"If you are looking for his monument, look around. These slopes and the area around is one of the biggest and well-known world reserves of native flora, and this is the best memory of him!" - The inscription carved on the tombstone of the first director of the Botanical Garden Kirstenbosch, Professor Harold Pearson.

Founded in 1913, Kirstenbosch is located on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town. It consists of landscaped gardens of local species of flora, through which flows the river Liesbeek, as well as natural forest, which stretches to the lower slopes. Kirstenbosch covers an area of ​​528 hectares, of which only 36 hectares tended garden workers, the rest of the garden - a natural reserve of flora.

There are only 4,700 of the approximately 20,000 species of native South African plants, and 50% of floral wealth of the peninsula.

Among the interesting parts of the garden, and they tend to see the great interest visitors is the Cycad Amphitheatre, here is the most species of rare plant species found in South Africa. Most of the upper slopes of the famous Protea Garden covered with shimmering silver timber - silver evergreen tree up 5-7 meters, is a rare and endangered species due to the high demand for timber and the mass felling of its forests. Garden JV Mathews Rock Garden (named after the first curator) contains succulents, aloes and other plants. Also very beautiful Erica Garden and Pelargonium Koppie.

You can hide in the shade of fig and camphor trees planted by Cecil Rhodes in 1898. Nearby there is a small patch of wild almond, Jan van Riebeeck planted in 1660, during the Dutch settlers.

The main office is Kirstenbosch National Botanical Institute, which operates a national network of gardens and related research institutes. One of them, Compton Herbarium, located on the top avenue camphor tree in the heart of Kirstenbosch. Named in honor of the former director, it is intended for research.

All tracks of the main Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are paved. The recently opened 128-meter-long air bridge Boomslang (in Afrikaans means "tree snake"), with a maximum height of about 11 meters, which passes through the arboretum. It was designed by Mark Thomas. There are also two special route for people with disabilities and three runs, calculated for a three-hour brisk walk to the length of 6 km.

Fragrant Garden, located nearby, has a fine collection of aromatic plants, with explanatory signs written in Braille and large print for people with vision problems.

Kirstenbosch is possible to visit in the spring and summer when the gardens are ablaze with Namaqualand daisies and winter - the best time to see the amazingly beautiful mind. Visitors can buy their chosen native plants, books and souvenirs in a small shop at the outlet of Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and have a cup of coffee in a restaurant in the open air.