KZN National Botanical Garden (PMB)

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, South Africa

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KwaZulu-Natal National Botanical Garden (often called KZN National Botanical Garden, PMB) is a historic botanical garden in the western suburbs of Pietermaritzburg, established in 1874 along Mayor’s Walk as a source of tree seedlings and a showcase for indigenous plants. Covering around 70–80 hectares, it focuses on conserving and displaying plants of the eastern South African grasslands, especially genera such as Clivia, Gerbera, Kniphofia and Watsonia, alongside an avenue of plane trees, patches of natural forest, themed gardens including a Zulu demonstration garden, a cycad garden and a permaculture garden, and a dam that supports abundant birdlife with more than 180 recorded species. Open every day with set hours that vary seasonally and an entrance fee structure with discounts for students and free Tuesday entry for pensioners, the garden combines conservation and environmental education with recreation, offering walking trails, picnic and braai areas, children’s play spaces and guided tours that make it a popular green refuge for local residents and visitors.