Regular visitors to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden probably have their favourite spots but with 528 hectares - the largest of nine botanical gardens in South Africa - of developed gardens and nature reserve there is always bound to be some corner yet to be explored.

Internationally acclaimed as one of the greatest botanical gardens in the world, Kirstenbosch was established in 1913 to conserve and promote the indigenous flora of southern Africa after it was left to the nation by its last private owner, Cecil John Rhodes, who had the foresight to buy the land in 1895 to protect the eastern slopes of Table Mountain from urban development, bless him.

I always make a beeline for The Dell and Colonel Bird's bath, a tranquil place where you can sip crystal-clear spring water which bubbles up from the belly of the mountain at something like 17 litres a minute. It's the oldest section of the garden, and the bird-shaped bath was built 1811 by Colonel Christopher Bird, Deputy Colonial Secretary of the Cape. It's cool and shady in The Dell, with a little waterfall gushing over a cave from which you'd expect Gollum to emerge at any moment, and a rock path through the stream.

If you can tear yourself away, there are several themed gardens to explore, like the cycad amphitheatre, a protea garden, a fynbos garden and a garden of useful plants. There is even a sculpture garden, with amazing sandstone and soapstone statues to capture your attention and imagination. I'm rather fond of the Garden Of Weeds.

The developed gardens are breathtakingly gorgeous for relaxing strolls, picnics on the rolling lawns where you can share your sarmies with the geese and guinea fowl, or just to sit on one of the many strategically placed benches and inhale the lush beauty of your surroundings. For the more active among us, I am told there are hikes up into the mountain, which I am sure are also very pretty.

On your way in or out, stop in at the Glass House, a conservatory which displays plants that cannot be grown outdoors, including fynbos, bulbs and ferns, all surrounding a baobab, or upside-down tree.

There is a tea room and the self-service Silvertree Deli for refreshments, and it is very civilised to enjoy a cup of tea accompanied by a scone with strawberry jam and cream - all for the very reasonable price of R15. The Silvertree Restaurant is open for dinner as well.

While the garden is a joy for its most obvious reasons, it's also the setting for one of the most popular pastimes in Cape Town - the weekly Summer Sunset concerts which happen every Sunday from late November until early April.

Thousands of music fans flock to the lawns every weekend, clutching blankets and picnic baskets, and staking claim to their little patch of grass to enjoy an eclectic line-up of musicians and artists as diverse as the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra and Goldfish.

Concerts start at 5.30pm and gates to the concert area open at 3.30pm, although there's nothing to stop you spending the entire day in the garden. Ticket prices range from R65 to R95, depending on who's playing.

Winner of the MK Award 2009 for Best Newcomer, Ashtray Electric will be performing alongside Pretty Blue Guns on December 27 and Flat Stanley headline the 94.5 KFM New Year's Eve Concert on, well, New Year's Eve. Also on the bill for this night are DJ Denver Appollus, South African Music Award nominee Chad Saaiman, jazz veterans Loading Zone and multi-award-winning R&B star Loyiso Bala.

Booking for this concert is essential and booking will close once 5 000 tickets have been sold. Tickets are R220 - book online at www.webtickets.co.za or the Kirstenbosch ticket office. Gates open at 7pm and the show will go on whatever the weather.

In the new year music lovers can look forward to A Fistful of Diamonds! with Josie Field, Farryl Purkiss and Dan Patlansky (January 3); Kirstenbosch favourites Freshlyground on January 10; Zebra and Giraffe (January 17), also back by popular demand; and Afrikaans rockers Fokofpolisiekar on January 24.

Source: IOL Travel - www.ioltravel.co.za

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