NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN
Pretoria, South Africa
2 Cussonia Avenue, Brummeria, Pretoria
Private Bag X101, Pretoria, 0001
Tel:+27 12 843 5104
Fax: +27 12 804 4992
Email: pretoriagarden@sanbi.org
This 76 ha urban oasis is a pristine getaway a mere stone's throw away from the madding crowd. The Pretoria National Botanical Garden, founded in 1946, is home to the Head Office of SANBI. This Garden successfully bridges the divide between scientific research and the recreational environment. Read more about its history.
Opening Times and Costs Not sure how to find our garden?: print our Directions and Map provided here. |
About the Garden
A 50 m high quartzite outcrop divides the Garden in two sections. Its frosty south-facing section and the north-facing, warmer section present two different worlds to the visitor and botanist. Paved nature trails give access to the fascinating natural vegetation on the ridge. Fifty hectares of the total area are devoted to developed garden, using almost exclusively South African plants. All the flowering plant species to be seen including 50% of the country's tree species, make this Garden a botanical tapestry, offering the visitor a glimpse of different biomes such as savanna, forest, fynbos and some plants of other biomes. Take a virtual tour of the Garden and enjoy the visual highlights it has to offer.
The Garden is home to more than 198 bird species and a number of reptiles and small mammals such as the common duiker. Download a list of animals found in the Garden. For more information see - Havens of Biodiversity - a booklet describing biodiversity in the 9 National Botanical Gardens (.pdf file)
Special features are the tree wisteria ( Bolusanthus speciosus ) avenue and special collections of medicinal plants, cycads, aloes, tree species, succulents and natural ridge vegetation. The green lawns and spreading shade trees in summer and the massed aloe collections that blaze into flower during winter, are just some of the seasonal features that draw visitors to our Garden.
New facilities
Various capital development projects have been completed since 2002, including a new Visitor Centre and a gift/bookshop and the Environmental Education Centre, the new South African National Biodiversity Institute building was built adjacent to the existing herbarium building and was inaugurated on 2 December 2004. Opened in May 2005, the Mokha Restaurant overlooks the wetland.
Concerts
Bring your picnic baskets and come and enjoy excellent entertainment in our beautiful natural surroundings. Our Garden Picnic Concerts, sponsored by Pick 'n Pay, are held at the Concert Stage, starting on the 8th of May until the 18th of September. Times: 13:00 to 15:00. Entry fees from 11:00–14:00: R15 for adults and R7 for scholars and students with a valid student card. Botanical Society members enjoy free entry if a valid membership card is shown. See the What's On page for more details on garden events. General guided walks and tours may also be arranged by appointment for groups.
