If you are a fan of cacti, agaves, yuccas, and succulents, then the Monaco Exotic Garden is a place you shouldn’t miss seeing. What complements the beauty of these plants and garden is that it has a magnificent sea view and wonderfully solid rock from which plants grow. Let’s thank Prince Albert 1 of Monaco (who has devoted his life to oceanography and founded the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco), which this part of the country in 1912. decided to turn into a park. He commissioned Engineer Louis Notari, to make a garden in 1912. The cave, which is today an exceptional attraction, found in 1916. is open to the public in 1950. and can be visited only with a guide.
Important persons are Augustin Gastaud, who imported all succulents from Mexico in 1860., then agronomist and the first director Louis Vatrican, then Marcel Kroenlei.
Monaco itself is a very attractive place for holidays. His perfect position on the sea and the wonderful climate, are a boon to the exotic garden. Full Monaco exudes luxury and purity.
The park is very easy to find, and the best solution is to use GPS as we are.
Nearby you have a spacious underground garage, so it is no problem to find parking. The exotic garden we visited with our six-month baby in September when the temperatures were still high. Since the park has many narrow paths and stairs, is not allowed to enter with a pushchair. So we left them at the entrance to the park itself with the friendly gentleman guards.
Besides the neatness and cleanliness, astonished me how many garden keepers they have.
At the entrance, you will be greeted with monstrous big yuccas and beautiful specimens of grusonii. He also arranged a nice lookout with columns and three acres. The view extends to Monte Carlo, the Port, and the Rock of Monaco.
Many ages that passed since plant were planted as well as the magnificence of succulents and cacti coming from all over the world
– leave you speechless. Walking and climbing down the stairs and trails you will also find a small lake with fishes, at the end of a tour in the cave. In the cave, you can enter in groups with a guide. Walking toward the exit, you can enter the gift shop and buy a small copy of the cactus. I got back home with little Euphorbia.
Of the species that I have been fascinated; there are big Echinocactus grusonii and many others, Echinocactus. Mexican Pachycereus pringlei, Pachycereus schottii monstruosus, Pachycereus marginatus, from the US and Mexico so many yucca’s like Yucca baccata, Yucca torreyi, Yucca treculiana, Yucca valida, Yucca rigida, Yucca rostrata, Yucca filifera, Yucca angustissima, Yucca campestris, Yucca brevifolia, Euphorbia cactus, Thelocactus setispinus, all Melocactus species.
Chorisia speciosa at the entrance of Monaco Exotic garden
You can see many Sclerocactus species like Sclerocactus brevihamatus tobuschii, Sclerocactus cloverae, Sclerocactus cloverae, Sclerocactus franklinii, Sclerocactus glaucus, Sclerocactus polyancistrus, Sclerocactus scheeri, Sclerocactus uncinatus, Sclerocactus uncinatus wrightii, Sclerocactus wetlandicus whipplei ..)
You can see many Tephrocactus species from Argentina, Peru, Chile, like Tephrocactus alexanderi, Tephrocactus aoracanthus, Tephrocactus articulatus, Tephrocactus articulatus inermis, Tephrocactus articulatus papyracanthus, Tephrocactus articulatus syringacanthus , Tephrocactus dimorphus ,Tephrocactus floccosus, Tephrocactus molinensis, Tephrocactus sphaericus, Tephrocactus verschaffeltii, Tephrocactus weberi .
Many Ferocactus species ( ferocactus alamosanus , Ferocactus alamosanus reppenhagenii , Ferocactus chrysacanthus , Ferocactus chrysacanthus grandiflorus, Ferocactus cylindraceus , Ferocactus cylindraceus eastwoodiae , Ferocactus cylindraceus lecontei , Ferocactus diguetii, Ferocactus echidne Ferocactus emoryi, Ferocactus emoryi, Ferocactus emoryi covillei, Ferocactus emoryi rectispinus, Ferocactus flavovirens, Ferocactus fordii ,Ferocactus glaucescens, Ferocactus gracilis, Ferocactus gracilis coloratus, Ferocactus gracilis gatesii, Ferocactus haematacanthus , Ferocactus hamatacanthus, Ferocactus hamatacanthus, Ferocactus herrerae Ferocactus histrix, Ferocactus latispinus, Ferocactus latispinus, Ferocactus latispinus spiralis, Ferocactus peninsulae, Ferocactus peninsulae santa-maria Ferocactus pilosus, Ferocactus pilosus, Ferocactus robustus, Ferocactus sp. Cactaceae, Ferocactus sp., townsendianus, Ferocactus viridescens wislizeni, Ferocactus wislizeni ).
You can see many Notocactuses, Pediocactus simpsonii, Pterocactus fischeri, Pterocactus kuntzei , Pterocactus reticulatus , Pyrrhocactus andicola , Pterocactus valentinii. Then you can see from Cuba Rhodocactus cubensis.
