Palmetum
From a garbage mountain to Europe's largest palm collection: 12 hectares, 600+ species from every continent, waterfalls, lakes and sweeping Atlantic views. A world-class example of environmental rehabilitation. €6.
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The Palmetum de Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of those places where reality surpasses fiction. You walk among palms from the Caribbean, Madagascar, Australia and Asia, and beneath your feet lies literally a 40-metre mountain of rubbish. The Santa Cruz landfill was closed in 1983, leaving a bare, foul-smelling mound on the capital's coastline.
In the early 1990s agronomist Manuel Caballero proposed something bold: to turn this wasteland into a botanical garden of palms, exploiting Tenerife's subtropical climate, which allows more tropical plants to be grown outdoors than anywhere else in Europe. The project started in 1995-1996 with European funds (around €4M). The rubbish was covered with fertile soil, a degassing system was installed with wells, pumps and flares to burn methane, and palms were germinated from seeds imported from all over the world. Biologist Carlo Morici coordinated the collection, collaborating with botanical gardens in Cuba, Miami, Santo Domingo, Kew (London) and Sydney.
The Palmetum opened to the public on 28 January 2014, inaugurated by the then Prince and Princess of Asturias, today the Royal Couple. Today it covers 12 hectares with over 600 palm species and 3,000 specimens, divided into biogeographical sections: Caribbean (the largest, with one of the most complete Caribbean palm collections in the world), Canary Islands, Madagascar, Africa, Asia, Australia, South and Central America, New Caledonia, Mascarene Islands. The tallest palms in the entire garden are Corypha utan from the Australian section.
A concrete example of conservation work: Coccothrinax borhidiana, critically endangered and found only in Cuba, is represented here by 17 specimens germinated in 1996. Today they produce fruit in the Caribbean section, meaning the garden can propagate the species independently.
There is also the Octagon: a semi-underground structure of 2,300 m² for the most delicate species, including climbing palms from Mexico. The museum at the entrance holds over 1,000 ethnographic objects: hats, brooms, blowpipes, sculptures, and even a canoe from the Peruvian Amazon hollowed from a palm trunk. 72 species are on the IUCN red list, 14 critically endangered.
The Palmetum is 100% sustainable: no pesticides, no chemical fertilisers, irrigated with recycled city water. In 2024, on its 10th anniversary, the garden broke its own record with over 90,000 visitors. Recognised by Spain's Habitat Committee as Best Practice.
Same access as the Auditorio and Parque Marítimo: TF-1 (south) or TF-5 (north) to Avenida de la Constitución, 5.
Any TITSA to the Santa Cruz Interchange - 5 min walk. Direct lines: 110 (from the south), 102/103 (from Puerto de la Cruz).
Get here by busLarge free car park right in front of the Palmetum - shared with Parque Marítimo. Easy to find a space. Group coaches: parking available at the Palmetum.
Navigate to parkingThe most interesting thing about the Palmetum is not the palms themselves: it is what lies BENEATH your feet. On the cut slopes you can see the layer of fertile soil (just 1 metre!) and below it, rubbish. The Santa Cruz landfill built this 40-metre hill until 1983. Today it is the largest palm garden in Europe.
Download the free Palmetum app BEFORE entering: it works as an audio guide and is far better than the paper map (€0.50). Do not miss: Caribbean section (volcanic-rock cascade, white sand, coconut palms and royal palms), Octagon (rarest species, climbing palms from Mexico), viewpoint at the summit (360 degrees: Atlantic, Calatrava's Auditorio, Torres de Santa Cruz, Anaga massif), museum at the entrance (canoe from the Amazon hollowed from a palm trunk!).
The Palmetum is the best place in Santa Cruz for birdwatching: long-eared owls have nested here since 2009. Recommended combo: Twin Ticket with Parque Marítimo for €10.50. The entire park is 100% wheelchair-accessible: ramps and lift. Guided tours every Saturday at 10:30, book via palmetumtenerife.es.
The area known as El Lazareto. In the early 20th century an infectious diseases hospital, later industrial premises. From the 1970s to 1983: the Santa Cruz municipal landfill, an artificial 40 m hill of waste, barren, with gases and stench. In the early 1990s Manuel Caballero (agronomist) proposed, with the endorsement of César Manrique, converting it into a botanical garden of palms. The project started in 1995-1996 with EU funds (around €4M). In 1997-1999 the Octagon and waterfalls were built. Directors: Caballero, Olcina, Amigó. Botanist: Carlo Morici. In 2007 the Palmetum became 100% organic: no pesticides, irrigated with recycled water. In 2009 long-eared owls nested for the first time. Official opening 28 January 2014 by the Prince and Princess of Asturias. Botanical garden status 2015. In 2024, on its 10th anniversary, a record of over 90,000 visitors. Candidate for the UN Habitat Award.
Free parking → Palmetum (enter from the north, climb the hill, 1.5-2 h) → walk down to Parque Marítimo (Twin Ticket, swim + lunch, 2-3 h) → Castillo Negro (exterior, 15 min) → Auditorio (terrace, 30 min). All on foot, no need to move the car. The perfect day in Santa Cruz.
Hilltop viewpoint: panorama of the Atlantic, the Auditorium and the city
Summit viewpoint at the top of the Palmetum: a 360° panorama - the endless Atlantic, Calatrava's Auditorio, the Torres de Santa Cruz (the tallest residential towers in the Canaries), the Anaga massif in the background and the whole city spread below. Santa Cruz's best 'secret' viewpoint.
Caribbean section: volcanic rock waterfall with royal palms and coconut trees
Caribbean section: the volcanic rock waterfall cascading into a lagoon with white sand, coconut palms and royal palms. It looks like the real Caribbean - and you're standing on a garbage mountain in a European capital. The contrast is incredible.