Lowveld Botanical Garden

The garden sits where the Crocodile and Nels rivers meet on the edge of Mbombela, and the confluence does the work: both rivers drop over rock as they arrive, so there are waterfalls inside the garden, with viewing decks and a suspension bridge over the Crocodile gorge. About 165 hectares, only some thirty of them landscaped, are divided between cultivated collections and natural riverine bush; the garden was set up in 1969 and opened on 10 September 1971. The cycad collection is the notable one - the largest in the country, backed by a gene bank, holding threatened Encephalartos species from across the continent, some of them extinct or nearly so in the wild, and grown here partly as insurance. There is a small rainforest section watered artificially and a baobab, and hippos live in the rivers. Birds are strong along the river. It is a working scientific collection as much as a park, and it is one of the few gardens in the country with genuine waterfalls in the middle of it.

What you'll find

• The two-river confluence - waterfalls where the Crocodile and Nels rivers meet.
• The cycad collection - the largest in the country, holding species nearly gone in the wild.
• The gorge bridge - a suspension crossing over the Crocodile below the falls.
• The rainforest section - an artificially watered patch of forest planting.

When to go

April to September for comfort; waterfalls are strongest after summer rain. Two to three hours.

Practical notes

Summer in the Lowveld is hot and humid. River levels vary and the falls can be thin in a dry winter. Paths near the gorge are slippery. It is on the edge of a city, so traffic noise carries in places.

Nearby

Mbombela is adjacent; Kruger's southern gates are east.

Key facts