Jardín Botánico de La Rioja

Jardín Botánico de La Rioja is a botanical garden located between the villages of Hormilla and Azofra, right along the N-120 national road connecting Burgos and Logroño (near kilometre marker 32). Spanning roughly 20,000 square metres, it brings together plants gathered from many corners of the world, including a notable collection of species from the Middle East, from the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It's the first garden of its kind in La Rioja and one of very few places anywhere where visitors can walk the grounds barefoot.

How did this garden come to be?

The garden exists largely thanks to one man, Antonio Bartolomé, who began cultivating a plot of land in Hormilla back in the 1980s with the idea of showcasing plant diversity. The project formally started in 1985, but it took two decades before the garden opened its doors to the public in 2005. Since then it has kept expanding, and today it's managed by the El Botánico foundation, an organisation dedicated to plant conservation, research and outreach.

What is there to see?

Along the visiting route, information panels identify each plant's name, botanical family, properties, and the stories connected to it. That turns a walk through the garden into something educational — you don't need any botanical background to follow along. The collection spans species from very different climate zones, so within a relatively compact area the garden feels like a condensed journey through the plant world.

Why walk it barefoot?

One of the garden's defining features is that visitors are invited to explore it without shoes — a rarity not just locally but worldwide. Feeling different surfaces underfoot, from grass to soil to fine gravel, is treated as part of the experience, adding a sensory layer to what you already take in visually and through scent.

How long should a visit take?

A typical visit lasts about an hour and a half. That's enough time to walk the full route at an easy pace, read the plant labels, and pause in the shade of the trees along the way. The garden works well as a stop during a longer trip through La Rioja, for instance while travelling between Burgos and Logroño.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the garden located? Along the N-120 road (Burgos–Logroño), between the villages of Hormilla and Azofra, in the La Rioja region.

Who founded it and when? It was founded by Antonio Bartolomé, who started working the land in the 1980s (formally from 1985). It opened to the public in 2005.

How big is the garden? It covers approximately 20,000 square metres.

Can you really visit it barefoot? Yes — going barefoot is one of the garden's signature features, and visitors are encouraged to walk the paths without shoes.

How long does a visit take? Around an hour and a half.

Where do the plants come from? From many different parts of the world, with a significant number originating from the area between the Tigris and Euphrates in the Middle East.