Friends, just two days ago, my channel featured an article about the botanical garden in Tbilisi. Today, I’d like to continue the theme of green spaces and take you to another similar area. This time, we’ll move from the Georgian capital to the hot city of Tashkent.
How to Get There
The Tashkent Botanical Garden is located in the northeastern part of the city, with the nearest metro station, Bodomzor, about a 30-minute walk away. Typically, I recommend walking to attractions in warm weather, but for Tashkent, it's quite the opposite: while walking from the metro to the garden is pleasant in spring and autumn, I suggest visiting by car or bus in the summer. The summer heat, known locally as "chilla," can be too much for many.
As of now, Online-maps doesn’t provide an accurate route to the garden, indicating that the entrance is from the north, but in reality, you can only enter from the side of the zoo. Use the “Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan” as your landmark.
As of spring 2024, the entrance fee to the garden is 15,000 soums, which can be paid in cash or with an bank card.
Walking Through the Botanical Garden
The first Tashkent Botanical Garden was established in 1922 on the site of the former governor-general's garden, covering an area of eight hectares.
In 1950, a new botanical garden was created at its current location. Soviet literature claims the garden covered 80 hectares, while the attraction’s website states 65 hectares. I assume the area has been reduced over time.
The garden is named after academician Fyodor Nikolayevich Rusakov, who was the director of the original city botanical garden mentioned above and later managed the current garden where we are now.
The garden features numerous pathways, allowing each visitor to choose their own walking route. According to the signs, the forest plantations are divided into thematic zones, though as someone not well-versed in botany, I found this distinction hard to notice.
In the northern part of the garden is a small greenhouse, with an entrance fee of 7,000 soums. Photography is not allowed inside, so I chose not to enter.
In conclusion, the Tashkent Botanical Garden is a great place to escape the summer heat and attracts not only those interested in horticulture.
A visit to the botanical garden can be conveniently combined with a trip to the Tashkent Zoo, which I’ll cover in one of my upcoming articles.
Have a nice trip!
