Celebrating 20 Years of the Vallarta Botanical Garden

Celebrating 20 years of the Vallarta Botanical Garden!

An incredible journey over two decades...

Bob Price, founder and curator of the Vallarta Botanical Garden, says that it was a chance encounter with an orchid salesman in 2004 that sparked an incredible journey that this year reaches its 20th anniversary.

“I had moved to Puerto Vallarta in 2004, planning to stay for only 6 months. However, someone knocked on my door one day, selling wild orchids” recalls Bob.

“Those orchids were absolutely incredible, gorgeous, and I asked the man where he had found them. “In the mountains” he told me…and eventually he brought me to this very spot (the site of the current Botanical Garden).

“I took one look and said to myself, “This is where I want to stay!”.

And this is indeed where Bob decided to stay. He has been here now for more than 20 years, a remarkable achievement that we are very excited to celebrate in 2025.

Bob’s inspiration for a Botanical Garden in Puerto Vallarta also came from him wanting to bring something special to the city with which he had fallen deeply in love. “Botanical Gardens are a civilizing force and places of culture, which is what I wanted to bring to Vallarta” he says. “I noticed there were no botanical gardens along the coast and that seemed surprising to me. But I love nature and the idea of starting my own botanical garden came into my head. So I researched the internet to find out how to do it. And this is the result. I think this is what I was sent here to do.”

Many people have joined Bob on this journey, contributing in all kinds of different ways. As Bob remarks, “So many people stepped up, wanting to contribute”.

Bob’s mother Betty played a pivotal role in administrating the Garden for many years. And Dee Daneri, a former head of the American Rhododendron Society, met Bob at the Garden in early February 2006, immediately seeing its potential. She went on to finance the fabulous Daneri Vireya Rhododendron House, devoted to over 30 species of rhododendrons, known as Vireyas. Two other important donors, George and Mary Ellen Holstein, stepped up to sponsor the stunning Holstein Tropical Plant House, located opposite the Hacienda de Oro restaurant.

Delve into this 20-year journey by watching our anniversary video

An opportunity to recognize, thank and look forward

There are many more people to recognize and thank, something that we will be doing throughout our 20th anniversary year celebrations. We kicked things off with a special Gala Dinner on Saturday March 1st, and will be running other events and sharing memories on our social media channels right up to the anniversary day itself, November 15th. This is the day that the Garden, in 2005, first opened its doors to the public.

We invite you all to join us in celebrating 20 years of conservation and garden excellence. We could not have got to where we are without the love and support of each and every one of you! And we would also like to invite you to step into our future, as we look ahead to another 20 years.

By working together, we will protect the biodiversity of Puerto Vallarta for future generations, conserving this beautiful sanctuary in the heart of the jungle so that people can enjoy it for 20 more years.