Experiencing the South-African countryside is a unique pleasure. One of the specialities of this region is the so-called garden route. It extends through one of the most magnificent and awe-inspiring regions of South Africa, if not the world: With majestic mountains, breathtaking views of valleys, lakes, rivers and forests, a paradise for bird and nature lovers, an eco-system like no other in the world, with kilometre-long beautiful, white sandy beaches and a vast number of attractions waiting to be discovered. The flora in South Africa is simply spectacular. South Africa is a true treasure chest for nature lovers and plant fans!

A special place along the garden route is the magnificent nature surrounding Knysna. The name Knysna means “Place of Wood”. The mystical woods of Knysna invite travellers to undertake long hikes or bike tours. The protected natural heritage with its natural vegetation is the home of reclusive elephants.

Central Africa – in David Livingstone's footsteps

Sansibar is located on the East - Coast of Africa and we do not only fantasize about it being the island with sandy beaches beneath palm trees, it has also become a synonym for a life-affirming place in the context of the renowned novel by Alfred Andersch.

The best-known area of the island capital Sansibar is the historical centre Stone, which was declared a world heritage site by the UNESCO in 2000. Most of the approximately 150 houses were built from coral about 150 years ago and many of them have been renovated and restored. However, not only the historical old town, but also the redesign of the Forodhani Garden by the water, as a place for evening rendezvous, puts visitors in the mood for travelling.

North Africa – Humphrey Bogart's white roses

Morocco in the northwest of Africa is separated from the European continent only by the Strait of Gibraltar. In terms of landscape, Morocco has a variety of different things to offer: from the flat coastal landscape along the Atlantic the topography extends up to a height of 4000 metres in the Atlas Mountains.

Just like the climate, the plant world is also divided into two parts by the mountains: To the northwest of the mountain range is the Mediterranean plant coverage and to the south-east the desert steppe. Beyond the Atlas Mountains the vegetation changes from only small remaining wooded areas in the rainy mountain areas and the western regions to dry steppe vegetation.

Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco and translated the Spanish name means “the white house.” It is located south of the capital Rabat, directly at the Atlantic coast and is considered to be the country’s commercial centre.

When we hear the sentence “here’s looking at you, kid”, we think of Hollywood and the world-famous actors Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and of a romantic story in an exotic setting.

South America – garden of the Amazons, the world's green lungs

The origin of the name has never been properly clarified. According to legend, the European explorers led by Francisco de Orellana saw native women fighting and named the river after the Amazons.

The global warming is also leaving its mark on the “Earth’s lung”: In 2005 the Amazon area was hit by a drought more extreme than ever previously experienced. It will take decades for nature to regenerate completely, if it ever does so at all. However the biological balance of this ecological system is extremely sensitive and even if it survives this natural catastrophe it is endangered in the long run by the increasingly large fluctuations in the weather conditions.

Central America – garden between heaven and earth, garden of two worlds

Central America is the bridge of land between North and South America and geographically belongs to the greater region of North America. Culturally-historically speaking, however, it must be perceived as a self-contained area. When we hear the term Central America our mind conjures up colourful images: indigenous peoples such as the Mayas and the Aztecs, the Spanish language and the great explorer Christopher Columbus, but also the Panama Canal as the shortest distance connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic.

The name Christopher Columbus stands for the discovery of the New World. The Christopher Columbus Day is therefore celebrated in many countries around the world. What is interesting is that the day is celebrated on different dates and has different names: In Spain it is called “Hispanity Day”, in Argentina, Ecuador, Columbia and Mexico “Dia de la Raza – Day of the Race” and in Chile “Dia del Descubrimiento de Dos Mundos – Discovery of Two Worlds Day”. But regardless of when, how and however it is celebrated: For everyone this day stands for adventure, wooden fourmasters with rattling sails and creaking masts, mutiny and piracy.

North America – the American dream garden

The American dream describes a belief strongly anchored in US-American society that every individual is able to improve his or her life, usually with a steady income or an increase in income, through hard work and willpower. Or put in another way: “From dishwasher to millionaire, from rags to riches: Every American, even those with empty pockets, without a single dollar, can work their way up to become a millionaire.”

New Zealand/Tasmania – Garden of the winds

The “Roaring Forties” (German: Brüllende oder Donnernde Vierziger) describes the region of West Wind Drift between 40° and 50° latitudes.

The winds blow from a westerly direction throughout the whole year, causing unsettled weather, rain and a heavy swell. They frequently reach gale force. In the “Roaring Forties” zone there are three major land masses in front of Australia: Tasmania, the South Island of New Zealand, and Patagonia, which extends across the southern part of Chile and Argentina.

Round-the-world yachtsmen make use of this phenomenon by intentionally seeking out these latitudes and choosing to sail in an eastbound direction. Sailing around the world in the opposite direction has proved to be very difficult. However, it has been done, for example in the case of Wilfried Erdmann.

In a figurative sense the South Seas is a very distant and often idealized region of the world. Reports by the early explorers characterized the image the Europeans had of the South Seas: the region was described as the Garden of Eden, as a place that provides human beings with everything that they need to live, a garden with lush vegetation, tropical fruits and peaceful people. Women wearing large blossoms in their glossy hair and men in slim boats on the clear sea drawing up nets full of glittering silver fish.

This image was reinforced by the French painter Paul Gauguin. His pictures do not depict reality but the exotic paradise the painter dreamed up. Thus at the end of 1890 he wrote in a letter: The “happy inhabitants of the unknown paradise of Oceania, know only the sweetness of life. For them, to live is to sing and to love ....”

Australia – modern Australian garden

Daydreaming, raving about journeys to foreign countries and the desire to get away from it all… Tell me, what do you imagine when you think of Australia! A short silence, then draw a deep breath for that which is about to come: Australia – a pretty long way away and turned upside down! Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, deserted red land, British, kangaroos, koala bears and redback spiders, Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock glowing in the heat, poisonous snakes, sharks and whales, sandy beaches and surfing, aborigines, boomerangs and didgeridoos, flying doctors... and now? Lets keep on dreaming!“

East Asia – modern Japanese garden

The classical Japanese garden, Zen-influenced garden art and cherry blossom festivals with their impressive firework displays: We associate all of these things with the Asian isle of Japan. Yet what really constitutes the modern Japanese garden? What is the nature of open space design in a modern urban culture? And does a Japanese child swing differently to a German child? Lots of questions for which the answers can be found in Far Eastern landscape architecture.

Mesopotamia, the fertile land of two rivers between Euphrates and Tigris. The Middle East and Arabian Nights: The hanging gardens of Babylon – just a fanciful myth or did it really exist? Tales of Sinbad the sailor, Aladdin and the magic lamp and Ali Baba and the forty thieves. These are all imaginative titles that tell of bright colours, veiled women, wild jasmine and lush vegetation.

Southern Europe – Mediterranean garden

The European Mediterranean stands for a transcontinental region, which comprises the mainland regions of three continents close to the coast, including South Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

The southern European Mediterranean is a term that describes a specific kind of vegetation with its olive groves, the impenetrable macchia shrub, holm oaks, pine trees and lavender meadows. But it also describes Mediterranean lifestyle and stands quite simply for pizza and pesto.

While the southern European Mediterranean area on the one hand offers numerous historical places of interest to visit as well as museums with impressive works of art, visitors can also admire modern architecture.

Central Europe – transalpine garden

The geographical description and the boundaries applied to the Mediterranean area are the River Rhine in the west and northwest, the North Sea in the north, the Baltic Sea in the east and then back via the Carpathian Mountains towards the south and the Central Alps.

“We’re going to the mountains!” – for many people a phrase used for holidays in the Alps, hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. Mountain ranges formed by the forces of nature, glaciers and the endless expanse of ice and snow, but also the lush mountain pastures and the homely sound of jingling cowbells. The cattle being driven up onto the pastures, summit cross, Alpen glow and Hansi Hinterseer are romantic terms for describing the Alpine myth. 

From the Via Mala and the Belle Epoque in Zermatt and St. Moritz to the cable cars that hold more than a hundred passengers at one time. A contrast between tradition and modernism.