Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is acclaimed as one of the great botanic gardens of the world. Few gardens can match the sheer grandeur of the setting of Kirstenbosch, against the eastern slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain.

The name Kirstenbosch

The name Kirstenbosch first appeared in 1795, when it was listed on an inventory of property drawn up and handed over to the British Occupying forces, but the origin of the name is uncertain. It suggests a link to the Kirsten family.

A number of families with the name Kirsten lived in the Cape at the time but none of them ever owned the property, and no connection has ever been traced. Nevertheless, it is probable that the land somehow became associated with one of the members of the Kirsten family, and became known as Kirstenbosch (Kirsten’s Forest).

The Tree Canopy Walkway

The Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway is a new curved 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’ (meaning tree snake), it is a low-maintenance, low-impact sculptural raised walkway.

The Walkway takes the visitor from the forest floor into and through the trees and bursts out above the canopy, giving spectacular panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains, Garden and Cape Flats.

The eastern slopes of Table Mountain provide the magnificent backdrop to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and a nature-lover’s paradise of pristine fynbos and forest, in a stunning landscape.

The Kirstenbosch estate can be explored via five trails of differing levels of difficulty. All are well-maintained, logged footpaths or gravel roads and are sign-posted. The Braille Trail and Boekenhout Trail are ideal forest walks for those pressed for time and the not so fit. The Stinkwood Trail is a relatively short exploration of the oldest part of the forest with some of the largest trees. The Yellowwood Trail and Silvertree Trail are long hikes that take you up to the waterfall and around the estate, through both forest and fynbos.

Kirstenbosch offers three different restaurants, each in a different location and with a distinctive menu. You can also enjoy a picnic in the gardens and grab a picnic basket with delicious eats from one of the restaurants to enjoy.

Summer concerts

During the summertime, one can enjoy picnic and live entertainment in the gardens whilst enjoying the spectacular scenery.

For more information and to book a private tour please contact us.