Jardin Botanico Regional de Cadereyta

This week part of the International Conference about Otopame Culture has been performed in Cadereyta City, Querétaro, México. The talks about Otomí culture and other ethnical groups were really interesting.

An educational experience indeed! Set in 10 hectares, the gardens provide a wide variety of options for visitors. The knowledgeable and charming English speaking tour guide was an added bonus. The preservation/conservation and education work is an inspiration.

This botanic garden may not be very widely known but it deserves to be! It focuses entirely on the regional flora, mostly cacti, and these are attractively presented in themed sections, all well labelled, and the whole garden is situated in a natural setting, on a hillside on the outskirts of Cadereyta with nice views across the countryside (but signposted from the MEX120). There are maps and info available (in Spanish only). Best of all, entrance is free!

A gorgeous place to visit, beautiful cactae and kind guides !! A must for families. Bring your own water

For us, this made our visit to the town of Cadereyta an enthralling trip. No charge is made for entrance to the garden which occupies a sloping site below craggy rocks at the end of a lane leading eastwards from the centre of the town. Once reached, there is some accessibility for wheelchairs. An informative guided short tour lasting 15-20 mins is offered on arrival and is available in both Spanish and English. The real pleasure comes from the opportunity afterwards to make an extensive exploration of the garden for yourself on well-made, if sometimes steep, paths through the plants in natural surroundings. Water collects in pools below the crags at the top of the site, and there are a couple of look-out points giving wide views of the collection and the more extensive country beyond. This is not just a visitor attraction but a place where knowledge about cacti is developed and an important resource for preserving species which are threatened in the wild.

Beautiful representation of regional flora. Collections and exploratory paths are well maintained. Tour guide was knowledgeable (they offer tours in both English and Spanish). Also entry is free! Definitely a must see in the area.

We walked from the central plaza after getting guidance from a local resident. Said it was not far. Took about 30 minutes and the enroute signage is poor. Finally arrived at the main gate which is well marked.

Signed in (access is free) and started walking around. Soon an attendant (exchange worker from the US Peace Corp) found us and gave us an enlightening, detailed garden tour in English. Visiting the garden is fine on its own but a guided tour really added to the experience. If you go to Cadereyta the garden is worth visiting.