About Harold Porter Botanical Gardens
Just 100 kilometres from Cape Town, take the beautiful coastal Route 44, between Gordon's Bay and Betty's Bay, to reach a peaceful and secluded garden lying snugly between mountains and sea.
Did you know? The Harold Porter Botanical Garden boasts red disa (Disa uniflora) in its natural habitat as well as South Africa's national flower, the king protea (Protea cynaroides).
The Harold Porter National Botanical Garden lies in the epicentre (heart) of the Cape fynbos region - a dedication to this natural shrubland vegetation with 10 hectares of cultivated fynbos garden, and a further 190 hectares of natural fynbos to gratify the visitor.
The peaceful garden includes sweeping mountain slopes, deep gorges, and four vegetation types that occur naturally in the Overberg - afro montane forests, wetlands, coastal dunes and fynbos.
Harold Porter is a magical display of proteas, ericas and leucadendrons set amidst meandering nature trails that take one up mountains, down gorges and through gardens in which some 60 species of bird, including the Cape sugarbird and the orange breasted sunbird, come to play.
Leopards are rare but have been sighted, as have the nocturnal porcupines and genets, whilst mongooses, otters, dassies and baboons are more frequently seen.
Educational storyboards about the plant and animal life are dotted throughout the garden making it easy for the visitor to take a self-guided tour along the paths, although organised guided tours are available.
Nature trails meander up into both Disa and Leopard's Kloof, whilst the Khoi-San indigenous garden displays a host of local useful and medicinal plants and the important role these play within indigenous groups of people in South Africa. There's a wonderful indigenous plants nursery, picnic areas for drinking in the surrounds, and sunset concerts in summer.
Need to Know
WhereHarold Porter Botanical Gardens, Entrance is on the corner of Clarence Drive and Broadwith Road, Betty's Bay, Cape Overberg, Western Cape, South Africa
WhenOpen Weekdays from 08h00 to 16h30.
Weekends and public holidays from 08h00 to 17h00.
Telephone+27 (0)28 272-9311
OvernightStay in Bettys Bay Accommodation, Western Cape
Disclaimer
Please note, business details can change. While we endeavour to ensure all information provided by the service provider is correct at the time of publication, we do not assume any liability caused by errors or changes, such as price, cost, time, and location. Please check with the provider that the activity/business is still offered as described, before making any travel plans.
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Additional Reading
- Picnicking at Harold Porter, and sighting penguins ...
- We Visit The Penguins at Stony Point in Bettys Bay
- Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden
- Free State Botanical Garden
- Harold Porter Botanical Garden
- Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden
- Pietermaritzburg Botanical Garden
- Pretoria National Botanical Garden
- Lowveld National Botanical Garden
- Karoo Desert Botanical Garden
- Hantam National Botanical Garden
- Kwelera National Botanical Garden
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Accommodation convenient to Harold Porter Botanical Gardens
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