Jardín Botánico de Bogotá

Planning a Shoot or Creative Session at the Garden

The Jardín Botánico José Celestino Mutis, as it is formally known, is Colombia's best-known botanical garden and a working scientific institution as well as a public park. It is named after the eighteenth-century botanist who led the Royal Botanical Expedition of the New Kingdom of Granada, and its collections focus heavily on Andean and high-altitude ecosystems. For a brand team, that means far more variety than a typical city park. There are páramo plantings with frailejones, cloud-forest areas, wetland zones, rose and herb gardens, and glasshouses that recreate warmer climates.

Practical points before you go

• Check the official rules on photography. Casual photos are generally welcome, but commercial or professional shoots at public institutions usually need prior permission and sometimes a fee. Contact the garden directly well before your date.
• Confirm opening times and ticketing on the garden's official channels. Hours and entry arrangements can change, especially on public holidays.
• Plan around Bogotá's weather. The city sits at roughly 2,600 metres, and conditions can shift from bright sun to rain within an hour. Pack covers for equipment and layers for the crew.
• Respect the collections. Stay on paths, avoid moving plants or props into planted beds, and keep groups compact so other visitors can enjoy the space.

Turning the setting into campaign material

Natural locations work best when the visual story is decided in advance. Before a visit, define which mood you want: the misty, textured look of the páramo plantings, the warm humidity of the glasshouses, or the clean lines of open lawns. Each suits a different kind of product or message. Bright morning light is generally softer and less crowded, which helps with both product detail and portrait work.

The garden also suits less formal creative work. A walk through contrasting ecosystems can be a useful prompt for workshop exercises on brand positioning, colour palettes and seasonal storytelling. You can read more about how we structure these sessions on our workshops page, or see how location-based imagery fits into finished campaigns in our portfolio.