Flower Season in the Northern Cape

Hubby and I recently took a trip to the Northern Cape and luckily it was still within flower season. Flower season in the Northern Cape typically spells an explosion of colour in endless open spaces against the beautiful backdrop of mountains from August to September every year.

Taking the road less travelled

I’ve expressed my love and devotion for taking the road less travelled before and this time is no different. So while everyone was heading to the West Coast, we were on our way to Namaqualand in the Northern Cape. Even though our visit had absolutely nothing to do with flower season, I was obviously hoping to see something blooming marvelous. It took quite a while for the flower season in the Northern Cape to live up to its name as the little colourful things only made their appearance on our way back to Cape Town!

The beauty of flower season in the Northern Cape

Our initial visit was to Leliefontein for a family get-together. We had to make some inquiries with locals and take a different route back home via Nourivier but what a sight it was when we finally saw the Namaqualand flowers! They were mostly on farms so we were quite limited in terms of access. But the that’s the beauty of taking the road less travelled, you can stop along the way and take your own sweet time snapping away and savouring the moment. And that’s exactly what we did!

Tips for Namaqualand flower season

We took the Kamieskroon turn-off and travelled on a 30km gravel road for our visit. If you’re not familiar with the area, it would be advisable to contact the tourism office to assist with a Namaqualand flowers map. We came across quite a few tourists on the back dirt roads who had no idea where they were going, fortunately hubby is originally from the Northern Cape and could offer them some assistance.

If you’re headed to the Northern Cape solely for flower season, I would suggest you keep an eye on the SAN Parks Facebook page as well as the weather. Sunny days are the best days to go as the flowers will be beautifully open. The blooms are all about timing and knowing exactly where to get the best views of them.

West Coast flower season

If you’re not up to the 6 hour drive to Namaqualand, why not visit one of the Cape region’s national parks! West Coast National Park is a burst of colour this time of the year and to top things off, the 2018 South African National Parks free week has been set for the 10-14 September. This means free access for South African citizens to a selection of national parks, so round up the family and get out there!