Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

South Africa, a charming southern African country washed by two oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic. It is, above all, the birthplace of the great, unforgettable and unforgotten Madiba, Nelson Mandela, one of those rare humans who have spent their lives for their ideals, a man who all schools of the world should study… without distinction of race, skin Colour, language and religion!

Cape Town is the legislative capital of the country and it is very particular town, also because it is  on the southernmost tip of the African continent and it is dominated by the Table Mountain.

On the slopes of Table Mountain there are one of the most beautiful gardens in the world: Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden; its 500 hectares are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

This garden created in 1913, blends with the vegetation that covers the mountain and it has only local plants, exactly “only” 9000 of the 20000 plant species of South Africa.

From the various Kirstenbosch’s pavilions, several footpaths start to the mountains; hikers and climbers run through them, and among them Skeleton Gorge is the prefered one, because it comes up to the top of Table Mountain, where it’s possible to admire the two oceans meet at the Cape of Good Hope.

The elders told that the garden needed huge economic resources and instead, those available were limited, so the inhabitants of the surrounding area had the idea to sell firewood and acorns, finding in this way necessary funds.

It’s hard to describe by words the wild beauty of the flora in that region, so The Golden Scope,  chose to leave “speak” the images that do not need any comment…

Finally, a historical little note: Kirstenbosch originated in 1903 when the botanist Harold Henry Pearson, from the University of Cambridge moved to Cape Town as professor of botany at South African College. In 1913, after studying the area and the approval of the local government, he was responsible for the birth of the botanical garden that remained his passion until he died of pneumonia in 1916….He was also buried in his garden. If you ask to local where is a monument dedicated to Professor Pearson… they will surely respond: “if you seek his monument… look around…”.

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