How is the largest flower park in the Americas, located in Brazil’s Serra Gaúcha
Mátria Parque de Flores (Mátria Flower Park) is in the quiet town of São Francisco de Paula, in Serra Gaúcha, just over 100 kilometers from Porto Alegre.
The park, which was invested in R$25 ($5)million, covers 50 hectares and is distributed in 30 gardens. It has 12,000 planted trees and 9 million seedlings, 22,000 of which are roses from Germany.
As soon as you enter the garden, which is open to the public all year round, you can smell the flowers, including the buddleias (a species native to China).
These little pink flowers gather in small spikes at the tips of the branches and bloom in spring.
The buddleias also come in yellow, purple, and lilac colors.
The walk through the blooming park can be done on foot, but tourists should bring a small bottle of water, comfortable shoes, a cap, and sunscreen because of the sun.
There are 8 kilometers of trail, which requires good physical preparation.
If you prefer, you can rent an electric bike, scooter, skateboard, tricycle, or mini golf cart that makes the tour experience more dynamic and faster, especially for those who have difficulty moving around.
All vehicles are clean energy, with no noise or environmental pollution.
However, they are not included in the ticket purchase, and reservations are made directly at the park’s ticket office.
The Mátria Parque de Flores also has a plant store, gardening accessories, restaurant, wine bar, and coffee shop.
BOAT, TEXTURES, AND UNDULATIONS
Each of the gardens was designed as large-scale works of art, where the colors, textures, the undulations of the terrain, known as ”coxilhas,” and the natural diversity of the Atlantic Forest that make up the region stand out.
In the park’s center is a beautiful 30,000 m² lake, where you can take a rowboat ride (included in the entrance fee) and admire the natural surroundings.
On the banks, visitors can enjoy a picnic with friends or take “Instagrammable” pictures on the swings, among other sculptures scattered around the fields.
On the other side of the park, in the highest part, there is a preservation area with beautiful araucarias that share space with the melipona, stingless bees responsible for 95% of the forest pollination and flowers.
On-site, there are dozens of boxes that house bees native to the state of Rio Grande do Sul: guaraipo, manduri, mirim-guaçu, and jataí.
The honey production can be followed through transparent didactic hives. It’s worth a look.
Whether on foot or by electric bike, those who circulate through the paths and corridors of the gardens will find flowers such as gardenias, jasmines, camellias, hemerocallis, daisies, verbenas, buddleias, magnolias, sunflowers, lavenders, and even black pansies.
It is impossible not to be amazed by so many colors and perfumes. Another curiosity on the way is a 102-meter-long tunnel of wisteria (of Japanese origin), considered one of the largest in the world, according to the establishment’s director Fernando Piazza.
The wisteria blooms during the fall and winter months, and one of the great attractions is its lilac-colored flowers. In spring and summer, the tunnel becomes green, without flowers.
Another point to be explored by visitors is the “Insect Hotels”, where small dwellings offer shelter, hibernation, and reproduction places for different species.
These insects are essential for the growth and maintenance of Mátria, as they act to control pests.
Butterflies, bees, moths, ladybugs, beetles, ants, and wasps, in short, are all welcome in the park, for they help preserve nature.
Those who usually travel with their pet can also take the pet to walk inside the park, as the place is ”pet friendly”, but do not forget to carry a plastic bag to collect the animal’s feces.
How to get there
ERS 235, Km 68 – São Francisco de Paula /RS
E-mail: [email protected]
Ticket prices
Children up to 11 years free
Young from 12 to 16 years R$59.50 (US$11.4)
Adult: R$119.00 (US$22.8)
Senior (over 60 years old): R$59,50
PNE (PcD): R$59,50
Student: R$59,50
Operation Hours
Every day, including weekends and holidays, from 10 am to 6 pm.
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