Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens Cape Town
By Geoff Fairman | On September 12, 2005 | In Travel & Leisure | Rated 
Kirstenbosch is one of Cape Town's popular tourist attractions and is also home to many of the plants found in the Cape's Floral Kingdom.
This article gives you a small insight to what can be found there
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Cape Town has many beautiful places to visit and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is one of them.
It is situated on the mountain side near Constantia and covers many hectares of land.
When you enter these gardens it is like entering paradise.
The hustle and bustle of traffic and the city fade away and you find yourself in this most beautiful place where serenity reigns.
For those who don't know Kirstenbosch it is the home of many of the indigenous plants found in and around Cape Town and South Africa.
There is always a show of colour as the thousands of plants in the garden flower in their seasons.
The gardens are laid out in beds with lawns and pathways in between them. They allow visitors to get up close to the plants without stepping in the beds.
Large oak and yellow wood trees provide shade for those who want to relax on the lawns.
One area is especially set out for the blind as they have plants with strong scents growing there. All the blind person has to do is reach out and touch the plant to smell the lovely aromas.
This is one of my favourite spots in the garden as I grew up in the wild and know the plant smells intimately.
To help the blind identify the various plants in the beds, signage in this area is in braille.
Near the highest point in the garden are the cycads (Bread trees).
Their fruit looks like a large pineapple.
A story I heard told by a tour guide while in the garden was that Jan Smuts' soldiers were hungry and used the fruit of this tree to make bread. (In Afrikaans its known as the” brood boom,” bread tree)
As the fruit is slightly poisonous it gave all the soldiers upset stomachs.
The Cycads are a protected species as they take many years to mature.
They are normally found in the Eastern Cape where they grow naturally.
Unfortunately as they are scarce a black market has developed and the authorities have had to take measures to stop the trade in them.
A short distance from the Cycads you will find a pool which is known as Lady Anne's bath. The story goes that she used to swim in it but unfortunately the story is untrue.
The bath was in fact built by a Colonel Bird after Lady Anne had left the Cape.
The pool is built in the shape of a bird and was used to filter water for Colonel Bird’s farmhouse which was built lower down the slope.
The water in this pool is very clear and flows directly into it from an underground stream. Because of this none of the natural tannins of the surrounding plants get into the water.
When we visited the gardens it was a veritable league of nations. On either side of us at the restaurant we had foreigners.
Walking in the gardens we identified Germans, Italians and Chinese and Dutch to mention but a few.
Near the main restaurant is a lawn between the beds where there are a number of African sculptures. From the number of visitors posing with them one can assume that they found them very interesting.
To spend a day relaxing in the garden is a must.
It’s quite sad that visitors to our country are not given more time to explore the gardens. Tour guides drag them in, tell them a few facts and whisk them away again.
To really enjoy this tourist attraction and the fantastic feeling of peace and tranquillity one has to spend a good number of hours just savouring it.
It’s not even necessary to make up your own picnic basket as the restaurant can provide one for you.
All the visitor has to do is find the ideal spot for the picnic as there are so many lovely places to choose from.
The guinea fowl in the gardens are quite cheeky. They will follow you around hoping for a handout if they see you with a basket.
In the larger trees one can spot squirrels and near the centre of the garden is a pond with a number of Egyptian geese on it.
They are quite tame except if they see a young child coming their way.
Then they make a beeline for the water.
On the western side of the gardens are a number of mountain peaks which form part of the Table Mountain range. In the afternoons when the sun starts to set they provide shade for the visitors.
They are extremely beautiful especially when the setting sun throws its shadows on them.
For the more energetic person there is a pathway from the gardens up into the mountains. If you are reasonably fit it’s a pleasant climb to the top.
A warning however!
Do not climb Table Mountain by yourself or without telling someone where you are going. It can be extremely dangerous as the weather on top of the mountain can change rapidly.
Many people have found this out the hard way and some have even lost their lives.
Kirstenbosch, to raise funds have concerts in the gardens on Sunday evenings as the sun begins to set.
Jazz bands, the Cape Town Symphony orchestra and many other artists take part in the concerts which are very popular.
Sitting on the grass with the thousands of people who attend is great.
Many families pack a picnic basket and enjoy a snack and a glass of wine as they listen to the music with friends.
There are many venues and tourist attractions in Cape Town that one can pass up but whatever you do don’t miss Kirstenbosch.
It’s the one place you can relax on your mad schedule to see Cape Town’s attractions.
See you there soon!
Geoff Fairman
http://Http://www.turtlesa.com for day tours of Cape Town
Cape Town has many beautiful places to visit and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is one of them.
It is situated on the mountain side near Constantia and covers many hectares of land.
When you enter these gardens it is like entering paradise.
The hustle and bustle of traffic and the city fade away and you find yourself in this most beautiful place where serenity reigns.
For those who don't know Kirstenbosch it is the home of many of the indigenous plants found in and around Cape Town and South Africa.
There is always a show of colour as the thousands of plants in the garden flower in their seasons.
The gardens are laid out in beds with lawns and pathways in between them. They allow visitors to get up close to the plants without stepping in the beds.
Large oak and yellow wood trees provide shade for those who want to relax on the lawns.
One area is especially set out for the blind as they have plants with strong scents growing there. All the blind person has to do is reach out and touch the plant to smell the lovely aromas.
This is one of my favourite spots in the garden as I grew up in the wild and know the plant smells intimately.
To help the blind identify the various plants in the beds, signage in this area is in braille.
Near the highest point in the garden are the cycads (Bread trees).
Their fruit looks like a large pineapple.
A story I heard told by a tour guide while in the garden was that Jan Smuts' soldiers were hungry and used the fruit of this tree to make bread. (In Afrikaans its known as the” brood boom,” bread tree)
As the fruit is slightly poisonous it gave all the soldiers upset stomachs.
The Cycads are a protected species as they take many years to mature.
They are normally found in the Eastern Cape where they grow naturally.
Unfortunately as they are scarce a black market has developed and the authorities have had to take measures to stop the trade in them.
A short distance from the Cycads you will find a pool which is known as Lady Anne's bath. The story goes that she used to swim in it but unfortunately the story is untrue.
The bath was in fact built by a Colonel Bird after Lady Anne had left the Cape.
The pool is built in the shape of a bird and was used to filter water for Colonel Bird’s farmhouse which was built lower down the slope.
The water in this pool is very clear and flows directly into it from an underground stream. Because of this none of the natural tannins of the surrounding plants get into the water.
When we visited the gardens it was a veritable league of nations. On either side of us at the restaurant we had foreigners.
Walking in the gardens we identified Germans, Italians and Chinese and Dutch to mention but a few.
Near the main restaurant is a lawn between the beds where there are a number of African sculptures. From the number of visitors posing with them one can assume that they found them very interesting.
To spend a day relaxing in the garden is a must.
It’s quite sad that visitors to our country are not given more time to explore the gardens. Tour guides drag them in, tell them a few facts and whisk them away again.
To really enjoy this tourist attraction and the fantastic feeling of peace and tranquillity one has to spend a good number of hours just savouring it.
It’s not even necessary to make up your own picnic basket as the restaurant can provide one for you.
All the visitor has to do is find the ideal spot for the picnic as there are so many lovely places to choose from.
The guinea fowl in the gardens are quite cheeky. They will follow you around hoping for a handout if they see you with a basket.
In the larger trees one can spot squirrels and near the centre of the garden is a pond with a number of Egyptian geese on it.
They are quite tame except if they see a young child coming their way.
Then they make a beeline for the water.
On the western side of the gardens are a number of mountain peaks which form part of the Table Mountain range. In the afternoons when the sun starts to set they provide shade for the visitors.
They are extremely beautiful especially when the setting sun throws its shadows on them.
For the more energetic person there is a pathway from the gardens up into the mountains. If you are reasonably fit it’s a pleasant climb to the top.
A warning however!
Do not climb Table Mountain by yourself or without telling someone where you are going. It can be extremely dangerous as the weather on top of the mountain can change rapidly.
Many people have found this out the hard way and some have even lost their lives.
Kirstenbosch, to raise funds have concerts in the gardens on Sunday evenings as the sun begins to set.
Jazz bands, the Cape Town Symphony orchestra and many other artists take part in the concerts which are very popular.
Sitting on the grass with the thousands of people who attend is great.
Many families pack a picnic basket and enjoy a snack and a glass of wine as they listen to the music with friends.
There are many venues and tourist attractions in Cape Town that one can pass up but whatever you do don’t miss Kirstenbosch.
It’s the one place you can relax on your mad schedule to see Cape Town’s attractions.
See you there soon!
Geoff Fairman
http://Http://www.turtlesa.com for day tours of Cape Town