Kiss­ing the east side of Table Moun­tain (and used as a start­ing point for its hard­core climbers), Kirsten­bosch is one of the world’s most bio­di­verse gar­dens and a leader in con­ser­va­tion sci­ence. The sprawl­ing site con­tains incred­i­ble forms of flo­ra and near-endan­gered plants that have been cul­ti­vat­ed since the ear­ly 1900s. Explore at ground lev­el or up above along The Boom­slang, a tree­top walk­way with views for days. Don’t leave with­out vis­it­ing the beau­ti­ful sculp­ture gar­den, which includes a bust of Nel­son Man­dela and breath­tak­ing Mam­bo sculp­tures carved from opal stone.