Godavari Botanical Garden

The Godavari Botanical Garden is located at Godavari in Lalitpur district at the southeast corner of Kathmandu valley. It is at the base of Phulchowki Hill (2,715m). The garden is situated at an altitude of 1,500m from sea level. It was designed by British designers: G.A.C. Herklots and Tony Schilling. The Park was established in the year 2019 BS by late King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah for the protection and promotion of rare, endangered, and native plants. This garden is surrounded by evergreen natural green forests. The total area covered by the garden is 82 hectares. The latitude and the longitude of the garden is 27.7028 and 85.3182 respectively.

It is a botanical garden having international recognition. It is also a member of Botanic Garden Conservation international (BGCI). The visitors of this garden range from children to adults. Around 400 thousand visitors, among which 70 thousand are students, visit the botanical garden every year. Students from different institutions visit gardens for their research and educational tours. Likewise, family and friends visit gardens to spend their holidays in a peaceful environment. Moreover, nature lovers come here to enjoy the bird watching and shooting crews for shooting movies and songs videos.

Flora & Fauna

In this botanical house, more than 500 species of native and other plants are conserved as well as produced and researched. Plants of species not compatible with the environment are also kept in the greenhouse with special care. Irrigation, cultivating, seasonal plant production and garden beautification are being done regularly here. Plant species include the cactus, ferns, medicinal and ornamental plants, gymnosperms, and succulents. The Park has six species of plants found only in Phulchowki, as well as exotic plants such as Khareto and Chaitya flowers, which are found only in Nepal but not in foreign countries. It also houses more than 4,500 flowering and non-flowering plants including large orchids.

There are 20 small gardens inside the parklike rock garden, physic garden, special garden, VVIP plantation garden, biodiversity education garden, taxonomic family garden, Japanese style garden, and so on. The gardens are home to lilies, unyu, Japanese-style herbs, and biodiversity. Many Nepalis as well as foreigners come to the garden to conserve, look after, study and research the plants. The Park is being named as the largest park in the country in terms of conservation and diversity of herbs and plants. Most of the flowers and plants are enclosed in the area with the sign ‘National botanical Garden’.

This garden houses 256 species of birds (including one-third of all the birds found in Nepal). The birds found here include Spiny Babbler, which has been vanished for around 104 years and later re-discovered.  Moreover, around 300 species of butterflies and moths are found in this garden. The butterflies fly all over the garden and give vibrant looks. While roaming around the garden, you can notice magpies and mynas flitting from one tree to another.

Observation Time and Entry Fees 

You can explore the garden throughout the year in a specific time. If you are planning to visit there in between mid-November to mid-February (Mangsir – Magh), then you can enter the garden at 9am and it closes at 4pm. For the other remaining months, the garden operates between 9am to 5pm. The garden remains closed from 1pm to 2pm for lunch every day. While visiting this garden, you should not only know about opening hours but also should have proper understanding about entry fees. Without paying the entry fees, you can’t enter this garden.

How to Reach There?

You can reach Godavari Botanical Garden either by public bus or private vehicle. If you love to travel in local buses, then, first, you need to get to Lagankhel (Patan). You can find several buses departing to Lagankhel from Ratnapark/Buspark. Other major cities also have direct routes to Lagankhel After reaching Lagankhel, you need to get to another bus departing to Godavari. In public buses, microvan is highly recommended as if there is no traffic then you will reach Godavari within 15-20 minutes. The local buses are accessible 7 days a week usually between 5am to 9pm.

As an alternative way, you can also hire a taxi or ride in your private jeep/bike/car. Hiring a taxi might be a little expensive but you will get to enjoy comfortable riding throughout the way. You can also book a day tour to Godavari Botanical Garden via local registered travel company. It costs around USD 30-40 (NPR 3500-4500).

Best Time to Visit Godavari Botanical Garden

Autumn (September, October, and November) and Spring (March, April, and May) is considered as the best time to visit Godavari Botanical Garden. During these seasons, the flowers are in full bloom and other plants are also flourishing. One can observe greenery all around the garden. Avoid visiting this garden on Friday or Sunday as the garden remains crowded with a high number of students.

-By: Kusum Kharel for Land Nepal