Head to the heart of Nassau for a unique visit to the Ardastra Gardens & Wildlife Conservation Centre. This picturerscque property features more than four acres of lush tropical gardens inhabited by a dazzling array of animal species—including the national bird of The Bahamas, the Caribbean flamingo. Hand-feed playful parrots, meet beautiful Bahamian boa constrictors and be sure to watch the world-famous marching flamingos in action.

The History

Originally created as a nature preserve by Jamaican horticulturalist Hedley Edwards in the 1950’s, Ardastra Gardens & Wildlife Conservation Centre has developed over the decades into a tropical garden, conservation centre, boutique zoo and now wildlife rescue & rehab facility. Today, thousands of visitors visit Ardastra annually to marvel at the tranquil, restorative gardens and enjoy close encounters with a wonderful collection of over 135 animals, complete with a petting zoo, secret garden and flamingo arena.

The Animals

Ardastra features a wide variety of exotic and native wildlife. The animals range from African servals to Bahamian hutias. Like humans, our animals have interesting personalities and stories – especially our rescue animals that arrived injured and/or orphaned but now call Ardastra home. With peafowls, lory parrots, swans and macaws, you could say we’re for the birds here—especially with our famed Caribbean flamingos!

The Gardens

With temperatures that rarely soar above 90 or fall below 60 degrees, Ardastra is home to a brilliant array of flowers and trees such as coconut palms, bromeliads, orchids, bougainvillea and hibiscus blossoms of every color. It’s also a wonderfully tranquil place to admire the awesome canopy of mangos, sapodillas and breadfruit and explore the winding trails draped with vines and lined with tropical trees.

Programs & Events

From parrots to pink flamingos, Ardastra offers a wide variety of programs and events sure to entertain and educate. There are daily opportunities to hand-feed playful lory parrots at 11:00am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm. Then at 10:30am, 2:15 and 4:00pm, Ardastra’s famous flamingos take center stage, where they march in parade and on command, complete “about faces” and 180-degree turns. A must see for the young and young-at-heart!