Botanical Garden of Pisac
The Botanical Garden of Pisac is the ideal place for nature lovers. The enclosure has many species of plants such as orchids, medicinal plants, trees, but especially the cactus (the museum has one of the most important samples in Peru). Some of its most famous attractions are its potato museum, Andean seed exhibition, its orchid garden, section of medicinal plants, an exhibition of insects from the region, a mineral sample and more.
All about the Botanical Garden of Pisac
Descripción
The botanical garden of Pisac, also called Felipe Marin Moreno in honor of the researcher and botanist who managed to gather various species of plants that, after several years, served to make up the sample of the museum and botanical garden.
The place has one of the best cactus collections in Peru. In addition, you can appreciate the various kinds of orchids, one of the flowers with the most species in Machu Picchu. It also has collections of trees, seeds, insects, medicinal plants, mineral stones and more.
The Botanical Garden of Pisac is located just a few steps from the Main Square of the town, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It is a cozy place where you can enjoy the different species of plants, trees and flowers of Cusco.
Where is?
The botanical garden is located just a few steps from the Main Square of Pisac, in the center of town. The place is 33.9 kilometers from the city of Cusco.
How to get?
To get to the botanical garden, you must take public transport from the city of Cusco to the town of Pisac. The minivans and cars depart from Puputi Street, near the Historic Center of the city. After a journey of almost 1 hour, you arrive at Pisac. You just have to walk to the town square. In one of its corners is the botanical garden.
The town of Pisac is very visited by tourists, mainly due to the Inca archaeological site located in the high mountains. Another of its great attractions is its craft and food market, one of the most colorful and peculiar in Cusco. The town has tourist services such as: restaurants, hotels, cafes, etc. Due to its proximity to the city of Cusco (only 34 kilometers away), many visitors prefer to stay there.
Map
Felipe Marín Moreno
Felipe Marin Moreno was a botanist and researcher from Cusco who, together with his wife Rosario Loayza, gathered several species of Andean flora and founded the current botanical garden of Pisac. He conducted experiments with grafting, plant hybridizations, propagation, and hydroponics. He was twice rector of the San Antonio Abad del Cusco National University. He collected one of the best cactus samples in Peru and that today can be visited within the botanical garden. After his passing in 2007, his family decided to keep the collection of plants, flowers, cacti, seeds and more in his honor. This museum and botanical garden bears his name.
The botanical garden of Pisac
The botanical garden is not a large place but it provides an ideal visit to learn about native and non-native plant and tree species. Its different collections stand out such as: the sample of 200 native potatoes (in Peru there are more than 3,000 varieties of potatoes), the collection of butterflies, beetles and other dissected insects in the site museum. However, definitely, its great tourist attraction is its cactus collection, one of the most important in the country.
The museum also has a collection of flowers, where twelve varieties of the kantu flower (the flower of the Incas and the flower of Peru) stand out. The site also offers an explanation of how local people use the cochineal from some plants to naturally dye some of their clothing. The museum is an escape to the noisy market of Pisac. The sound of the birds and the calming atmosphere of the trees are an alternative to visiting the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Visit price
The entrance ticket to the Pisac Botanical Garden has a cost of 6 Peruvian soles per tourist (2 US dollars, approximately).
Schedule
Monday to Sunday from 9 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon.
Photos of the botanical garden of Pisac
Additional Information
Pisac is one of the many towns that make up the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Some of the most famous towns are: Ollantaytambo, Urubamba, Maras and Chinchero. Each place has archaeological remains, roads or platforms dating from Inca times, for whom this valley was sacred for its agricultural wealth.
Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas have a diversity of plants, trees and flowers where they stand out: orchids, puyas, willows, eucalyptus trees, kantus flowers, peach trees, avocado trees, orange trees, cedars and plus.
Tips
Take advantage of your visit to Pisac to see other tourist attractions such as: the town market or the archaeological site. The latter was an important urban, religious and agricultural center.
If you like plants and flowers, you should also visit the botanical garden of Machu Picchu located in the town of Aguas Calientes, on the road that leads to the Inca city. In the garden the many species of orchids stand out. The entrance to this place is included in the entrance ticket to the Machupicchu site museum ‘Manuel Chávez Ballón’.