Kirstenbosch: Paradisiacal walkway above the trees

»Over the tree-tops it is calm« – not only that, over the treetops of a South African botanical gardens spectacular aerial views are to be had. Kirstenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa, was laid out in 1913 as a 36-hectare garden within a 528-hectare nature reserve that is a World Heritage Site today. A Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway – a boardwalk made of steel and wood that winds its way between the trees and high above them – has now been created to mark the garden's 100th anniversary And indeed it was the skeleton of a snake that inspired Mark Thomas Architects to the design, which went on to be executed last year in collaboration with Henry Fagan & Partners. The treetop structure is accordingly nicknamed the »boomslang« (tree snake). Rising gently from its starting point, the walkway – 130 metres long and up to 12 metres high – provides visitors a stunning experience of nature without impacting on it unduly. Source: MMM