Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden: 1 hour from Cape Town
The Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden is a perfect way to spend an afternoon around Stellenbosch, just 1 hour outside Cape Town. A self-guided tour will take you on a lovely 2km walk through the gardens and around the magnificent sculptures. The gardens are manicured with flowing bushes and delicate fynbos around ponds, with the backdrop of the Stellenbosch mountains.
Dylan Lewis is a South African sculptor artist, most known for his big cat sculptures. His more recent works focus on the human form and exploring human’s inner-wilderness. Read more about Dyland Lewis here (where there is also a short video about how he works).
A self-portrait of Lewis
Day-trip tip: I suggest you visit the sculpture garden after having breakfast in Cape Town, then visit a winery and then end the day by having dinner at Post and Pepper.
The Basics
- Open Tuesday to Saturday 8:30 to 17:00, with the last entry at 15:30
- R220 per person
- Online booking required
- No picnics but there is a cafe on site
- About 1 hour drive from Cape Town
Walking Around the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden
You must make an advanced booking online in order to visit the gardens. This is easily done via the website and you can even book the same day. The website may take 5 minutes to process your reservation, so don’t worry if you don’t get an immediate booking confirmation.
Be sure to walk into the studio space when you get your tickets. You’ll see some of the processes of how Lewis works. As we entered, I loved the extra touch of care such as parasols and sunscreen available for use.
You’ll be given a map to use for your self-guided tour. Included in the map are short explanations about each of the sculptures you’ll come across.
Although the fynbos flowers are planted to give year-round pops of color, the best time to visit is when they peak July through September. We visited in January and it was still so lovely.
My favorite part of the self-guided tour was the big cat section.
Lewis’s work ranges from miniature to humongous! We spent about an hour and forty-five minutes on the self-guided tour.
Some of Lewis’s work features intentionally disintegrated pieces, especially in his larger works, like the remnants of this big cat.
I really liked this huge rhino!
You can go off the tour path to explore more sculptures around the garden. In total, you can walk for 4km!
Besides the big cats, I also loved the bird section.
Some things to note:
Although there are no picnics allowed on the grounds, there is a cafe where you can order some drinks and cake after your walk.
Additionally, there are private guided tours that can be arranged in advance. Get in contact with reservations@dylanart.co.za for more details on that.
Read more about the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden on the website here.