Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens one of the world’s most beautiful picnic spots
Posted by peter | Articles | Posted on October 1st, 2011
The picturesque Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens has been voted one of the world’s most beautiful picnic spots.
And when you wander through the lush indigenous plants shading rolling green lawns at the foot of the majestic Table Mountain you can only agree.
Whether you choose a shady spot beneath a spreading tree, or a cool place alongside the lilly-studded ponds or laughing streams, even on busy days a sense of peace and serentiy reigns in the vast gardens which are sheltered even on days when the wind whips the rest of the Mother City into a frenzy.
And of course, with summer on its way we can look forward to enjoying those picnics while listening to live local music at the Summer Sunset Concerts.
Kirstenbosch, which was established in 1913 to promote conserve and display the extraordinarily rich and diverse flora of southern Africa, was the first botanic garden in the world to be devoted to a country’s indigenous flora. It is administered by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi).
The famous garden was selected by National Geographic magazine as one of the world’s 10 picnic hot spots, alongside the fjords of Milford Sound in New Zealand; the Huayna Picchu mountains (Peru); Point Reyes National Seashore (California); Villa Borghese Gardens (Rome); Jardin des Tuileries (Paris); the Haleaka National Park (Hawaii); Aran Island (Ireland); the National Sculpture Garden (Washington DC); and the Singapore Botanical Gardens.
Visitors to Kirstenbosch are welcome to bring their own picnic hampers into the Garden. Alternatively, delicious picnics can be purchased from The Kirstenbosch Tea Room