To describe Planet Exotica at Royan as a botanical park would not be doing it justice. For at this 7.5 hectare (18.5 acre) park in the marais de Pousseau area of marshland you can do more than just admire the plants on display.

For adults and children alike there are electric boats you can navigate through the waterways (minimum age 16 for a driver), plus a chance to control your own radio-controlled boat!

Meanwhile there’s also a fascinating serre aux papillons or butterfly house where you can be surrounded by exotic butterflies from around the world. The star of this show is in fact a moth – the giant Atlas moth (Attacus atlas, left) from Asia which has a wingspan of up to 30cm (very nearly a foot!). But it’s not just the size of this moth that is impressive; the shape of its wing-tips resemble a snake’s head to deter predators.

The main attractions, however, are of course the plants and the settings for them. There is a variety of different garden styles to admire, from a Japanese garden to an English garden, a bamboo maze, a flooded forest, a collection of bonsai trees – and a 1,800-year-old olive tree.

Just to put that in historical context, that means the tree, which has a circumference of 7 metres, was originally planted – in a village in Spain called Calig where it comes from – at the height of the Roman Empire …

The site has one of the largest visitor glasshouses devoted to exotic orchids in Europe. In all nearly 3,000 plants are on display in the orchid house. You can use the the electric boats and remote-controlled boats without entering the gardens. Check website, below, for latest ticket prices.

A trip to the gardens usually takes about 2 hours 30 minutes. Parking is free.

Address and Contact Information
5 avenue des Fleurs de la Paix
BP 77
17204 Royan

Tel: +33 5 46 38 89 11

Photo by Herman Pijpers / CC BY 2.0 image cropped