Set against the majestic backdrop of high cliffs adorned by the Witpoortjie Waterfall, the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden covers approximately 300 ha with landscaped and natural vegetation. The Garden occupies a natural hillside in the very heart of one of the most densely populated areas of the country, in the town of Roodepoort, close to Johannesburg, Soweto and Krugersdorp.Subtropical summer temperatures sometimes reach33oC but the 1 490 - 1 720 m high altitude results in cool nights and frost in winter.

The annual rainfall averages 750 mm, mainly in the summer months, with no rain for 6 - 7 months.

Established in 1982 on landgranted by Roodepoort Municipality, the Garden is funded by the Roodepoort and Krugersdorp Municipalities and by the South African Nature Fountation. The Garden receives additional support from the Bankenveld Branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa. Today, the Garden covers 225 ha of pure beauty.

The waterfall, which forms the central piece of the Garden, is 70 metres high and is on the Crocodile River, the main source of water for the Garden.