The Orchidarium of Estepona celebrates its tenth anniversary as a botanical jewel of Europe

With more than 4,000 specimens of 1,500 different species, the municipal space has the largest collection in Spain and one of the largest in the continent.

The City Council, led by Mayor José María García Urbano, has provided the heart of the city with this unique space, which complements the municipal commitment to sustainability and quality of life.

It is the place in Europe with the largest area devoted exclusively to orchids. It has the largest collection in Spain and one of the largest on the continent. With an area of more than 1,000 square meters, it offers the visual attraction of a subtropical forest with orchids growing on tree trunks, giant-leafed aroids, more than 300 square meters of vertical gardens, a water lily pond, a 15-meter waterfall, and 3 glass domes (the highest -30 meters- offers a surprising image from the inside). With these credentials it is not surprising that the Botanical Orchid Park of Estepona is one of the most popular tourist attractions not only for visitors to the city, but also for the residents themselves.

The Estepona City Council, led by Mayor José María García Urbano, created this Botanical Park in the heart of the city in a bid for sustainability and quality of life. Now, the Orchidarium has just celebrated its tenth anniversary, consolidated as one of the most important botanical jewels in Europe. More than 4,000 orchid specimens of 1,500 species on display. Of all sizes, colors and shapes, recreating the habitat and climatic conditions of the tropics, from Central and South America to Australia, immerse visitors in an unusual scenario in which the view is lost among varieties and colors.

It was born from a municipal interest in having a space destined, on the one hand, to botanical conservation and, on the other hand, to its cultural projection through the promotion of information, communication and promotion of the botanical heritage of the city through individual or group visits, with the character of municipal public service of general interest.

Among its botanical jewels there are some orchids especially striking for their characteristics, such as the Phalaenopsis bellina, with purple colors and an exquisite fragrance; the Encyclia alata affinis, with a chocolate scent; the Laelia purpurata, with its exceptional inflorescence; or the Maxillaria tenuifolia with delicate leaves and coconut scent.

The Estepona Orchidarium is also a pioneer in the way of exhibiting the botanical collection: it recreates being inside a forest, you can see the orchids growing directly on the trunks of the trees, just as they do in their natural environment. Divided into three levels, at different heights, it has a total area of 1,000 square meters and a space of 15,000 cubic meters. Within this space different microclimates have been achieved, giving rise to a very varied and attractive botanical collection, consisting of more than 3,000 species including araceae, ferns, tillandsias, bromeliads and, of course, orchids. Some of these species are certainly huge, while others fit in a thimble and produce flowers of just a few millimeters. These species have been selected both for their beauty and their originality, so that at any time of the year you can enjoy the blooms of at least a hundred species (each of them has its own flowering season).

Other jewels that can be seen up close in Estepona are the Cananga Odorata, better known as Ylan Ylan, a very famous flower among perfumers of high cosmetics; the Bixa Orellana plant, originally from Peru and widely used in the cosmetics industry because the pigments of its fruit are extracted for the manufacture of lipsticks; or the ‘Cirtostachis Renda’, known as the ‘Lacquer Palm’, and characterized by its red stems. And, of course, the carnivorous plants.

Outside, the Estepona Orchidarium has a large green lung of more than 15,000 square meters in the heart of the city. This botanical park is going to undergo its biggest renovation since its opening. The intervention programmed by the City Council includes new trees and botanical collection, lighting renovation, paving and street furniture.

The Botanical-Orchidarium Park of Estepona, inaugurated in March 2015, has completed its first decade of life consolidated as one of the main tourist attractions of Estepona. This is endorsed by the figures of visitors who, during this period, have reached half a million entries. The summer of 2025 has also been the summer with the largest number of visitors to its facilities since its opening, with a total of 16,372 people in the months of July, August and September. Forecasts indicate that the year will close with a new growth of around 15% compared to 2024.

The implementation of this project allowed the complete transformation of the entire environment in which the large botanical park is located, an initiative included in the sustainable urban development project ‘Estepona, garden of the Costa del Sol’, which has revitalized the old town in the last 14 years.