Edenya is the newest major attraction at Pairi Daiza in Brugelette, Belgium, and it is hard to miss. Covering around four hectares under one enormous glass structure, it has been recognised as the world's largest tropical greenhouse.
Inside, you'll find a completely different environment from the rest of the park, with thousands of tropical plants, huge trees and cactuses, waterfalls, rivers, wooden walkways, animals, aquariums and even a skywalk high above the vegetation.
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| Inside Edenya, where tropical vegetation fills the enormous greenhouse beneath the glass roof. |
We visited Edenya to see what it is actually like inside, and although we already knew it was going to be big, there was still a lot more to discover than we expected.
When we arrived at Pairi Daiza by car, the building was already impossible to miss. You can see its size from quite a distance, so you already have a good idea of what awaits you. But once you are standing underneath the enormous glass roof, it feels different. You suddenly realise just how much space has been created inside.
The first thing that caught my attention was the sheer number of plants. There are trees and plants everywhere you look, including quite a few I had never seen before. Some are surprisingly large, and then there are the enormous cactuses, which made me wonder how they managed to get some of these plants inside in the first place. The more we walked, the more I realised that Edenya wasn't simply going to be a quick walk through a greenhouse.
Edenya at a Glance
- Type: Tropical greenhouse & immersive wildlife experience
- Location: Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Belgium
- Size: Around 4 hectares
- Record: World's largest tropical greenhouse
- Our visit: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes
- Entrance: €7 extra per person when we visited
- Reservation: Time slot required
- Highlights: Tropical plants, waterfalls, rivers, aquariums, animals & skywalk
- Accommodation: Available inside Edenya
Stepping Into the Tropics
The vegetation surrounds you from the moment you enter. Plants and trees grow at different heights, with some right beside the paths while others stretch far above you. The enormous cactuses immediately stand out among the greenery, while the dense planting makes the paths feel almost hidden as you continue through the building.
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The layout also makes Edenya feel much bigger than a normal greenhouse. You don't just follow one flat path between rows of plants. There are different levels, wooden walkways and paths leading through different parts of the tropical landscape. Water is another big part of the experience, with rivers and waterfalls appearing between the vegetation. In some areas, fine mist is sprayed around the plants to help maintain the humid conditions they need. With the water, dense vegetation and enormous glass roof above you, it really does feel like you've stepped into another environment rather than simply entered a greenhouse.
Exploring Edenya Our Way
There is a recommended route through Edenya, but we decided not to follow it. We prefer exploring places in our own way, so we simply walked around and stopped whenever something caught our attention. That worked particularly well here because there is so much to look at, and we didn't want to walk past something interesting just because the route told us to keep going.
We spent around 1 hour and 45 minutes inside, taking our time and exploring at our own pace. As we continued, the paths gradually took us higher above the vegetation. From the wooden walkways, you can look down over the plants and get a much better impression of the enormous space around you. We could also see the skywalk from below, so we already knew that we would eventually be going up there.
When we finally stepped onto the skywalk later in our visit, the view changed completely. Instead of being surrounded by plants at ground level, we were now looking across the tropical landscape from above. One thing we noticed straight away was that the walkway moves slightly when you walk on it. It's not a huge movement, but you can definitely feel it, especially when other people are walking across it too.
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| The skywalk gives a different perspective over the tropical landscape inside Edenya. |
From up there we could also look towards the central part of Edenya, where the restaurant is located. There are places to sit down and take a break, but something else immediately catches your eye above the restaurant: a plane hanging from the structure. It is certainly an unusual sight in the middle of a tropical greenhouse and one of those details that makes you look twice.
More Than Plants
As we continued through Edenya, the plants and tropical landscape gradually gave way to more of the animal areas. We spent some time looking closely at the butterflies before continuing towards the giant tortoises, which are surprisingly large when you see them up close. Further along we reached the large aquarium area, where we watched the fish swimming around and also spotted eels. The manatee aquarium and Shark Cove are located opposite each other, so you can see both areas from the same part of Edenya. We only saw one manatee during our visit, but it was still interesting to watch it moving through the water. There was also a diver inside the manatee aquarium while we were there, which gave us something else to watch as we looked through the glass.
This is also where you'll find the restaurant, and it has quite an unusual view. On the lower level, you can sit down and eat while looking towards the aquarium, while one level higher you can stand and get a better view of the animals. Across from the manatee aquarium, Shark Cove gives you a completely different view, with the sharks swimming through the water. Having the restaurant, aquariums and viewing areas together makes this one of those parts of Edenya where you can easily spend more time than expected.
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| A plane hangs above the seating area in the central part of Edenya, creating an unexpected sight inside the tropical greenhouse. |
The crocodiles were probably the least active animals we saw that day. They were absolutely not moving. We stood there looking at them for a while, but they seemed perfectly happy to stay exactly where they were. After seeing so much going on elsewhere in Edenya, it was almost funny to find the crocodiles looking as though they had decided not to move an inch.
And that is what I liked about walking through Edenya. It isn't simply a huge greenhouse where you walk around looking at plants. The plants are obviously a major part of it, but they are mixed together with water, waterfalls, different levels and animals. One moment you're looking at a huge cactus or a tree you've never seen before, then you're walking above the vegetation, and a little later you're standing in front of a huge aquarium watching a manatee or sharks. Because we explored it our own way, we never really knew what we were going to find next.
You Can Even Sleep Inside Edenya
One of the things that makes Edenya even more unusual is that you don't have to leave when the day is over. You can actually stay overnight inside this tropical world, with several different accommodation concepts to choose from. We noticed The Emerald Retreat, where the wooden lodges sit high in the rainforest canopy with views over the squirrel monkey territory. It is probably the one that looks most like what you would imagine when thinking about staying in a tropical jungle, but it is only one of the options.
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| The Emerald Retreat lodges are set high among the tropical vegetation, overlooking the squirrel monkey area. |
Other accommodations give you a completely different experience. At The Manatee Cove, rooms are designed like a sunken Mayan city, with views directly onto the manatees. The Shark Cove takes the idea even further, with rooms overlooking the sharks and rays, while The Jaguar Falls gives guests a view of the jaguars. There is also The Rockhaven, built into a rocky landscape overlooking tapirs, capybaras, anteaters and monkeys, and The Riverside Haven, inspired by a stilted fishing village with rooms overlooking different animals and the surrounding water and vegetation.
So staying at Edenya is much more than simply booking a hotel room next to Pairi Daiza. The animals and the environment are actually part of the accommodation experience. Depending on which room you choose, you can wake up looking at squirrel monkeys, manatees, sharks, jaguars or other animals, while the tropical environment of Edenya surrounds you. Resort guests also get access to Edenya without needing the normal visitor time-slot reservation, including extended access outside the park's regular opening hours.
Is Edenya Worth Visiting?
After spending around 1 hour and 45 minutes inside Edenya, we came out surprised by just how much there was to see. From the outside, you can see how enormous the building is, but that doesn't really prepare you for what it feels like to walk around inside.
Edenya may have the title of the world's largest tropical greenhouse, but that alone doesn't really explain why we enjoyed it. What makes it memorable is how easily you can lose yourself inside. You start by looking at the plants, then notice something else in the distance, take another path, and before you know it, you've spent nearly two hours exploring. It feels less like visiting a greenhouse and more like discovering a tropical world of its own. For us, the €7 extra entrance fee was definitely worth it.