Phoenix – Learn the desert up close Our individual travel report

We are big fans of Scottsdale, which is directly adjacent to Phoenix, but we also wanted to get to know the capital of Arizona. The city itself is unspectacular, but definitely worth seeing is the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden.

Here you can see more than 50.Marvel at 000 different plants, especially cacti species. The whole area is beautifully designed and many signs give explanations and descriptions about the species-rich flora.

In the middle of this huge area there is the Desert Discovery Loop Trail, a loop trail, from which several themed trails lead off.

So there are u.a. the Sonoran Desert Nature Loop Trail, which leads through the flora of the desert with countless species of cacti. The variety is impressive.

Or the Desert Wildflower Trail with beautiful cactus blossoms and flowers from the desert and steppe. Unbelievable how colorful it is in the dryness.

Besides the rich cacti flora the park also offers the so called. Desert Living Trail.

A loop trail off the central Discovery Loop Trail shows how people used to live and survive in the deserts. Former dwellings are rebuilt and the history and way of life is presented on information boards.

During the tours you will also meet animal desert dwellers, which live here wild and free.

Furthermore, there is a butterfly house, a rather large aviary, which you can walk through and countless butterflies fly around you.

Enjoyable end

You should plan at least 2-3 hours for a visit to this desert garden and at the end you can enjoy a very nice caf’s and restaurant, which is located right next to the park entrance.

You sit on a nice terrace or the sympathetically designed interior and amazingly good food is served.

Take a look at the following impressions of how diverse and varied this great park is and what else there is to see there.

Impressions of the Desert Garden

Our accommodations in Phoenix

SHERATON WILD HORSE PASS RESORT

We spent the last day here before our flight back to Germany and did not want to stay directly in the city.

This resort is located in the south of Phoenix in the middle of a desert-like landscape, which is interspersed with water and lots of greenery. It is also very convenient that there is a large factory outlet center in the immediate vicinity.

It is a very nice complex, everything is well maintained and the large pools as well as the adjacent creek and a pond offer perfect recreation. The hotel is built in Mexican style, very spacious and the rooms overlooking the sprawling resort and the mountains in the horizon are well appointed.

You can also take wonderful walks through the desert or even take a boat to the golf course or the convention center and motor sports park. It is only a good 15 minutes to the airport. Great location, we liked it.

DOUBLETREE RESORT PARADISE VALLEY

While most of the nicer hotels in Phoenix resp. Scottsdale are not very cheap, this hotel is a very good alternative.

Don’t be put off just because it’s on a busy street, because the whole complex faces a large park-like courtyard. So you live here completely quiet and can relax in the very well-kept green areas or by the pool.There is a restaurant and a bar with a nice terrace where you can enjoy a nice sundowner in the evening. Very practical is also a small store and cafe.

The architecture of this hotel may not be to everyone’s taste, but that doesn’t matter because everything is very neat, the service is friendly and the rooms are spacious and well equipped with a balcony and all the standards of a chain hotel.