Turtle SA Tours

Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens

	Spring Flowers in Kirstenbosch Gardens

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Cape Town has many beautiful places to visit and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is one of them. It is situtated 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 youself in this most beautiful of places. For those who don't know this garden 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. At the moment there are proteas and many purple flowers in bloom. The lovely king protea being the main flower on show at the moment.

The gardens are laid out in beds with large grass lawns in between them. There are many large oak and yellow wood trees that provide shade and there are paths set out amongst the beds so that visitors are able to see what is in them.

Kirstembosch has one area that is especially set out for the blind. Plants with strong scents are planted there.. All visitors have to do is reach out and touch the plant to smell the lovely aromas given off by the palnts. This is one of my favourite areas as I grew up amongst many of the plants and know their smells intimately. Signage in this area is also in braille for blind visitors.

At the top of the garden on the highest part of the mountain slope are the cycads (Bread trees). The trees date back to the dinosaurs. The fruit looks like a large pineapple .

A story I heard while in the garden was that Jan Smuts's soldiers were hungry and used the fruit to make bread. Unfortunately for them the fruit was slightly poisonous and gave them all diarrhea. The trees are protected as they take many years to mature. They are normally found in the Eastern Cape where they grow naturally. Unfortunately as they are scarce and popular a black market has developed.

The authorities have had to take measures to stop the trade in them.

Lower down the slopes you will find a bath which is known as Lady Anne's bath. The story goes that she used to come for a swim in it but unfortunately the story is untrue. The bath was in fact built by a Colonel Bird after she had left the Cape . It is in the shape of a bird and was used to filter water for his farmhouse which was found lower down the slope. The water in this pool is very clear as none of the natural tannins of the surrounding plants have entered the water.

The water comes straight out of the ground and does not run along the ground before entering the pool.

When we visited the gardens it was a veritable league of nations. Sitting having a meal in the restaurant at tables on either side of us we had people from San Fransisco, Colorado and Australia. There were also Germans, Italians and Chinese and Dutch people walking through the gardens.

On the lawns between the beds there are a number of African sculptures which visitors found very interesting. They were sculpted from rock in the shapes of African ladies in various poses. The number of visitors posing next to them for photographs was very interesting.

To spend a day relaxing in the garden is a must.

The visitors I saw were just running in and having a quick glance and leaving again.

This is a complete NO NO.

To really enjoy this tourist attraction and the fantastic feeling of peace and tranquility, one has to spend a good number of hours just savouring it.

The restaurant can provide picnic baskets for visitors who are then able to find a spot to sit down and enjoy lunch and take in the views.

There are a number of birds in the garden which are quite cheeky. The guinea fowl will follow you around hoping for a handout if it sees you with a basket.

In the larger trees are a number of squirrels and near the centre of the garden is a pond with a number of ducks on it.

They are quite tame except if they see a young child coming in their direction. They then they make a beeline for the water.

Overlooking the whole garden are a number of mountain peaks which provide shade in the afternoons as the sun starts to set. They are extremely beautiful and if one has the time one can climb up to them and onto Table Mountain from there. The walk to the top is not very taxing .

Remember 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.

This garden is not only a garden but a natural theatre as well.

On summer evenings they have symphony concerts on the lawns and thousands of people arrive for them.

Its like joining a big family of people, most of whom pack a picnic basket and come and have sundowners while listening to the music.

You can miss other venues and tourist attractions in Cape Town but not this one.

Visit this one on your free day and spend the day.

See you there soon!

Geoff Fairman

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