Page 107 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2020 South Africa

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden
One of the world’s great public gardens,
Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, is less than 10
miles from Cape Town city center. Nestled on an
eastern slope of Table Mountain, this verdant oa-
sis and UNESCO World Heritage site sprawls
across 1,300 acres of sweeping lawns, cultivated
gardens and wildlands. All celebrate the country’s
native flora - including aloes, proteas, birds of par-
adise, amaryllis, agapanthus and many other
drought tolerant beauties now cultivated around
the world.
Free guided tours, offered twice daily Monday-
Saturday, are ideal introductions to Kirstenbosch’s
sunny specialty gardens and trails through dap-
pled groves and stream-serenaded glades that
date back to the garden’s founding early in the
20th century. Most link with the new Centenary
Tree Canopy Walkway or “Boomslang” as locals
call it. This steel and timber bridge wends high in
the Arboretum canopy to capture birds-eye views
across the garden and distant city.
Highlights of our summer visit included a stop at
the pepperbark tree planted in 1996 by the late
Nelson Mandela, an avid gardener, and now
marked by a bust of the country’s first democrati-

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