Around Cape Town – Part 2
Kirstenbosch – Now for a relaxing day trip round the back of Table Mountain. Take the M3 out of Cape Town and you’ll soon pick up the brown signs announcing the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. You turn right soon after passing abeam Newlands, just by a Shell Petrol station.
Be prepared to spend as much time as you like in what is recognised to be the most beautiful garden in Africa and also one of the great botanic gardens of the world. Where else could you find such a spectacular setting, nestling as it does against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain?
Some of the original planting was done by the Dutch in the 17th Century to protect the nearby Dutch settlement and part of this hedge, named Van Riebeek’s Hedge, can still be seen.
Eventually the estate was purchased by Cecil Rhodes in 1895 and subsequently handed over to the State upon his death in 1902. The Gardens, as we know them today, were established in 1913 to preserve and display the rich and diverse flora of Southern Africa.
The gardens run free guided walks, or you can hire the My Guide electronic gizmo to receive recorded information about the various plants you’ll pass on the three signposted circular walks. And added for garden’s centenary in 2013, the Tree Canopy Walkway, otherwise known as the “Boomslang” (tree snake), a curving steel and timber bridge that rises through the trees and provides amazing views.
Constantia – If you’re only staying a short time in Cape Town and have no time to explore Stellenbosch or Franschhoek, this is an excellent substitute The Cape’s oldest winelands were planted here by the Dutch, in the Constantia Valley. Just look what they started!
Leaving Kirstenbosch, head off again on the M3 and look for the signs. There are a variety of wineries that are certainly worth a visit but the oldest and one of the most beautiful wineries is Groot Constantia. Housed in traditional Cape Dutch buildings and surrounded by beautiful gardens, this historic estate is simply gorgeous.