Discover the majesty from the marvelous Botanical Garden of Gran Canaria “Viera y Clavijo”!
Since the last 31st of march, you are able to access the Botanical Garden of Gran Canaria by the parkings located around Tafira and El Dragonal.
The openning hours from this two gates are:
– From Monday to Friday 7.30 am to 2.00pm (last access at 13:00).
– Saturdays and Sundays: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm (last access at 16:00).
– Closed on holidays.
The universe of the Botanical Garden reaches its climax.during spring.
Do you know it?
Wait no longer!
Take care and respect your environment, take your rubbish away
Thank you!
The bases (1952-1973). Sventenius.
The swedish botanist Eric Ragnor Svensson (who changed his name to Sventenius) conceived the idea which inspired this Garden: to put together in a single location all the botanical godos from our archipelago, respecting the status and the conditions of every singles species.
During 1952 the location was selected by this botanist, a few kilometres from the capital of the island with the main help of the Council of Gran Canaria. Sventenius enthusiastically started the botanical side of the Garden, travelling around the island to find materials to set up the place. However, he has to solve some environmental and structural issues, putting a finish line after 40 years after the initial development.
He always made decisions after meditating each subject carefully,where to raise the buildings, the paths or where the water would flow. He even chose the colors of the rocks which were selected from Pinar de Tamadaba or the South of Gran Canaria. He kept his own way to settle everything up even having different problems during this process. He had the help from D. Fernando Navarro, D. Juan Nogales or D. Jaime O’Shanahan; who were always there to overcome every single problem.
The progressive enrichment of the living flora species occurred simultaneously during the conditioning of the space. This process was fluctuating but Sventenius said that this work would never be finally done. Around this idea, D. Matías Vega (president of the founding Council) agreed to the petition of the Swedish botanist of not funding the Botanical Garden, but letting people to access in 1959. It was named as “Viera y Clavijo ” in honor to the canary naturalist from the XVIII century, a disciple of Canavilles and a Pioneer of Natural Science in the archipelago. Soon, this place became a point of interest of the Island for future generations.
In 1973 a car accident end the live of its creator in front of the Garden, from that moment, D. Fernando Navarro, decided to bury the body of Sventenius in the Laurisilva’s zone, where the operators of the Garden remember his memory the same day of his death.
During its first stage, Sventenius led his scientific knowledge towards exploring remote parts of the islands, collecting and describing new taxa, or even improving the knowledge about many others, he developed a herbarium and he preserved living species on the site. This diversified strategy funded the basis for the future studies of the canary flora. After this initial stage of the development, he promoted a modern program, and he started a palynological investigation with graduated students.
