The Botanical Gardens is one of Georgetown's popular recreation parks. In 1877, Government voted $72,000 to establish the Gardens, and John Frederick Waby, the first gardener, arrived in Georgetown in December 1878. He spent 35 years in Guyana landscaping one of the finest tropical gardens in our region.
These gardens have a huge variety of tropical flowers and one of the finest collection of palms, as well as lovely lilies. An example of the gardens vast collection are the lotus and the immense Victoria Regia Lily, Guyana's national flower, which was first discovered in the Berbice River.
The Zoological Park
This park exhibits a variety of the flora and fauna of Guyana. The first attempt to establish a Zoo dates back to 1880, but the members of the Royal Agricultural Society were opposed to the idea. However in 1952, the Zoological Park was declared open.
