If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.

It was in 2014 that we stumbled upon Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden with a group of friends visiting Cape Town. We had just completed a Habitat for Humanity house in Lesotho and wanted to see a bit of South Africa. Kirstenbosch wasn’t on our original agenda. And we had no idea that we would ever be touring a garden with so much other notable spots to see.

But Kirstenbosch was recommended by a tour guide — and we now know why. Even though this wasn’t a planned photo shoot for us, the few pictures we have of this spectacular place are now treasures, highlighting a very special place in South Africa.

The history of Kirstenbosch is brief, but interesting. In 1903, Harold Pearson came to Cape Town and had the idea of creating a botanical garden in that city. But it wasn’t until 1913 that funding and permission came along to finance and develop these stellar gardens, partially with ideas from the Botanical Society and funding from the Kristen family.

It wasn’t easy. There was much land to clear and landscaping of wild areas to initiate. But the whole of this venture can’t be matched: Kirstenbosch is now known — and justifiably so — as one of the world’s most beautiful, idyllic gardens.

Throughout the gardens, African art adds another dimension. Much of it is simple, massive, and impressive, and you come upon the sculptures unexpectedly in, around, and through various parts of Kirstenbosch.

With lakes, trees, and native plants, Kirstenbosch is a grand place, one that bears repeat visits in various seasons of the year.

Elegant, commanding, and all-engulfing, Kirstenbosch is one of our all-time favorite gardens. And to think, it wasn’t even on our radar for a visit. How lucky for us that someone said, “Let’s go there”!

If you would like to see more Gardens in this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, head to Amy’s Gardens and take a look at the other entries in the challenge.

And if you’re ever in Cape Town, don’t miss this magical place: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

Travel under the trees,

Rusha & Bert

The world comes
like a lover, courting.
But a seeker only sees
a hunter, circling its prey.

Adiela Akoo

Our party required two vehicles, so we followed second in line down dirt paths, in and around stripped bare trees and communal pools of murky water.

But nothing alerted to us to a real-life drama quite like the immediate pullover by the first group. And then we knew why. With a quick glimpse of a cheetah on the move, we were all on alert.

Colored birds and a host of monkeys picked up the chatter, unaware of specifics but knowledgeable of impending danger. Trees buzzed with nervous chit-chat. And animals on the ground decoded messages from above.

A water buffalo looked up and moved forward.

An elephant seemed annoyed at the prospect of giving up a morning mud bath to see what the chatter was all about.

Zebras turned toward the sound, then cleared the path, only to follow us as we tried to keep up with the stealthy, swift spotted cat.

A sleepy lion aroused — more slowly than we would have thought. “Isn’t this just the drama du jour? Do I really need to come over there?” he seemed to say.

But being king, he moved forward, swiftly and surely as if he knew the routine well.

Our special moments were silent ones, as we became frighteningly aware of magnified sounds of cameras clicking and muffled gasps of amazement.

But then, as quickly as it had begun, the chase ended. We weren’t even sure who was the hunter or the one being hunted. It just ended.

The cheetah who put the reserve on notice stood still — watching, waiting. Then moved on.

We journeyed on as well, looking for drama and more special moments around each curve.

The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa — for he has so much to look forward to.

Richard Mullin

Thanks to Tina Schell of Travels and Trifles for this week’s engaging photo challenge — Special Moments. If you’d like to read more entries, be sure to click on the links under her inspiring post this week.

And may you have many special moments — no matter where you are,

Rusha & Bert

We also saw an area of tin roof homes bounded by green toilets and fences where laundry dried in the South African sun. But we knew our boundaries and stayed in the van while the driver made a U-turn.

Huge area of tin roof dwellings bounded by toilets on one side and fences on another: Soweto, South Africa.

For more entries in this photo challenge — Weekly Photo Challenge: Boundaries — click here.

For more entries in the Weekly Photo Challenge: Monochromatic, click here.

Long winding pathways lined with towering trees, some dating back to the early 1900s, form lasting images for those who visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa.

For more lasting tree images, check out Ailsa’s blog Where’s My Backpack for Travel theme: Trees.  

Nature’s plan to blend even the biggest, boldest of animals into the landscape works well. So well, in fact, that coming (surprisedly) upon this kingly fellow — mostly of one colour — had all of us in the safari Jeep scrambling for cameras while speaking in hushed tones.  Better to let sleeping lions lie, right?

For more photos in one colour, go to Ailsa’s blog site — Where’s My Backpack? — and look at Travel Theme: One Colour right here. (And please.  Do it quietly.)

Beautiful South African sunset – ah, the great outdoors!

One of the prettiest places to be in the great outdoors is Thornybush Game Preserve, South Africa.  Our jeep pulled into an open spot on the plain so we could toast sundown with friends and revel in the fact that we were alive and traveling in beautiful South Africa near Kruger National Park. Such memories!

For more entries in this week’s Travel theme: Outdoors created by Ailsa of Where’s My Backpack, click here.

It seemed ordinary. An early-morning Jeep ride through a game preserve near Kruger National Park.  Not much in sight.  Not many sounds.

But when the driver veered near this watering hole, something we’d never seen before unfolded in front of us.  A convergence of buffalo. A gathering by the waterside.  A find for those of us who never dreamed we’d see so many so far away.

For more entries in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Converge, click here.

Baby and mother giraffe near Kruger National Park

Our guide said it was unusual.  Unusual to see a baby giraffe nursing from its mother.  But we have no idea if it were an unusual sighting or not.  After all, it was our first and possibly only safari.

But regardless of how uncommon it might be to see one little giraffe grateful for its belonging  — to his/her mother, to the tower of giraffes in the area, to the game preserve on which it lives — we relished in the sight since we were in a good place at the right time. And a glimpse of the ordinary became extraordinary for us.

For more entries into Ailsa’s Where’s My Backpack challenge — Travel theme: Belonging — click here.

Cheetah sighting at sundown: Thornybush Game Reserve

While on safari near Kruger National Park at sundown, we came upon a cheetah quite unexpectedly.  She was perched atop a grassy mound, seated above the top of our jeep, sensing our presence.  Our driver turned the motor off, allowing us to snap away during this quiet afternoon.  And we made not a sound, except for the click of cameras, focused on a singular animal.  Relishing every moment of our minimalist yet important find.

For more entries into the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Minimalist, click here.