It’s Travel Tuesday!
Jamaica is known as the land of wood and water,‘Xaymaca’ to the Arawaks, our first ancestors. And a great place to witness the beauty and wonder of Jamaica is Hope Gardens and Zoo.
Established in 1881, two hundred acres of Hope Estate was first bought to create an experimental garden. It is also known as the Royal Botanical Gardens, a name given by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
The gardens have now ‘bloomed’ into the largest, public green space in Kingston with marvelous, lush flowers, trees and shrubs. ‘Exotic’, ‘Beautiful’,’ Calming’,’ Rare’ and ‘ Breath-taking’ are just some of the words that come to mind when one visits Hope Gardens.
Hope Gardens went through a period of neglect but has now become one of the top places for sightseeing, leisure, recreation, picnicking and events. An amazing public space, it is open Mondays to Sundays from 5:30 a.m. – 6:00 .p.m and features nature in all its glory.
Wait, but there is more, there is always more. Hope Garden features a zoo with a wide array of animals. You don’t have to travel to the great plains of Africa to see the Jamaican Iguana, crocodiles, Macaws and ostriches. Hope Zoo is bursting with life and is a ‘must-see’ in our book. It even includes a petting zoo with bird feeding.
Equipped with an amphitheater for concerts and plenty of space for that private moment, Hope Gardens and Zoo is great fun for the newly-weds wanting to speed some time alone, for the family that wants to bond in peace and quiet or those group of students who just need to study.
Hope Gardens is alive and well. So what are you waiting for? Go out and smell the roses or feed the birds. Hope Gardens has it all. Enjoy. To explore other recreational parks, visit our slideshow here
