Lowveld National Botanical Garden — Attraction in Mbombela

We were travelling back to JNB and needed to stop for lunch on a rainy day, and chose the Botanical Gardens in Nelspruit - what a pleasure! Due to the rain, it was a quiet day, and they were only too happy to serve us. This is a must stop for anyone wanting to sit outdoors (even in the rain as they have sheltered seating) The restaurant is classy and set amongst the beautiful tropical gardens and as good as anything one would expect at a 5* facility. Our lovely waitress Emily was friendly and very efficient. Our drinks arrived quickly and we were all pleasantly surprised by the presentation of our dishes, not to mention the flavour. My husband chose the pork belly and devoured it! My portion of Alfredo pasta was a little on the small side, but still delicious. They ordered vegetables on the side and absolutely cleaned their plates. I would highly recommend the Botanical Gardens without hesitation if you're looking for something different, elegant and in a beautiful setting. Note that the bill automatically includes a 10% tip.

As a regular visitor and Botanical Society Member I’m very disappointed how the garden is managing it’s now numerous weekend events and concerts.

I’ve had the unpleasant surprise of showing up at the garden for a leisurely walk to discover a mega event taking place with loud music which forced us to cancel our visit.

To avoid the above scenario weekend I checked the Garden’s Facebook page to make sure no event was planned. Called their listed number, where only a recorded message was being played with no mention on any event, but impossible to reach an actual human or the gate.

Show up to the Garden to discover another concert in progress. Impossible to enter the garden without paying the R200 event fee.

I understand the Gardens need to organise such events to fund its activities, but common courtesy would be to have timely and easily accessible information on which days to avoid for us plant lovers who have been patronising the garden for years.

What an amazing day out in nature. The lowveld really does provide great views and exciting adventures. When visiting the Botanical gardens in Riverside you can expect to see well kept gardens and forest with well maintained bridges, side walks and paths that lead into the rain forest. When exploring this beautiful area you can find yourself standing across from gushing waterfalls, but watch out you may be surprised with a hippo head sticking out watching you. While walking along the Rocky paths we found the cutest little Rock painted like a little house. Finding these little gems really make my day which is what has inspired me to start my own little project. So keep an eye out! However there is a downside, it would be great to see the litter from the river being removed as there was quite a bit in certain areas. All in all had a wonderful day in the gardens and would definitely go back to get a few more shots!