Surrounded by lush vegetation and water elements, Botanical Garden is a tranquil escape from the urban jungle of Baguio and is said to be a spiritual center where the native Igorot people dwell. Recently renamed Centennial Park, you are welcomed in the area by a bas-relief sculpture made by a Filipino Artist; Ben-Hur Villanueva. It depicts cordillera natives, Americans, Chinese and Japanese working together to build the city. The park itself is a symbol of friendship/alliance between different nations that used to be at war with each other.
The park is adorned with towering pine trees and flowers of different colors. It features attractions from different foreign occupations such as the Golden Gate Bridge, an Emblem of the City of Vaughan, Buddha Statues, Elephant Statues, Chinese Pavilions, and Korean characters to commemorate its alliance with America, Japan, Thailand, Canada and South Korea. It also showcases Cordilleran relics in huts that gives you a glimpse of different home fixtures and cooking utensils in the tribal times.
The park is free to all who want to roam the tranquil grounds of the park, so whether you’re visiting for an “instagrammable” portrait or finding yourself in the comfort of nature, you are surely welcome to stop by. You can interact with Igorot folks in their native attire and take a picture with them as well as wear the Igorot costume for a fee to materialize your experience into a photograph.