Let's Go to Baguio (Part 11): Our Family Tour Finale in Botanical Garden

We ended our two-day family tour of Baguio City by visiting the greenest and most forested park of the city. This park is none other than the Botanical Garden.

We went to Botanical Garden after our visit to Wright Park and the Mansion House. Going to the garden is easy since we just rode a jeepney to Botanical Garden from Wright park. We only paid the minimum fare.

We were welcomed by these old ladies in their traditional garb.

Taking any photo with these lolas has a fee. So, I did not take any selfie with them but just contented myself in taking their photo discreetly.

Other visitors had their selfies taken with the lolas. And the background of the photo is the “Botanical Garden” sign that showcases the various rituals of the Igorot people.

There's no entrance fee in Baguio Botanical Garden. 

Baguio Botanical Garden is open daily from 6 AM until 6 PM only.

The Garden of Many Names

Burnham Plan of Baguio as redrawn in the Baguio City Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The big green space at right is the Botanical Garden. The other big green space in the map is the Burnham Park.

The Baguio Botanical Garden was originally envisioned by Daniel Burnham and was included in the original plan of Baguio City. The patch of greens was named as Botanical Garden during the American Period. Since then, the garden had numerous name changes throughout its history.

In the 1970s, the park was called Baguio City Zoological and Botanical Garden because it hosted animals during that period.

During the reign of the president-dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the park was renamed as Imelda Park after his wife and first lady Imelda Marcos. After martial law, the park’s name reverted to Botanical Garden. The garden was again renamed as Centennial Park in 2009 as part of the Baguio City's celebration of its centenary.

Some visitors and residents of Baguio also refer to the Botanical Garden as Igorot Village because of the many huts inside the park.

Our Baguio Botanical Garden Experience

Upon entering Botanical Garden, we were welcomed by the scene of big bronze statues of men working together. This artwork harks back to the creation of Baguio as the garden city of the Cordilleras.

The statue was created by Filipino master sculptor Ben-Hur Villanueva and aptly named as “The Builders”. The artwork serves as a remembrance for the early settlers who worked together to build Baguio City. The five statues represent the Igorots, the lowlanders, the Americans, the Japanese, and the Chinese.

Our Little Ones, just like what they did in other Baguio's public parks, ran round and round in the Botanical Garden. They were amazed by the greens that surrounded them.

My wife, on the other hand, was amazed of this green tunnel:

This is a perfect spot for selfies. 

As part of the city's centenary celebration, the city government of Baguio requested its sister cities to sponsor various sceneries inside the park. The result are various spots in Botanical Park that came from around the world, like this replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.

I guess this replica was sponsored by Long Beach (California), which is one of Baguio's sister city in the USA. 

There are other scenes that our children liked in Botanical Garden, such as these swans.

This is a perfect photo spot for couples.

Our favorite scene in Botanical Garden is the life-size statue of a family of elephants. 

The elephant statues are so realistic that my daughter Samantha was so afraid to go near it. 

The elephant statues were erected in 2017 to commemorate the 70 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Thailand. The landmark was realized through the collaboration between Royal Thai Embassy, City Government of Baguio, Philippine-Thai Cultural Organization, and Siam Cement Group.

The Thai government commissioned three Thai artists: Somphong Boonthip, Prasan Prasatketkam and Nitithivat Khantharankha; to create the elephant statues.

The elephant statues is the highlight of our visit to Botanical Garden. We allowed our children some time to marvel at this landmark. It gave them a feeling that they are touching real elephants.

Near the entrance to Baguio Botanical Garden are shops that sell souvenirs, food, and plants. We had a quick look around the place but My Beloved Wife did not buy any. She already got some plants from a shop at Baguio Cathedral.

We visited four public parks during our two-day sojourn around Baguio City. I can say that Baguio Botanical Garden is the second best Baguio public park. The top 1, of course, is Burnham Park. The top 3 is Wright Park. The worst is Mines View Park, which is jokingly called "No Mines,  No View" Park.

If you are planning your tour around Baguio, I highly recommend that you include Botanical Garden in your itinerary.

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This is my last post about our two-day tour of Baguio City. If you want to know more about this beautiful City and our experiences and recommendations, please read my other Baguio City tour blog posts:

Let's Go to Baguio (Part 1): The Family Adventure Begins

Let's Go to Baguio (Part 2): Our AirBnB Experience in Wharton Condominium
Let's Go to Baguio (Part 3): Family Fun in Burnham Park
Let's Go to Baguio (Part 4): A Refreshing Stop at Baguio Cathedral

Let's Go to Baguio (Part 5): Picking Strawberries in La Trinidad, Benguet
Let's Go to Baguio (Part 6): Underwhelming Experience in Mines View Park
Let's Go to Baguio (Part 7): A Savory Lunch of Baguio Bulalo at Cinco Antonios Bistro
Let's Go to Baguio (Part 8): Buying Our Favorite Good Shepherd's Ube Jam

Let's Go to Baguio (Part 9): Strolling Right in Wright Park
Let's Go to Baguio (Part 10): The Mansion House - City of Pines' Most Historical House

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References:

Baguio City Land Use Plan by Baguio City Government

Baguio's Botanical Garden gets new name in GMA News Online

Ben-Hur’s Profile in Arko ni Apo

Family of Thai elephants bared in Botanical Centennial Park in Baguio Midland Courier

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