Guyana Botanical Gardens

"Georgetown Botanical Gardens" redirects here. For George Town Botanical Gardens, Malaysia, see Penang Botanic Gardens.

Guyana Botanical Gardens is a tropical botanical garden in Georgetown, Guyana. It is next to the Guyana Zoo and Castellani House.

Guyana Botanical Gardens
Georgetown Botanical Gardens
Type	Urban park
Location	Georgetown, Guyana
Coordinates	6.80547°N 58.14602°W / 6.80547; -58.14602
Created	late 19th century

Description

It includes the Seven Ponds (the Place of Heroes), which is the burial sites of

• Governor General David Rose
• President Desmond Hoyte
• President Arthur Chung
• poet Martin Carter

Mausoleum of President Forbes Burnham

• in a separate nearby mausoleum: Prime Minister Forbes Burnham

Near the zoo (but outside of it), there are docile manatees in a pond.^[1] The first manatees were placed in the gardens in the 1870s.^[2] More captive manatees are at the National Park.

History

It was founded in the late 19th century, during the time of British Guiana, on an abandoned sugar estate, Plantation Vlissengen. At the time, it was at the eastern end of the city limits. An early garden superintendent was botanist George Samuel Jenman.^[3]

Environs

South of the gardens, across Homestretch Avenue is D’Urban Park, which includes the National Cultural Centre. It is bound by Vlissengen Road to the west, across which is Georgetown Football Club. It is a few blocks south of the National Park.

The other public garden in Georgetown is the smaller Promenade Gardens downtown.^[3]

See also

• Bourda Cemetery: also built on Plantation Vlissengen (now separated by several blocks)