Tokai arboretum

Through the forest and up the hill, past the old Tokai Manor Hall, which was built in 1795, you will find the Tokai Arboretum. It was set out by JS Lister, Chief Conservator of Forests for the Cape Colony. Alien trees from all over the world were planted here in  1885 as an experiment in order to evaluate which trees were suitable to be grown in South Africa.

The result was that we now have a beautiful forest tucked away in Tokai.  The Arboretum was declared a National Monument in 1985. It holds an impressive 274 species of trees. 1555 individual trees were planted, and as a result, the trees are now well established and often gigantic. The area is also a paradise for birders and nature lovers. Birds such as the Cape Siskin, Cape Canary, Fork-tailed Drongo and the ever-elusive Common Chaffinch, you might even see an African Hoopoe. The Arboretum is, however, a hotchpotch of different-sized trees, both alien and indigenous, which have been planted without a plan. A nightmare for conservationists and a dream for tree-huggers.

Many trees here are well over a hundred years old and are clearly labelled along the paths. A booklet with tree names and origins is available at the tearoom.

The Arboretum is an ideal starting point to hike up to Silvermine National Park and Elephant’s Eye Cave. The challenging 6 km  hike up to Elephant’s Eye Cave is within the Silvermine section of the park.

 Elephant’s Eye Cave 

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