Camões Garden

About this place

Luís de Camões Garden is a hilly public park in Santo António, Macau, the oldest of the city's 34 gardens, covering about 26,063 square metres. It is called the «lungs of the city» in this crowded district. It holds a rocky grotto honouring the Portuguese poet Camões, and residents come here morning and evening. It began in the 18th century as part of the estate of a wealthy Portuguese merchant, later leased to the British East India Company, and Lord Macartney stayed in 1793. The English left in 1835, and the Portuguese owner added the poet's grotto. The government bought it in 1885 for 35,000 patacas, opening a public garden the next year. Locally it is known as Pak Kap Chau, the «white pigeon nest». You enter through a gate between stone piers onto a broad path lined with trees and flowers, with a modern sculpture and fountain on the square. Winding paths climb among big trees to the grotto, where a bust of the poet stands between huge rocks and inscriptions, and at the top are a Chinese pavilion and a terrace with an old balustrade over the green. It is about 260 m in a straight line from Na Tcha Temple, next to Casa Garden and the Old Protestant Cemetery, both World Heritage sites. It opens daily from 6:00 to midnight, as far as we could find. The climb is steep, so wear suitable shoes. Leave the flowers alone and take your rubbish with you.