Friday 17 October 2014

KIRSTENBOSCH BOTANICAL GARDENS

When was the last time you took a little trip to your nearest Botanical Garden? Did you know that we have 9 of them? We didn't, and man we sure are glad that this blog has brought us to visit some of the most incredible spaces in the World, right here, in Sunny S.A. 

This month in TRAVEL & RELAXATION, we kinda combined TRAVEL & RELAX,  and remind you of, or take you to, places that really are only a day outing, close enough to the city you are in, or travel to, and show you some FUN DAYS OUT, where you get to engage with the natural wonders we have, and some of the man-made wonders we have generated, and sometimes a combination of both.

Meet...
Firstly, lets remind you of the Gardens we have to view, other than KIRSTENBOSCH, we also have Hantam, Walter Sisulu, Harold Porter, Free State, Pretoria, Karoo Desert, Kwa-Zulu Natal & Lowveld, you can find out more about each @ www.sanbi.org/gardens.

But we want to 'remind' you of whats on offer at Kirstenbosch, we say 'remind', as WE SHOULD ALL KNOW THIS, but we didn't, so you are forgiven if you don't know too. 

ITS AMAZING, firstly, and probably the most important part, THE GARDEN, its truly breathtaking. It's acclaimed as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world, in the Top 7 of Botanical Gardens, and the most beautiful garden in Africa. 

There are very few gardens that can even come close to the sheer grandeur of this garden, as its set against the eastern slopes of Cape Towns Table Mountain...TOTAL WIN RIGHT???!!!

The garden was established in 1913 to promote, conserve and display the extraordinarily rich & diverse flora of Southern Africa, and was the first Botanical Garden in the world to be devoted to a country's indigenous flora. 

Besides the garden itself, it has a custom built glasshouse to grow and display plants from the arid regions that cannot survive outdoors here, and there are over 7000 species in cultivation at Kistenbosch, including rare threatened species. 

This garden is a 36 hectare garden, and is part of a 528 hectare estate that contains protected mountainside supporting natural forest and fynbos along with a variety of animals and birds. The estate borders the Table Mountain National Park, and the Kirstenbosch lies in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom.....in short, ITS DAMN BEAUTIFUL!!!!

They have just installed the most incredible TREE CANOPY WALKWAY,  a 130m steel and timber bridge that winds and dips its way through and over the trees of the Arboretum. Inspired by a snake skeleton, and informally called the Boomslang, or tree-snake, the walkway takes visitors from the forest floor into and through the trees and bursts out above the the canopy, giving spectacular panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains, Garden and the Cape Flats. (Its 12m above ground, so its sure to be exiting too.) 

We also have another favourite feature of the garden, besides the Picnic Spots, or the Hotel, or the Art in  the Garden, the Venue spots, or even the Restaurants, MOYO & THE KIRSTENBOSCH TEA ROOM, being ultra cool, no, OUR FAVOURITE part of the Garden is the fact that it has its own CONCERT VENUE, with the backdrop pf the Garden and the Mountains behind, COULD YOU GET ANY BETTER???!!!!

For the rest of the year they have Carols, Just Jinger, amongst others, and THE BEST NEW YEARS EVE CONCERT you can ever go to, TRUST!!! But next year in January already they have a line up that includes, PRIME CIRCLE, THE PARLOTONES, JIMMY NEVIS, and a very long list of A-GRADE artists from our own shores. 

Time your visit to go early, check out the Gardens, maybe stay overnight at the hotel, its stunning too, and then go see a concert, IT WILL BE THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!

Aaaah, again there is too much to talk about in one setting, so let them say it best, find them @ KIRSTENBOSCH GARDENS.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
#WellnessisEverywhere

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