Monte Tropical Garden
Explore the Wonderful Monte Tropical Garden...
Located in Monte, a suburb of Funchal, this scenic garden is home to a rich variety of exotic plants and trees.
The Monte Tropical Garden is not the typical garden you would find in Madeira Island, yet, a visit to this garden is surely an unforgettable one.
Madeira entrepreneur José Berardo donated Monte Palace in 1988 to the Berardo Foundation and from there began his creative work phase. His dream of a Tropical garden of which he would be able to share with the world became true in 1991, when he opened the doors to his masterpiece to the public. All the exotic plants both native and from all around the world in Berardo´s garden thrive due to Madeira´s special climate.
Within this tropical garden is the Monte Palace Museum. The Museum has three galleries and currently houses the following exhibitions:
- African Passion
- Mother Nature´s Secrets
“African Passion” displays part of a collection of more than 1000 sculptures of Zimbabwean sculpture between the periods of 1966 to 1969. This exhibition is distributed throughout 2 floors of the museum.
“Mother Nature´s Secrets” is a unique collection of minerals that are predominant from Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Portugal, North America, Zambia and South Africa.
Exotic Flora and Fauna...
The Monte Tropical garden is home to a vast collection of exotic plants from all over the world which include:
- Azaleas and orchids from the Himalayas
- Heather from Scotland
- Proteaceae in South Africa
- A rare and famous collection of cycads (palm ferns) grow
- From South Africa, a collection of palm (Encephalartos) brought by José Berardo
Populating the stunning central lake are beautiful swans and ducks, while gorgeous peacocks and chicken may be found strutting along the garden.
The Orient Meets Portugal...
On a trip to China and Japan, José Berardo was completely overwhelmed by the beauty of these countries, by their history, their culture and way of life that he became inspired to build two oriental gardens in the Monte Tropical Garden, that include many Asian sculptures, stone benches with oriental decorations and various stone lanterns.
History through Portuguese Azulejos ...
Another attraction at the Monte Tropical Garden is one of the most important collections of Portuguese tiles from the 15th and 16th centuries, which are placed throughout the walkways and vegetation and outline social, cultural and religious events in the history of Portugal. Tiles such as the ones in this garden were once decorative pieces in residences, palaces, chapels and churches .
Koi, an Asian Treasure...
At some of the lakes in the Monte Tropical Garden reside the famous Koi fishes, a species from East Asia.
This contrasting Oriental touch at the Monte Palace Tropical Garden surely makes it one of the most interesting gardens in Madeira that is most definitely worth visiting.