Botanical Gardens - Karoo Garden

Contribution By:
Aan De Doorns Guesthouse

It seems we fill our days with chasing agendas and chores that drives the rut. Recently my father; aged 74 with a bad hip, came to visit from Gauteng and our time together was short as my day to day activities kept me on the run. I decided we had to fit in at least one meaningful activity so that he could experience first- hand why I choose to come stay in Worcester. We went for a picnic lunch to the Karoo botanical gardens and what we witnessed there in an hour’s time was inspirational.

Even though my old man is not very mobile the footpath was easy to negotiate and our efforts were rewarded all along the way. Each corner we turned was another photo opportunity! As we sat next to an ancient (I did not know one get such a thing) Aloe tree to enjoy our lunch the discussion concluded that this garden alone is one of the best reasons to relocate to the valley.

This time of year the flowers are in bloom since early August and the diversity in colours and species that one can see in such close proximity and little time left me asking: Why did it take me so long to enjoy such boundless beauty. The Karoo botanical gardens are situated just North of Worcester when you turn off the N1 incoming. We are new to the area and have explored the Breede valley high and low just to find the absolute gem of the area is abound and blooming less than a fifteen minute drive away. Once again I learned that beauty is on your doorstep you just have to take the time to open your heart and eyes to invite it in.

A few facts and figures about the Karoo Botanical Gardens:

The Karoo Botanical Garden is unique, displaying a wide variety of desert and semi desert plants of South Africa, with about 400 species growing naturally in the garden and another 2500 species propagated in glass houses. Explore one of the 3 relative easy to walk hiking trails naturally surrounded by Roberson Karoo or Breede Shale Renosterveld, enjoy some of the mammals and more than 95 species of birds that frequent the garden and natural land scape. For the less active explore the 1 km Desert Birds Trail or the Quire Tree Forest, Spekboom Forest, the Richterveld with its rich succulent diversity, the Plant Maze or the Xhosa Medical Garden and Nama Kookskerm. Use the picnic area in the garden to relax and reflect on nature’s beauty.