Orquidario

The Orquidario is located in the province of Málaga in the town of Estepona. It is on two levels at different altitudes separated by a beautiful bamboo forest, and has a surface area of 1,000 square metres and 15,000 cubic metres of volume.

Visitors can enjoy such visual attractions as a lake, a waterfall of over 15 metres and three glass domes, the highest of which is at 30 metres, with a surprising appearance from the inside. The over 5,000 plants which it contains include over 1,300 species of orchids from all around the world, but the habitat basically concentrates on hot-climate species from South America and South-East Asia. This is the largest collection in Europe and one of the largest in the world.

The building also houses more than 200 square metres of vertical gardens. Specifically, one has been created on a 12 metre wall, where plants are distributed on five different levels, so the different species can climb up the walls and compose figures naturally as time passes. The Botanical Garden also gives visitors the chance to discover a number of other species of great botanical interest the most notable being: the “Cananga Odorata”, better known as Ylan Ylan, a famous flower amongst perfume makers of top-range cosmetics; the “Bixa Orellana”, originating in Peru and widely used in the cosmetics industry.

The Botanical Gardens and the Orquidario, with its three glass domes, has become one the landmarks of an innovative structure which has completely changed the appearance of the town and become an important tourist attraction. In addition to being unique in itself, this new botanical space aspires to become an international point of reference for plants and architecture.