Babylonstoren

The shape of the hill reminded 17th-century farmers of the Tower of Babel. And the Drakenstein Valley itself was a true linguistic melting pot at the time — Dutch, German, French, Malay, and Indigenous languages could all be heard here.

Today, Babylonstoren has preserved its historic buildings and transformed the old farm into an entire world centred around the garden, vineyards, farming, food, and hospitality.

Interestingly, the famous garden came much later: the current owners bought the farm only in 2007 and invited French-Italian architect Patrice Taravella to create the garden. Babylonstoren opened to visitors in 2010.