For the last several years we heard about the amazing spring flowers in the 440,000 square kilometers of Namaqualand, a desert area that gets about 150 mm (6 or so inches) of rainfall a year. The blossoms last 3 to 4 weeks, usually from the 2nd week of August to mid September. The bulbs first bloom in the north and then progress southward. About 3,500 of the flower species are only found in this one place in the world. Our guesthouse hosts shared with us the essential information for the best flower viewing: the blossoms open between 10:30 am and 4:00 pm on sunny days, with temperatures needing to be at least 18C. The flowers stay closed on cooler or cloudy days. Fortunately we had great weather during our visit.

Vanrhynsdorp, a small farming town in the Western Cape Province, was our first destination. Even though there were very few flowers in the town itself, we were not disappointed with the floral colors along the roadsides just outside of the small community. 

We drove to the coastal town of Strandfontein (Afrikaans for beach fountain) and were pleasantly surprised to see areas more densely filled with flowers, even on a less-popular dirt road just off the highway.

One of the most highly recommended towns to visit during flower season is Nieuwoudtville, population of less than 3,000 and called the bulb capital of the world. We stayed there two nights and our days were filled with numerous flowers, picturesque trees, and a nearby waterfall. We found many little flower fields scattered throughout this Northern Cape Province town, such as in gardens surrounding homes and just outside of restaurants, as well as in front of the large Dutch Reformed Church built in the early 1900s. In addition, the fields along the roads heading south and east out of town were filled with color.

Several area farms charge a small fee for visitors to drive through their blooming land. We explored the very colorful 3 km flower route at Papkuilsfontein, 23km south of Nieuwoudtville. 

Continue on to part 2 of Bulbs a Bloomin’ for more about our road trip to Namaqualand.