Namaqualand daisies grow quickly and a small seedling should be visible within two weeks. Because the flowers follow the sun, the best way to make sure that you see them is to drive backwards, or with the sun. This park is part of namaqualand, covering an area of 55,000km2 located within the semidesert succulent karoo biome. A sight to behold, this arid region is transformed from semidesert into a colourful wonderland. We started our trip to namaqualand with a visit to the west coast national park, where we stayed in the duinepos camp. But not in namaqualand,its the worlds only exception that flourishes every spring. Depending on rainfall, almost 4000 diverse species of plants burst forth and produce a floral carpet in namaqualand and surrounds that never ceases to amaze visitors from all over the world. A flower power experience of the outdoors, camping, dancing, music, a trail run, a spit braai, star gazing, and some unique outdoor. On first impression namaqualand, looks like a harsh, relentless, arid wilderness. Namaqualand is the home to the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the world and more than a 1,000 of its estimated 4,000 plant species are found nowhere else on earth. Find unique places to stay with local hosts in 191 countries. Unpredictable beauty august 3, 2015 with an incredible variety of habitats, and plants that change almost in the blink of an eye, namaqua national park is the ultimate destination for flower season. Namaqua tours, which offers tours to the pictureperfect region, is a familyoperated business with individuals who are passionate about tourism in namaqualand.
The namaqualand is an arid and dry region of northwest of south africa, this region is part of the area of south africa that is characterized by winter rains ie, as the seasons reversed, european summer, the rainy season falls between june and august. Best time to see namaqualand daisies in south africa 2020. If you are looking for namaqualand holiday accommodation, safarinow has a selection of selfcatering, guest house, bed and breakfast holiday accommodation in namaqualand and surrounds. The 2015 2016 telegraph travel awards chose cape town as the best city in the world for the fourth year running, beating vancouver and venice which took second and third place respectively in the best city category. This page is open to everyone,i do not claim any photo as mine and do not edit any watermarks. This annual creates sheets of brilliant orange when it flowers in namaqualand in early spring, drawing visitors from near and far. Spring also brings with it the beautiful namaqualand daisies. With just 150 mm of rain per year this large arid area turns into a lush flowering field. Find the perfect namaqua daisies, namaqualand stock photo. Spring flowers 2015 skilpad nature reserve namaqualand kamieskroon.
The namaqua national park covers an area more than 700km2. But desert and semidesert areas do have their own appeal. Namaqualand khoi nama kwa land meaning nama khoi peoples land is an arid region of namibia and south africa, extending along the west coast over 1,000 kilometres 600 mi and covering a total area of 440,000 square kilometres 170,000 sq mi. Self drive the cape flower route, west coast and namaqualand.
Namaqualand flower tour chris dalzell international. We saw namaqualand with toere namakwanamakwa tours and they were fantastic. A desolate and dry landscape gets covered in a carpet of flowers becoming a kaleidoscope of colour. Published on dec 21, 2015 its that time of the year again that the west coast of south africa proudly displays its spring flowers. My world and i collect photos from all over facebook and internet.
The 2016 northern cape flower season experience the northern. With 175 listings in namaqualand, our handy namaqualand map search and great low prices, its easy to book the perfect holiday accommodation for your namaqualand visit. Mike and marne, the tour owners, are very knowledgeable about the flowers and where to find them as. The spring wild flowers are a phenomenon that never ceases to amaze and delight, even for those who live in what is considered south africas outback namaqualand. Daisies that close at night have camouflaged petals to protect them from herbivores. We invite people to post pics and reports of areas where wild flowers are blooming. One for which people are more than willing to enter the hinterland of south africas northern cape, to. Namaqualand daisies in the northern cape, south africa. The flower season peaks between early august and late august and it is dependent on the winter rains. Namaqua national park, with the areas famous orange daisies most. Dimorphotheca sinuata, the glandular cape marigold, namaqualand daisy, or orange.
See more ideas about south africa, africa and western coast. This allowed us the opportunity to see the wild flowers at postberg along with many visitors from cape town, as it was a saturday and also to look out for local birds. Jun 30, 2012 namaqualand is dry for most of the year, an arid almost desert landscape which extends along south africas western coast for 600 miles. Discover namaqualand road trip, namaqualand road trip. Even the locals never tire of witnessing this miraculous phenomina. Expect congestion along daisyroute on west coast and in.
More photos of the incredible wild flowers of namaqualand. The daisies and spring flowers in namaqualand continue to delightproviding a visual treat for all who visit as over 3,000 different plant species blossom and bloom, covering the usually arid area in a carpet of bright and beautiful colours. The namaqualand spring flower tours are organised and run by annelee steyn of happy holiday flower tours. The magic tapestry of namaqualand africa geographic. Passengers can now enjoy the namaqualand flowers in season by traveling in a luxury bus and staying in upmarket hotels and lodges. The wild flowers of the cape west coast and namaqualand, in south africa, are regarded as a. The area, inhabited by the nama before the german occupation of the region in the 19th century, is divided by. See more ideas about wild flowers, south africa and africa.
Namaqualand, namakwaland, flower tours, west coast, hiking. Jan 19, 2017 beautiful daisies and wild flowers of western cape south africa. As the rains soak into the thirsty earth, millions upon millions of flowers emerge in a phenomenal explosion of colour which transforms the. Expect congestion along daisyroute on west coast and in namaqualand. Our selfdrive route for those of you looking to see the flowers for next year. If you want to tour namaqualand, you should join one of these tours, and look carefully, and beware of tours that only cover the flower region of the west coast, or only the real namaqualand which lies further north. This is known throughout south africa as the namaqualand daisy season, when orange and white daisies, as well as hundreds of other flowering species, spring up from a previously barren landscape.
The namaqualand region of the northern cape is imbued with the story of the namaqualand daisies. To view the flowers at their best, choose the hottest. For a short period this normally arid area becomes covered with a kaleidoscope of colour during the flowering season. Namaqualand region, southwestern africa britannica. This area of south africa receives little rain throughout the year but after the winter rains from may to julyaugust, the normally dry landscape becomes a carpet of wild flowers with vibrant bands of gousblomme and vygies, as well as nemesias, lachenalias, babiana and ixias. Weve started thinking about next years trip, and talking to some sa wine producers set us off thinking about. The working dogs of namaqualand the cape leopard trust. Farmhouse with namakwaland daisies growing wild on the farm. Water, the driving force of all nature, soaks in to the parched earth. The namaqualand region of the northern cape is known to nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts for spectacular displays of flowers in the spring season, when the famous and eyecatching namaqua daisies are in full bloom. We know exactly where to take tourists to make their visit to namaqualand unforgettable. Choose between the methodist church in leliefontein the second oldest church in namaqualand, or the first dutch reformed church which was first used for periodic. No matter the weather or the season namaqua never disappoints.
Namaqualand is a semidesert environment, however in the spring july to september depending on the rains, a miracle occurs. Namaqua roadtrip, 14 16 august 2015 photographers michelle slater and stanwell slater of african roots photography captured the following. The distant hills and the manycoloured rocks are an awesome sight even though their colour ranges are a palette of browns and greys. The namaqualand is the only arid biodiversity hotspot in the world with the richest succulent flora on earth. We did not stay in hotels or formal accommodation but opted to camp. The flower season is dependent on the winter rains, the wind and other weather factors, and the displays vary from place to place each season. If you did not visit the namaqualand klipkoppe during flower time, you did not visit namaqualand. Selfdriven or guided tours, daytrips or overnight stays, here are some tips to make the most out of the abundant wild flowers. What is probably less known is that the area is one of the driest in south afric. The unsurpassed botanizing was accompanied back at camp by some ofthe finest hospitality namaqualand has to offer.
The area stretching north and west from cape town is an austere landscape with its own, rather minimalist, aesthetic and its not much appreciated outside of flower season. Namaqualand, geographic region, southwestern africa, extending from near windhoek, namib. The namaqua region will entice you with spellbinding floral displays erupting from the dry lands of the desert. The namaqualand is the quintessential celebration of spring.
We would never have seen what we saw on our own and perhaps not with other tour companies. At a distant look one might presume these are the same orange daisies all over, but when you take a close up look, youll discover an endless variety of flowers. The further north, the earlier the flowers as a general. Accommodation in namaqualand accommodation namaqualand.
From dumps to daisies 14 november 2007 participants of the restoration course receive training on restoration packs that are used to reintroduce perennial plant species on newly restored areas. Yet when the rains are good, something like a miracle happens. It is divided by the lower course of the orange river into two portions little namaqualand to the south and great namaqualand to the north. Find out how the weather effects the flowers and types of flowers that can be seen in a season in namaqualand.
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