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!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CHAPMAN'S PEAK & CHAPMAN'S PEAK BEACH HOTEL

Fighting off the temptation to do yet another report on something in Cape Town, but the fingers that type this seemed biased. Its been decided by the powers that if we choose to finish off a 'Breathing Space' segment in a TRAVEL & RELAXATION section of our Wellness Trail, there is only one final destination, ANYWHERE NEAR MOTHER MOUNTAIN. We at least avoided her this time, you'll see her anyway....its like going home and not seeing Mom, never gonna happen, but we just wanted to remind you of Dad, Grandma, and the Kids. 

Mom ALWAYS wins right?!. 

Meet CHAPMAN's PEAK, beauty at its finest, with a view that travels, it takes you places, it has many sides, literally, which makes it unfair, but mother spoke of her favourite child, and this was the one she chose for us to talk about. 

Chapmans Peak Drive even has its own website, yes, its called www.chapmanspeakdrive.co.za, such an organised little road isn't it?! Now if you take a little peak, haha, at this fabulous site, you'll find that the Mignon's that Chappy employed to look after the website have included all the activities surrounding the this beautiful part of Cape Town, events, galleries and more. Have a squizz. 

We think if you're going to make the effort to go there, go everywhere that is touched by the peak, and everywhere it leads to, TAKE IT ALL IN, give it a few days. But mostly, and our original point, was this, take this in, go for the drive, and stop often, get out your car, and just watch, listen to what Mother Nature has to say, she'll tell you more than you think...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annd look we found this video, so clever, its called a cyber drive, LOVE IT!

We hope when you come visit that you'll stay, over night at least once, and being the fairest Cape, there are poo-loads of places to stay, but we rather like this one, 

The hotel is situated at the foot of the world-famous Chapman's Peak Drive, in the beautiful valley of Hout Bay, yet another place to visit and take in, truly another one of our gems.

Its 20min from Cape Town's city centre and 45 Min's from the airport and wine routes, but distance and time never really matters in Cape Town, does it, you are meant to get lost in time, and on the drive, and never be on time for anything. 

The hotel has an awesome restaurant known for its Calamari, enjoyed on the large sun-drenched terrace with even better views of the bay, beach and valley. In fact, Calamari at the Chapman's Peak Beach Hotel was voted as one of the Top 20 Things to Do in Cape Town, and the hotel is known as one of the Top 3 in Hout Bay. 

Find them @ www.chapmanspeakhotel.co.za

 

 

 

  

 
#WellnessisEverywhere

HOLE IN THE WALL & The Oceanview Hotel

When was the last time you experienced the Wild Coast? Its incredible how lucky we are that most of our country is surrounded by beaches and water, ok not most but more than half, right?!

So, we continue our journey in this months TRAVEL & RELAXATION section of The Wellness Trail, and investigate BREATHING SPACES that leave you feeling like you are in meditation, just by being there, that leave you feeling at peace with everything, just sitting still and taking it all in. 

We believe Coffee Bay & the HOLE IN THE WALL, in the Eastern Cape, are both that and a marvel of nature, have a look...

Now Coffee Bay, and the HOLE IN THE WALL, are situated on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape, closer to the KZN end of the coast than the Western Cape end, but its oh-so-beautiful. 

The 'Hole' is a unique structure with a hue detached cliff that has a giant opening carved through its centre by mother natures intrusion of waves. 

The local Xhosa call this place "izi Khaleni", which means "Place of Thunder". 

During certain seasons and water conditions, (high tide), the waves clap is such a fashion that the concussion can be heard throughout the valley. 

Xhosa mythology tells a far more romantic tale of the sea people, semi deities who look like humans but have supple wrists and ankles and flipper like hands and feet. 

A beautiful girl living on the Wild Coast, in a village near a lagoon, cut off from the sea by a mighty cliff, was seen by one of the sea people who became overwhelmed by her beauty and tried to woo her. But in dealing with the wrath of her father, the sea people enlisted the help of a huge fish who battered its way headfirst through the wall of rock. Through this hole spilled the sea people who swept the young Xhosa maiden away. 

But the entire area is beautiful, the whole damn coast is magnificent, really breathtaking, yet it will provide you with the most incredible breathing space second to non. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And if you are going there we suggest a nice stay-over night or several at the www.oceanview.co.za, its older but has the best views and a quaintness to it that'l feel like home, its lovely. 

 

 

 
#WellnessisEverywhere