Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is a world-class natural paradise

It's a jungle at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, a lush haven on the rainy, rugged side of Hawaii's Big Island.

Yet it's a jungle that's been partly tamed, planted and laced with walkways that let anyone explore it, from toddlers to wheelchair-users.

Breathe deeply as you wander the 40-acre garden, scented by thousands of blooms and the salty tang of its wave-thrashed shore.

Every twist of a path reveals a new botanical wonder — more than 2,000 species thrive here — thanks to a climate that's a natural steroid. Plants from South America and Asia flourish alongside Hawaiian natives; what are straggly houseplants in Seattle are a dozen feet tall here.

Palm foliage grows in the shape of giant pleated fans. Mango trees stretch a hundred feet above lacy orchids. Toothy red blooms of "red wings" (Heliconia longissima) dangle along walkways.

This garden was the labor of love of a couple who bought the land, spent years hacking out paths and planting, then opened it to the paying public.

It's a profoundly soothing place — except for the mosquitoes which, like plants, luxuriate in this rain-bathed coast near Hilo.

Take bug spray. Take an umbrella. Most of all, take your time in this garden of tropical delights.

Kristin R. Jackson is a Seattle Times travel writer and editor. Contact her at kjackson@seattletimes.com.