The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden is arguably one of the city’s most well preserved green site, as well as one of the world’s best tropical botanical gardens. Classified as a UNESCO biosphere reserve, it is where thousands of local and foreign species of plants and trees call home. The garden covers approximately 140 hectares of land that is split into various sections, namely, the Sensory, Orchidarium, and Japanese gardens. These gardens are as their names suggest, with the Sensory garden having sweet-smelling and herbal plants and the Orchidarium with thousands of specimens and a centre dedicated for orchid research. The Japanese Garden includes the famous Japanese cherry trees and Koi fish. Some plants that are not to be missed include the royal palms (which are about 30 metres tall) and the Central Fountain. The Botanical Garden is also an ideal place for bird watchers as there are over a hundred species to be found in the trees.