Tunduru Gardens

About this place

Tunduru Gardens is a green park in the heart of Maputo, described as the city's green lung. It lies about 250 metres in a straight line from Maputo Cathedral, with the Iron House next door. The garden dates from the late 19th century, when the government gave a horticultural society 13 hectares at the edge of the town, and work began around 1885. It was redesigned in 1907 to its present layout. Before independence it was called the Vasco da Gama Municipal Garden. After falling into decline it was rehabilitated and reopened to the public on 21 December 2015. You enter through an ornate white gateway with Gothic arches into paths shaded by huge trees, palms, casuarinas and eucalyptus. Inside are a pergola covered in climbing plants, a green iron Wallace drinking fountain held up by female figures, and benches among the lawns. The garden is a quiet place to rest while walking around the city centre, and is best in the morning before the heat. Keep it tidy, and watch your valuables as you would anywhere busy in the city.