Tunduru Botanical Gardens

The Tunduru gardens were laid out in 1885 by Thomas Honney, an English landscape gardener, on a block in the centre of what was then Lourenco Marques, and they have kept their shape: winding paths, lawns, ponds and a considerable collection of mature trees, including flamboyants, figs and palms planted well over a century ago. They are the main green space in central Maputo and are used as such, busy with people rather than preserved.

What you actually see

• The mature trees - flamboyants, figs and palms from the original planting.
• The 1885 layout - winding paths and lawns from Honney's design.
• The ponds - water features through the lower part of the garden.
• The city use - a working park in the middle of the capital.

When to go

May to September is the cooler dry season and the most comfortable. Weekends are busiest with families. Flamboyants flower spectacularly around November and December.

Honest expectations

Maintenance is uneven and some sections are run down. Labelling of species is minimal. It is a city park rather than a botanical collection in the research sense.

Nearby

Casa de Ferro is alongside, and the cathedral is across the square.