Giant Baobabs
Glencoe Baobab
Some 1 853 years old and lying on its back, this tree continues to sprout shoots from its branches. There’s a beautiful 500-year-old baobab nearby that most visitors assume to be the tree.
Leydsdorp Baobab
Halfway between Tzaneen and Hoedspruit, the Leydsdorp Baobab is named after a former gold-rush town. Swanie Swanepoel will give you a tour and sell you a cold drink if you’re thirsty. Entrance is R10. King-of-Garatjeke
This was the trickiest baobab to find. We followed Google Maps to Garatseke Primary School (the spelling was wrong but we took a chance) on a bumpy dirt road and found this massive tree in the centre of the village. Sunland Baobab
South Africa’s famous baobab pub is unfortunately out of commission after collapsing in 2017, but still open to the public. The tree was 46 metres in circumference and had a wine cellar and draught beer on tap. The record for the number of people in the bar was 56. Sagole Baobab
Managed by the local community, the world’s biggest baobab lies near the Venda town of Zwigodini. Entrance is R30 and it’s open from 8am to 4pm daily. If you’d like to stay to see the mottled spinetails return to the tree it costs R300. Swartwater Baobab
The last of the Champion Trees we visited, this beautiful specimen is on a cattle farm just outside the small town of Swartwater. The roads in this region are terrible so drive carefully. The tree stands 500 metres off a side road behind a cattle gate.