Sunland Baobab is a well-known enormous baobab in South Africa. The tree is located on Sunland Farm, near Modjadjiskloof, Limpopo Province. In one study the tree was carbon-dated and found to be an estimated 1,060 years old, plus or minus 75 years. Results of other studies have however suggested much higher ages. The tree bloomed profusely in spring and provided a refuge to two pairs of owls, and other bird species. Most of the tree died in 2016 and 2017.
Structure
It is 22 metres high and 47 metres in circumference. The trunk diameter was 10.64 metres, and the crown diameter is 30.2 metres. The trunk consists of two connected sections, each with its own enormous hollow, and these are connected by a narrow passage. One third of the Boabab tree collapsed in August 2016. This was ascribed to age and the natural hollowing of the trunk with time. The property owners intend to leave the fallen trunk section as it fell, allowing natural processes to reshape and assimilate the feature.
History
When the internal hollows were cleared of compost in 1993, evidence of Bushmen and Voortrekkervisitors was found. Carbon investigations inside the hollows testified to fires in 1650 AD, 1750–1780, 1900, 1955 and 1990.
Tourist attraction
The Sunland Big Baobab became a popular tourist attraction after 1993 when the owners of Sunland farm established a bar and wine cellar in its hollow trunk. The hollow centre of the tree was cleared of a substantial compost layer to uncover the floor at about a meter below the present ground level. A door was placed in a squared off natural vent in the trunk, and a railway sleeper pub was constructed inside, complete with draft beer, seats and a music system. 60 people once attended a party inside this tree bar. A wine cellar was installed in the second hollow, which remains at a constant 22 °C temperature thanks to the tree's natural vents. The bar was destroyed in 2017 when the tree split, the second major break in 2 years. According to a study published in 2018, not only the Sunland Baobab, but "the majority of the oldest and largest African baobabs over the past 12 years".
