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Home/Countries/Zimbabwe/Nature & outdoors/Ewanrigg Botanical Garden

Ewanrigg Botanical Garden

A garden northeast of Harare with a large aloe and cycad collection, at its best in winter.

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WhereMashonaland East
Nearest cityHarare
Best seasonJune to August for aloes
Time to allowHalf a day
Getting thereAbout 40 km northeast of Harare on the Shamva road
EntrySmall charge

Ewanrigg began as a private collection assembled by Harold Basil Christian from the 1920s and was left to the state, becoming a botanical garden of around two hundred and eighty hectares. Its strength is succulents: a very large aloe collection that flowers through the southern winter and turns the beds red and orange in June and July, along with cycads, palms and a water garden. The rest is msasa woodland.

What you actually see

  • The aloe collection - a large planting flowering red and orange in midwinter.
  • The cycads - the collection of these ancient plants in the grounds.
  • The water garden - the ponds and planting at the centre of the garden.
  • The msasa woodland - the surrounding indigenous bush.

When to go

June to August is when the aloes flower and the garden is at its best. The rains from November to March green the woodland. Weekends bring picnickers.

Honest expectations

Maintenance has been intermittent and parts of the collection are neglected. Labelling is patchy. Outside the aloe season the garden is much less striking.

Nearby

Harare is southwest, and Domboshava is west.

What to pack for Ewanrigg Botanical Garden

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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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