Every anthophilous fellow has a deep-rooted fantasy of traveling along a garden popping with flowers, don’t you think? As a learner botanist, I have always aspired to visit a flower garden once to enchant my plant-loving soul!
Thankfully, I got a wonderful opportunity to satisfy my abiding covet a few days back.
Godawari! A garden or flower paradise, whatever you call it, is fine as long as it entices your inner greenskeeper!
Fortunately, I was not alone, as a dream is only gratifying if your favorite cronies with similar plant-loving mindsets tag along.
Where is Godawari?
We don’t really have a garden like Godawari here in Montana, as flowers rarely bloom due to year-round frost.
However, if you plan to travel out from the states for a vacation, keep an eye on Nepal, where Godawari resides!
Nepal is quite well-known for its diversity of flora. The climate there is suitable for many flowers, and they are not bothered by winter.
To be precise, my peers prearranged without me knowing about the vacation, and since we all are from the same country, it was a wonderful surprise.
Godawari lies in Lalitpur, a neighboring district of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Traveling and roaming in the garden is a piece of cake! But the difficult part was to get a leave from the office.
Since all of us were hurrying to meet the deadlines of our office tasks, we totally needed a refreshing break to soothe our minds.
Thank God! We Arrived Safe and Sound!
Following an almost 15 hours long jet-lagging journey, we stepped into this beautiful valley.
Immediately, our pain swayed just by looking at the snowy mountains encircling Kathmandu. Truly, a majestic site!
However, we had 5 days to enjoy our vacation and return. So, we decided to stay in Hotel Clarion at Lagankhel to be more accessible to the local buses that would take us to Godawari.
Luckily, Akshay was our time-saver and pre-planner in the group. Over the call, he made arrangements and fixed a time for the following day.
The Gates Are Open For Us; Let’s Visit Godawari Botanical Garden!
A sunny Sunday, a few snacks in our backpacks and a bunch of goofy mates really conclude a trip to remember.
Although we arrived a little later than our decided schedule, we were excited to meet and greet the plants.
After entering the gates, we were embraced by a cheery garden patch containing Marigold flowers, surrounded by potted Spider Plants and Kales.
Fact To Ponder! Godawari Botanical Garden was established in 1962 by two British designers, Herklots and Schilling. Since its inception, the garden has been a hub for the conservation and study of plants!
There were separate small gardens branded according to the climatic zones, suitable for different plants from various climates, which were extraordinary to observe.
However, this was just the beginning of what we would see once we careened through the garden!
Through the Garden and Far Ahead
With cameras in our hands, there was just no stopping, and almost every flower in the garden was etched in our photograph. Muskan, our group’s photobomber, was a great tree-hugger, I must say!
A little further, clusters of tall Cyathea tree ferns caught my eye. I was especially mesmerized by its stature, as it was my first time seeing it since college.
As we were enjoying our view and each member of the group was busy taking photos, I heard a call from the top somewhere in the garden.
Nirajan was calling me from an Orchid house he accidentally stumbled upon while capturing a photo of the Monstera plant nearby. A caretaker was watering the Orchids.
We hurried to take the photos as it would later be beneficial to put some authentic images in articles for our website, one of the motives behind the visit.
The Orchid house was well-maintained, but we entered a few more glass domes harboring tropical plants. Most plants didn’t have any flowers due to the off-season, but that didn’t stop us from taking more photos.
Our trip was cut short for some lunch. Further above was a big garden, like a picnic spot, perfect for having a chatty snack.
The Closing Hour
As the day was close to dusk, we needed to hurry because the garden was closing soon.
All the fun was going to end, so we decided to capture the moment.
For a short time, each of us was in a state of tranquility among the plants. Although this was a short trip, we vowed to return the next time and make the most of those moments again.
It was also a great way to see the state of one of the most prestigious botanical gardens and understand how it has been maintained over the years.
Thankfully, we were not disappointed!
