Photographing the Jardim Botânico Gardens of São Paulo

As the world’s 20th largest city, with over 12.4 million people, Brazil’s São Paulo is dominated by concrete, factories, and human habitation. In such a metropolis, green space feels all the more precious. Perhaps no green space here is better-known than the beautiful and serene Jardim Botânico, or Botanic Gardens.

The History of the Garden

The story of this botanic garden goes back to the desire of the government at the end of the 19th century to preserve the natural resources of the Ipiranga region, and to a Brazilian botanist by the name of Frederico Carlos Hoehne.

Born in 1882, Hoehne worked on plant taxonomy, which means he loved classifying plants. He was the jardineiro-chefe (head gardener) at the national Museum in Rio de Janeiro. He also wrote Flora Brasilica on Brazil’s native plants, and he conducted extensive surveys of the natural flora from the states of Mato Grosso to Amazonas in 1908. After reading about his journeys, I imagined how cool it must have been to trek into the relative unknown to identify plants!

Hoehne’s extensive experience led the government of São Paulo to ask him to lead the construction of the Jardim Botânico. He took inspiration from the Uppsala Botanical Garden in Sweden and also created an orchid nursery. Perhaps this is not surprising considering that Hoehne had a childhood interest in orchids and later wrote Iconografia de Orchidaceas do Brasil, an entire book dedicated to the orchids of Brazil.

The Jardim Botânico was opened in 1928, and it was officially inaugurated in 1938. Naturally, Frederico Carlos Hoehne became its first director.

Photography in the Garden

Today, the Jardim Botânico, together with the Zoo of São Paulo, make up the Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga (with “Fontes do Ipiranga” meaning “Sources of Ipiranga,” referring to the Ipiranga River historically used as the local water supply).

This state park of 5.3 square kilometers may not seem like a vast area – and the Jardim Botânico makes up only thirty percent of that – but it’s still one of the largest green spaces in São Paulo. From my experience in this garden, there are many species of animals that are simply impossible to find in typical city parks that are even smaller. It has become an oasis for animals and an important stopover point for birds. And let’s not forget that even in small areas in tropical countries, the number of species can be quite vast!

The garden has become one of my favorites. Especially for someone like me who grew up in much smaller towns surrounded by nature, it offers a refuge from city life, and it is one of the few urban centers where photography is safe in São Paulo.

When I first stepped past the entrance gate last year, I truly felt like I was entering a different world – so stark is the contrast between the city outside and the nature within. In this garden, it’s possible to find those little pockets of peace that are increasingly rare in today’s world.

Like taxes in Brazil, photographic difficulties are unavoidable, and the Jardim Botânico is no exception. Here, the difficulty is that the garden is only open from 9AM-5PM, meaning that golden hour photography isn’t easy most of the year. The weather is also quite unpredictable around here, and there is always the risk of a brief but intense spell of torrential rain.

But the possibility of bad weather shouldn’t scare you away, especially when at least 230 birds have graced this park with their presence. And there are quite a few habitats here, with tended lawns and artificial lakes that are great for Southern Lapwings, Common Gallinules, Night Herons, Striated Herons, and Cormorants.

There are also forested areas where rarer birds may be found. One time in the forest, I saw a glimpse of a very large lizard darting through the trees at an impressive pace. If you arrive on a cloudy morning, you might even catch a glimpse of a monkey or two!

For macro photographers, there are a wide variety of lizards, insects, and spiders to photograph. I would try to use a long lens for the lizards; they are not as calm as some of the larger lizards I’ve seen around the world. In fact, I found my 500mm f/5.6 PF lens more suitable to them than a macro lens at times. It let me fill the frame without disturbing them.

There’s even an area with a more natural-looking lake that’s a bit hard to find at the end of the large service road. It’s the most peaceful part of the garden with the fewest number of visitors. Most of it is not accessible except for one edge, which means that rarer birds often come here, and there are often a large number of roosting herons of various kinds.

Conclusion

I would recommend the Jardim Botânico in São Paulo to anyone visiting Brazil, especially for those people who don’t have time to leave the city and are interested in a little wildlife photography. Even after visiting much more wild areas in Brazil, it is still one of my favorite places. Although there are some challenges with accessing the garden at the right time of day, the number and variety of species often makes up for it.

For those interested, the Jardim Botânico is open every day from 9AM-5PM except Mondays, on which it is closed. It also has a reasonable parking lot and is easily accessible by Uber. The tickets cost about five US dollars per person. You can find more information on the official website.