Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Side profile of the bomb prototype.
Petwood Hotel Bouncing Bomb
RAF Harrington
RAF Harrington
The Beaux-arts interior with Pool layout still visible.
Écomusée du fier monde
Village du Livre de Fontenoy-la-Joûte
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
One of the PATH’s many entrances.
A Supposedly Boring Mall I Might Actually Visit Again
about 2 hours ago
People paddling in their wooden canoes on one of the lakes near the Allagash Waterway in the north woods in Maine
The Allagash Abductions: This State Park’s Most Famous Visitors ... Are Aliens?
1 day ago
The rocky Revere Beach coast in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston.
Which Places With Bad Raps Are Actually Worth Visiting?
2 days ago
A dugong displays the telltale “smile.”
Saving the Sea Cows of Vanuatu
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All South Africa Mossel Bay The Post Office Tree

The Post Office Tree

South Africa's postal service began with a letter left in a boot beneath this tree.

Mossel Bay, South Africa

Added By
Adam Rodman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The 600-year-old milkwood tree.   adamrodman / Atlas Obscura User
The 600-year-old milkwood tree.   adamrodman / Atlas Obscura User
The mailbox underneath the Post Office Tree.   adamrodman / Atlas Obscura User
The milkwood tree.   Schavda
The Post Office Tree plaque.   PHParsons
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This ancient milkwood tree, located in Mossel Bay, South Africa, is believed to be the country's very first mailbox.

In 1500, a Portuguese sea captain named Pêro de Ataíde lost much of his fleet in a storm off the Southern Cape. Before returning to India, he wrote a message reporting the damage and warning of rough waters to the East. Ataíde tucked the message in a boot dangling from a milkwood tree near a spring where sailors often drew water.

Miraculously, the message was retrieved by its intended recipient, Joao de Nova, the very next year. The tree became a de facto post office box, where sailors would exchange letters protected in boots, iron pots, or beneath rocks. Seamen would leave their messages behind, trusting that their countrymen would pick them up and deliver them to their correct destination, albeit very slowly.

The tree, now believed to be approximately 600 years old, still continues to send and receive mail. A large post office box shaped like a giant boot has been constructed beneath the tree, where people can send letters anywhere in the world and receive a special stamp. Presumably, delivery now takes less than a year.

Related Tags

Postal Mail Trees Plants

Know Before You Go

The tree is located in the Bartholomeu Dias Museum Complex located in Mossel Bay. Admission is free; however, for a small fee you can board a recreation of Bartholomeu Dias' caravel. The shop in the maritime museum sells both postcards and stamps for sending mail all over the world.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Wild South Africa

Marine wildlife and Kruger Safari

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

adamrodman

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson

  • Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

May 17, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.diasmuseum.co.za/index.php/attractions/post-office-tree
  • https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2015/02/13/the-post-office-tree
  • https://www.travelground.com/attractions/old-post-office-tree
  • https://pathfinda.com/en/mossel-bay/santos-bay/attractions/the-post-office-tree
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Post_Office
  • https://www.travelground.com/attractions/old-post-office-tree
The Post Office Tree
Dias Museum Complex
1 Market Street
Mossel Bay
South Africa
-34.180327, 22.142201
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Model Shipyard

Mossel Bay, South Africa

miles away

Kaaimans Grotto

Wilderness, South Africa

miles away

Map of Africa

Wilderness, South Africa

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of South Africa

South Africa

Africa

Places 75
Stories 27

Nearby Places

The Model Shipyard

Mossel Bay, South Africa

miles away

Kaaimans Grotto

Wilderness, South Africa

miles away

Map of Africa

Wilderness, South Africa

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of South Africa

South Africa

Africa

Places 75
Stories 27

Related Places

  • You must climb a ladder to place your letter in the Bridegroom’s Oak.

    Eutin, Germany

    Bridegroom's Oak

    This ancient oak tree plays matchmaker for singles willing to branch out from the usual dating scene.

  • Visalia, California

    Sequoia Legacy Tree

    Far out of its comfort zone, this sequoia was planted as a symbol of the connection between Visalia and its neighboring national park.

  • Toronto, Ontario

    First Toronto Post Office

    The first post office in Toronto still operates today, complete with quill pens and ink for writing letters.

  • Tulare County, California

    Mark Twain Stump

    The last remnant of a tree that helped prove to the world that sequoias are real—and they’re spectacular.

  • The Much Marcle Yew Tree

    Much Marcle, England

    Much Marcle Ancient Yew

    One of the oldest and most majestic living trees in Britain, thought to be over 1,500 years old.

  • Joan of Arc medallion

    Cedar Crest, New Mexico

    Sandia Medallion Trees

    Mysterious markers have been giving the public a lesson in dendrochronology for over a century.

  • Just a few of the quirky mailboxes along Wilmot’s letterbox trail.

    Wilmot, Australia

    Wilmot Novelty Letterbox Trail

    In Tasmania's "Valley of Views," dozens of novelty mailboxes add a quirky element to the landscape.

  • The mulberry tree gushing water from its trunk.

    Dinoša, Montenegro

    Dinoša Mulberry Tree

    Water gushes from the trunk of this miraculous mulberry tree about once a year.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.