The botanical garden of the National University, on the southern edge of the Ciudad Universitaria campus, gathers more than 1,500 plant species native to Mexico — one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth — across a 12-hectare site of cactus desert, cloud forest, and pine-oak woodland.
The cactus garden is the highlight: thousands of specimens, many enormous, set out on a basaltic lava field that gives the whole grounds an unexpected texture. The orchid greenhouse is small but contains rare species rescued from cloud-forest deforestation. Free entry; closed Sundays; bring water and a hat.