The Lowveld Botanical Garden has the largest collection of cycads in Africa among its 2000 species of plants. Walk through the enchanting African Rain Forest to cross the Crocodile River via the famous suspended bridge, where the cascading waterfall can be seen. There is also a Braille Trail offering blind visitors the opportunity to independently follow the trail and feel the plants.
The independently run Kuzuri Restaurant is a fully licensed function venue within sound of the Cascades Waterfall. The Red Leaf Fig Tea Garden can also cater for wedding parties.
Eighty kilometres inland from Durban and founded in 1874, KwaZulu-Natal Botanical Garden is one of the oldest Botanical Gardens in South Africa. Originally the garden was started to grow trees for distribution and as a collection point for indigenous, rare and beautiful plants. Today, the garden conserves plant collections from the grasslands of the east coast of South Africa.
Visitors can enjoy Xhosa Heritage in the Pondoland Gardens and Zulu Heritage in the Zulu Demonstration Garden, which has a walk through the educational Muthi (medicine) Garden. If you are lucky you may see the blue duiker, Cape clawless otter and small-spotted genet.
Plane Tree Avenue is an unusual and romantic ceremony location that can accommodate up to 400 guests. The Camellia Venue is surrounded by spectacular trees offering shade and has a wedding ceremony gazebo. Clivia Hall is available for wedding receptions, with a capacity for between 100 and 120 people,
The Halleria Lawn can sit 600 guests and the Lakeview venue 200 people. The Lapas is ideal for small gatherings, one of which is close to the Jumping castle spot and the other near the Zulu demonstration garden that can be used for a traditional wedding. There’s also a garden conference room that can accommodate up to 60 people.
Just 100km from Cape Town, between Gordon's Bay and Betty's Bay, the Harold Porter Botanical Garden lies in the centre of the Cape fynbos region. There are nature trails, a Khoi-San indigenous garden including local useful and medicinal plants. There are open-air concerts hosted at sunset during the summer.
A secluded area in the centre of the Garden, the Marquee Lawn is a perfect outdoor venue for a private open air wedding. The Nivenia Hall seats 70 and the Micro Frog Room seats 20 and can be combined through inter-leading doors. Wide, shaded verandas surround the conference rooms which in turn lead out onto a lawn edged with attractive water features and flower beds.
Also known as the City of Roses, the Free State Botanical Garden in Bloemfontein has six distinctive gardens plus wilderness hiking trails. While much of the garden’s appeal is its floral beauty, it also contains the curator's house built by World War 11 Italian prisoners of war, which is open to visitors. The old stone walls of the garden were built by British troops during the South African War.
The Bride and Groom Garden contains a wooden wedding gazebo with planting of seasonal annual displays that ensure the garden is the perfect wedding venue throughout the year.
From December to March, sunset musical concerts are held on stage at the stunning Kirstenbosch amphitheatre.
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