Babylonstoren: Garden of Eden in the Cape

An 8-acre garden modelled on the Company's Garden the Dutch East India Company planted in 1652. Babel restaurant serves what was picked that morning in a converted cow shed. Cape Dutch architecture meets contemporary glass. The most Instagrammed farm in Africa.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Walk the 1652 Garden Blueprint Adventure · Price: low

   This 8-acre garden is modeled after the Company's Garden in Cape Town—where Jan van Riebeeck planted the first vine cuttings in 1652. But instead of sad vegetable patches, this is 300+ edible plant species in geometric perfection. The Healing Garden. The Prickle Garden. The Fynbos Garden. Fruit orchards, vegetable plots. The 1692 Cape Dutch farmhouse at the heart. Every morning, Babel restaurant kitchen staff walk the garden and pick what they'll serve that day. You're walking the blueprint of South African agriculture—from VOC refreshment station to modern farm-to-fork. Enter the garden. Pick up a map. Walk slowly. Notice the plant labels—many are heirloom varieties from the 1600s-1700s. The garden is designed to be discovered, not rushed. Allow 90 minutes minimum. Entry R150 per adult (includes 12-month membership; children under 18 free). Open daily 9:00-18:00 summer or 9:00-17:00 winter. +27 21 863 3852. If weather is bad, join the daily garden tour at 10:00 or special collections tour weekdays at 11:30. Staff will explain the 1652 connection.

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2. 2 Eat What Was Picked at 7am Adventure · Price: high

   Babel's menu changes daily based on what's ripe in the garden. The servers will tell you: "This beetroot was picked at 7am." "These herbs were cut 20 minutes ago." The restaurant is a converted cow shed—exposed beams, white walls, glass overlooking the garden. Cape Dutch architecture meets contemporary minimalism. Nothing frozen. Nothing imported. Everything seasonal. You're eating the 1652 garden, 374 years later. The most Instagrammed farm restaurant in Africa. Book as early as possible—seriously, 9 months ahead for peak season. Babel Restaurant, housed in the old cow shed. Lunch Wed-Sun 12:30-15:00. Booking ESSENTIAL. Online bookings open 9 months ahead, phone/email 2 months ahead. +27 21 863 3852 or enquiries@babylonstoren.com. Arrive hungry. Ask what was picked that morning. Order the progression menu if available. If Babel is fully booked, the Greenhouse cafe serves lighter meals using garden produce—no booking needed, walk-in.

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3. 3 Taste the 1692 Estate and Ask About Fynbos Wine · Price: low

   Babylonstoren was founded in 1692—the same generation as the Huguenots. The farm has been producing wine for 332 years. Here's what to ask: "What's the connection between the garden and the terroir?" The answer is fynbos. The Cape Floral Kingdom has 9,600+ plant species in an area smaller than Portugal. It creates the minerality and acidity in Cape wine. The fynbos in the garden isn't decoration—it's the same ecosystem defining the vineyard soil. Enter the tasting cellar. Express tasting (3 wines) R80, standard (7 wines) R180. Flagship additions: Chardonnay +R50, Nebukadnesar +R80, Sprankel +R85. Open daily during garden hours. While you taste, ask about the 1692 founding and fynbos-terroir connection. If you like what you taste, buy a bottle to drink at the end of your trail—by then you'll understand 370 years of context. If the tasting room is crowded, buy a bottle at the farm shop and taste it in the garden.

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4. 4 Find the 332-Year-Old Farmhouse History · Free · Optional

   The original 1692 Cape Dutch farmhouse—white walls, thatched roof, holbol gable, H-plan layout. One of the oldest surviving farm structures in the Cape Winelands. This building was here before the Napoleonic Wars, before the US Declaration of Independence, before the French Revolution. The people who built it spoke Dutch and French, kept slaves, distilled brandy by hand, pressed grapes with their feet. It survived 332 years of wars, phylloxera, apartheid, and Instagram. Walk through the garden toward the main courtyard. The farmhouse is impossible to miss—it's the heart of the estate. Take a photo, but more importantly, just stand there. Feel 332 years. At the center of the garden, near the main courtyard. If the area is closed for an event (weddings, private functions), ask the garden staff or tasting room about its history. They know it by heart.

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