Camoes Garden: Coloane Travel Guide (4.2★)

Not in Coloane, and that matters

Start with the map, because the listing misleads. Camoes Garden turns up in some directories under Coloane. It is actually on the Macau Peninsula, at the top of Praça de Luís de Camões in Santo António parish.

If you take a bus out to Coloane village looking for it, you’ll end up on the wrong island with no garden. Set your map to the peninsula. It’s a short uphill walk past St. Anthony’s Church from the Ruins of St. Paul’s.

A hillside of roots and granite

The garden climbs a small hill rather than spreading flat. Paths go up between huge granite boulders, and old banyan trees drop aerial roots over the walls. The tree canopy keeps most of the walkways shaded, which counts for a lot in Macau’s humid summers.

It dates from the 18th century, when it was part of the grounds of a wealthy merchant’s estate. Its Chinese name, 白鴿巢 (Pak Kap Chau, “white pigeon nest”), comes from the pigeons kept here in that era. The land passed into public hands in the late 19th century. It still feels more like a private estate’s back garden than a city park.

The poet in the grotto

The garden is named for Luís Vaz de Camões, author of the Portuguese epic Os Lusíadas. His bronze bust stands in a grotto formed by stacked boulders, and that’s the spot most visitors come for. Tradition says Camões wrote part of the poem in Macau. Historians have never proved it, but the legend gave the garden its name.

Look out for these nearby:

• The grotto bust, framed by rock on three sides, with plaques carrying verses from the poem
• The upper paths, which reward a short climb with filtered views over the rooftops of the old city
• Stone benches and small pavilions tucked along the slopes, good for a sit in the shade

Making a morning of the neighbourhood

The garden sits at the centre of a small, quiet group of heritage sites. Pairing them makes the walk worth it.

• Casa Garden, the colonial mansion at the garden’s edge, once leased to the British East India Company
• The Old Protestant Cemetery behind it, resting place of the missionary Robert Morrison and the painter George Chinnery
• St. Anthony’s Church, one of Macau’s oldest church sites, just across the square

You can see the garden in 30 to 45 minutes. Add the cemetery and church and you’re looking at a relaxed hour and a half. Then head downhill to the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Senado Square, where the crowds are.

Sharing the paths with the early risers

Opening time is 6am, and the first hours belong to the people who exercise here. Expect tai chi groups on the flatter terraces and walkers doing slow laps of the hill. Some visitors bring songbirds in cages and hang them in the trees, a long-standing habit in Macau’s older parks. Give these groups space and don’t walk through a tai chi line.

A few habits will help:

• There is no ticket desk. Entry is free, so just walk in through the gate on the square.
• Keep your voice down near the birds. Owners hang the cages so the birds can hear each other sing. Ask before you photograph one up close.
• Treat the grotto as a memorial. Climbing the boulders around the bust is frowned upon.
• Carry water. The hill is short but steep in places, and there are few kiosks inside.

The garden stays open until midnight every day of the week. The evening is cooler, but the lighting on the upper paths is patchy. Leave the high trails for daylight.

Getting up the hill

Several city bus routes stop at Praça de Luís de Camões, right at the entrance. Check the current numbers on the stop display or the DSAT transport app. On foot from Senado Square, follow the signs to the Ruins of St. Paul’s. Then continue north along Rua de Santo António for about 10 minutes.

Taxis know it as the Camões Garden or 白鴿巢. Showing the Chinese characters to the driver saves confusion, especially because of the Coloane mix-up.