A fynbos safari in Cape Town’s back garden

So hyperreal are the neon pinks and purples of the flowering vygie (sour fig) plants that you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re travelling Oz’s yellow brick road rather than on a botanical safari along Grootbos Private Nature Reserve’s mountain trails. In resplendent bloom come spring, the Pantone-like luminosity of the sour fig’s flower appears so immeasurably cranked up as to leave the surrounding foliage looking somewhat faded. Add to this that it’s under the thicket of the plant’s moisture-saturated leaves that tortoises seek protection during mountain fires, and the vygie’s status as floral star unique to the Cape’s fynbos biome skyrockets.

Such insider knowledge, shared warmly and willingly by the reserve’s botanical guides, was once on offer only to guests staying at Grootbos’s luxurious lodges. It was for them alone that guides like Shiluva Khosa – “Shiluva” means “flower” in Xitsonga; nominative determinism if ever there was – would share the expert insights they have of the sanctuary’s 900-plus (!) fynbos species during a botanical safari.

Situated just two hours from the centre of Cape Town, the reserve is rooted to the hillside above Gansbaai. The views from its lodges and trails are panoramic, with the distant jagged peaks above Walker Bay airbrushed in shades of pale blue. But it is bold yellows and oranges that pepper Grootbos’s landscape year-round, with sprays of reds and pinks more seasonal.

Thanks to Wilderness Touring Cape Town’s newly launched, day-long Botanical Art & Safari Tour, the pleasures and peacefulness of this experience are now available to all, and make for the most enchanting of escapes in Cape Town’s back yard. The tour speaks of Wilderness’s close partnership with the pioneering conservation-led reserve and is yet another example of the safari brand’s considered experiences, which encourage guests to discover Earth’s untamed places (in the most mindful of manners, of course).

In addition to the hassle-free pleasures of being driven by a Wilderness guide to and from Grootbos in a luxury vehicle that features refreshments, snacks and Wi-Fi, the tour includes a botanical safari, guided visit to the Grootbos Florilegium and lunch at the reserve’s exclusive restaurant.

The uniqueness of Cape Town’s back garden

For those whose days are spent in urban jungles, the botanical safari offers an education in flora, showcasing seasonal highlights from the world’s smallest – yet most diverse – floral kingdom. Much like on a wildlife safari, with one eye on the road and the other trained to the ground, a guide will frequently bring the open-sided vehicle to a sudden stop. But unlike elsewhere in the bush, stepping out of the 4×4 here is encouraged.

Feet on the earth, expect to have your attention directed to the unusual appearance of a ground-hugging geophyte, or to the rarity of Erica magnisylvae, endemic to a small fold in the reserve’s hills where it was first discovered in 1997 and one of three Erica species endemic to Grootbos. And it’s not just your sense of sight that will be engaged; you’ll smell wild sage and the fragrant flowers of the fountain bush, hear birdsong, and notice the change in humidity when motoring through an Afromontane forest.

Discover the intricacies of botanical art

The near two-hour safari is followed by a visit to the on-site Hannarie Wenhold Botanical Art Gallery. It’s on the walls of this naturally-lit contemporary space that the Grootbos Florilegium – a collection of illustrations featuring plants from the region – can be viewed.

Unlike outdoors, the display here isn’t seasonal, so a curator or resident artist will offer insights into plants that may not be in bloom, and also guide you through the growing collection. Grouped by themes including pollination and rarity, the artworks were created by invited local and international botanical artists who spent time closely observing Grootbos’s floral marvels.

Much like Chris Lochner, whose works are on exhibit and who has worked at Grootbos since first being invited to paint its plants six years ago, these artists bring to their paintings and drawings such fine detail that magnifying glasses are on offer for anyone wanting a closer look (well worth it). Ask Lochner and he’ll tell you how he can spend up to three weeks painting a single artwork.

Taste organic like never before

Lunch at one of Grootbos’s organic-first restaurants – usually reserved exclusively for resident guests – becomes a reality when booking the tour. Taking in killer views of the bay is even more relaxing when lounging on one of the lodge’s Okha sofas, or when seated on a dining chair embroidered by Casamento. Couple this with homegrown produce cultivated on Grootbos’s organic farm, and lunch becomes as much a gastronomic as a design delight.

Executive head chef Benjamin Conradie’s menu includes sticky-glazed sesame-battered cauliflower, Provençal mussels, grilled sirloin and line fish, and seasonal soups and daily specials, all accompanied by vegetables and herbs cultivated by the community behind Grootbos’s Growing the Futures Project.

When it comes to dessert, we’ve made the decision for you: nothing beats Grootbos fynbos honey ice cream, made from one of three special honeys produced on site. It makes for the sweetest end to a day-long immersion in the Cape floral kingdom.

Find more information or book the tour here, and for more of Currency’s great travel stories, go here.

_{Top image: Courtesy Wilderness Touring Cape Town, Grootbos}