Namaqualand's flowers

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Created on Monday, 10 September 2012 11:45

As if by magic a tapestry of brilliant colours unfold enticingly along the winding roads of the Namaqua National Park. Butterflies, birds and long-tongued flies dart around among the flowers, seemingly overwhelmed by the abundance and diversity.

Every turn in the road paints an unforgettable picture: valleys filled with Namaqualand daisies and other spring flowers that pulse with sheer energy and joy. Next to some eye-catching succulents, a porcupine and a tall aloe pay witness to a baboon overturning a rock and pouncing on a scorpion. During early August and September, seemingly overnight, the dusty valleys of Namaqualand are transformed into a wonderland, carpeted with wildflowers. With its winter rainfall, Namaqualand is home to the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the world and more than a 1 000 of its estimated 3 500 plant species are found nowhere else on earth.

Escape to the land of contrasts, where the rigorous climate has created a myriad of life forms superbly adapted to their specific habitat. Fields of flowers, star studded nights, quiver trees, enormous granite outcrops and the icy Atlantic are but a few wonders that await the visitor to what is truly the Creators’ playground.

Namaqualand’s desert flowers
The Namaqualand desert region of South Africa is world-famous for its feast of spring desert flowers. Situated in the Northern Cape province, the area's exquisite natural beauty lends itself to hiking, photography and driving tours.

Namaqualand's desert flowers are one of the most dramatic natural spectacles in the world.

This arid desert area bursts into a spectacular ocean of flowers between August and October most years. The flower display depends on whether the rains have been good that season, as the dormant seeds lie in the dry earth for months waiting for rain.

The area extends some 500 kilometres north up the Cape coast and for 100 kilometres inland, an area which, for most of the year, wears its muted semi-desert coat.

Come spring it removes the coat to reveal its dazzling colour and scent.

Approximately 4 000 species of plants have been identified in the desert flowers of Namaqualand. Mystical plants, such as the Namaqua Halfmens, dot the landscape, adding to its drama, while parks, such as the Goegap and Hester Malan Nature Reserves, protect this unique landscape which is home to more than 30 of South Africa's succulent species.

For a rugged travel experience visitors can take on the 642km Namakwa 4x4 route, which runs along the Orange River to the ocean. The Richtersveld National Park in Namaqualand's north-west corner, which is renowned for its desert flowers also offers the country's largest mountain desert, which extends into Namibia.

Namaqualand

Namaqualand! 100% big sky country. Extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the small town of Pofadder in the east, north from the great Orange River and south beyond Garies, Namaqualand is indeed a vast and varied region.

During the arid summer months it is difficult for the tourist to imagine the phenomenon of the yearly wild flower appearance.

After the winter rainfall, Namaqualand dons her coat of many colours and for a brief moment, the wildflowers invade the countryside. Countless poems, novels, paintings and prose have been dedicated to this annual shower of God's colour.

Spektakelberg was so named by Simon van der Stel when he expressed his amazement at this miracle of nature and exclaimed: "What a spectacle!"

Simon van der Stel, Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, discovered the rich copper deposits of Namaqualand during 1685 although, long before any ship docked at Table Bay the local Nama people had fine tuned the art of smelting copper and using it for domestic and decorative use.

Copper and diamond mining brought a diversity of people to the area and thus created economic stability. In Namaqualand the visitor will find indescribable treasures amongst the wide selection of remarkable fauna and flora.