Re-discovering the Durban Botanic Gardens – on wheels!

IF you’ve been to Durban Botanic Gardens (DBG) in recent times, you have probably noticed the golf cart standing at the Visitors’ Centre or beetling about the Gardens with guests on board.

Providing a welcome addition to the attractions of the renowned DBG, the golf cart tours have offered a fascinating and educational experience from the comfort of a garden-friendly vehicle, these past few years.

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Now, owner Natasha Dadoo and her colleague and fiancée, Vishnu Moodley, are making their comeback after months of lockdown layoff, with increased operating hours and special, reduced rates.

They have also introduced an innovative, ‘Rides for Brides’, where a photographer, bride and groom are taken to the scenic spots in the Gardens for their wedding snaps – no more dusty dress edges and muddy shoes for the bridal couple!

Both were present from the outset, when the golf cart tours concept was launched in 2014.

“Being here right from the start of the service with the previous owner, for all those years, meant that when we eventually bought the business, we were very familiar with all the workings of it and knew what we were in for!” said Natasha.

Working as they do, in daily contact with each other, is “a comfortable, new age situation for us both” Vishnu laughs.

“Natasha is the owner and Natasha is my boss! Our roles are quite separate though. I am the driver and guide for the golf cart tours while Natasha, a qualified barista, runs the refreshment wagon.”

Coming from very different backgrounds to what they are doing now (Vishnu from sales and marketing and Natasha from admin) they nevertheless both share a great passion for the environment.

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“We love working here, who wouldn’t? ” said Natasha. “We’ve come to know the regulars, the walkers, the dog owners, even the young ones, and besides, there’s always something new to discover in the Gardens.”

Operating as ‘Durban Botanic Gardens Tourist Services’, the pair display immense enthusiasm for their outdoor business.

“We’re here in all kinds of weather,” said Vishnu, on the rainy day of our telephone conversation – the delightful, almost deafening, chirping of happy tree frogs that have come out to enjoy the spring rains, in the background.

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We arrange to meet on a clear day, and set off in the golf cart, visiting among others Vishnu’s favourite tree: the spectacularo Kamerere gum (Eucalyptus deglupta) from New Guinea , the rarest of the genus with its many nicknames – the ice-cream tree, the rainbow tree, etc. Vishnu refers to it as the ‘painted tree’.

Vishnu’s commitment to the Durban Botanic Gardens, conservation, and the education and entertainment of his guests, is clearly evident.

He knows every nook and cranny, where to find incredible creatures – from the shy tree frog to the magnificent flower mantis and more.

He’s able to relate stories behind trees and plants, their culinary and medicinal uses, and their cultural significance, as he invites guests to join in the wonderment of this botanical oasis within the precinct of the city.

As we putter along, Vishnu points out some of the arboreal highlights of DBG; one of the oldest litchi trees in the country which still bears a generous annual crop of fruit – the ‘kissing trees’, two Bermuda Cedars that were grafted together – the Woodii cycad, ‘the loneliest plant in the world’ – the ghostly green of the endemic Fever Tree – the magnificent Banyan Tree (Ficus bengalensis) from India; and there are many others to be discovered.

Durban Botanic Gardens is looking somewhat wild and woody, acknowledges Vishnu.

“Having endured months of lockdown with a skeleton staff, it will take a while to get shipshape, but progress is being made,” he notes, pointing to the lake which has recently been cleared of the highly invasive ‘water lettuce’ (Pistia stiotiotes) thanks to a team of temporary staff that has been funded by the ever-supportive Durban Botanic Gardens Trust.

Natasha, Vishnu and I, part ways at the Visitors’ Centre, the hub of their DBG venture.

Now an established part of the landscape, the pair offer a ‘must do’ experience that even those familiar with the Gardens, will find something new to enjoy.

And for first-timers, a turn around the Gardens with Vishnu, is a feast of nature’s wonderment that will delight the senses and restore the soul.
To book tours contact 074 028 6936.

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