pipe cactus and enjoy sweeping views of the mountains and surrounding desert.Take a walk on the wild side in the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Loop Trail where colourful desert blossoms abound. Winding through five different habitats, the Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert Loop serves to educate and inform visitors about the complex relationship between man and desert. Explore a traditional Western Apache home and discover how the fruits of this arid land have provided medicine, food and shelter for over 2,000 years.Children will love running around and exploring the different trails and exhibits and if you’re here in winter they will be particularly enchanted by the thousands of glittering lights during Las Noches de las Luminarias. But if you want to give them the experience of a lifetime, book one of the Garden Flashlight Tours. These sensory nocturnal adventures are a unique opportunity to see, feel and hear the desert at night. Spooky, exciting and definitely not to be missed!
