spring wild flowers

 

TIPS FOR VIEWING THE FLOWERS

As the flowers also face the sun, a good general principle is to travel north relatively quickly and then do most of your flower-viewing in a southerly direction so that the flowers are always facing you.

 

• The flowers are at their best between 11:00am and 16:00pm in the afternoon so there is no need to rush out straight after breakfast, (unless you have some travelling to do before you get to the flower region).

 

• The flowers will not come out in heavily overcast or rainy weather so you should plan to visit other sights on such days. Keep this fact in mind when planning your trip.

 

• The displays are noticeably better if you travel with the sun behind you so that the flowers are facing you. So when planning your daily route, try to travel in a westerly direction in the morning, southerly during the day and turn east in the afternoon.

 

• Get out of your car and walk amongst the flowers - you will appreciate them so much more!

WHEN TO VISIT US

The flower season peaks between early August and late September and its delights depend on the winter rains. Some years are better than others. If there has been a steady flow of cold fronts during the winter, then it is likely to be a good flower season. However spring temperatures are also important. If it heats up too quickly then the early visitors have glorious sunshine but the flowers do not last very long.

 

The Catch 22 is that lots of rain means good flower displays. But if it continues to rain during the spring, then it's not so much fun to view the flowers!

 

As a general rule the wild flowers begin first in the north in Namqualand in late July/early August and then advance southwards through Nieuwoudtviller and the Cedarberg towards the West Coast as September begins. Thus if you are planning a trip for early to mid September, you will be too late for Namaqualand but fine for the West Coast around Darling and Langebaan. Similarly if you are coming in mid August then the best displays will be further north - generally speaking...

HOW TO ENJOY THE SPRING WILD FLOWERS

Fundamentally there are four main options:

 

1) Plan a visit using a rental car and a reputable tour operator who will be able to advise you where and when to go and where to stay. This gives you the flexibility as you are free to explore some back roads and get out of the car to walk in the flowers as much as you want.

 

2) Take an escorted specialist flower tour such as our five day Wild Flower Tour with a small group of like-minded enthusiasts. The benefits are that your guide is both knowledgeable about the flowers and also knows which routes are likely to prove most rewarding in terms of flower-viewing.

 

3) If you don't have so much time, you can also do a day tour from Cape Town. This works well later in the spring when the wild flowers of the southern West Coast are in bloom i.e. within easy driving distance of Cape Town. However it is too far to get north to Namaqualand in one day.

 

4) If you have just a couple of nights, you can drive (or we can arrange a transfer from Cape Town) to one of the lodges in the heart of the Cedarberg which usually have excellent flower displays. Good examples would be Bushmanskloof Wilderness Reserve, which also has excellent examples of San rock art and lots of indigenous game, Karukareb Lodge or the well priced Oudrif Lodge.

The Sandveld and the West Coast

From the Cedarberg you can head west to the ocean through an area known as the Sandveld.Then you can continue south along the West Coast via the picturesque fishing villages such as Paternoster to the holiday town of Langebaan and the West Coast National Park. Along this coastal strip, you find the strandveld of salvias and showy daisies.

 

Within the West Coast National Park lies the Postberg Nature Reserve, which boasts the greatest variety of birds, game and Sandveld flowers in the Western Cape. This special section of the park is only open during August to October. We recommend visiting during the Darling Flower show held in mid September. The Duckitt Orchid Show runs concurrently with the flower show on a local orchid farm. You can also visit the Tienie Versveld Reserve near Darling which hosts babianas, lachenalias, chincherinchees and sundews.

The Cedarberg

From Nieuwoudtville you travel down the dramatic, if slightly challenging Botterkloof pass and into the Cedarberg. At the foothills of the Cedarberg lies the picturesque town of Clanwilliam and a number of rewarding flower routes such as the splendid Biedouw valley - which can be the highlight of any flower tour in a good year - the Boskloof valley or Nardouwsberg.

 

A visit to the Ramskop Wild Flower Garden is an absolute must! Ramskop probably has one of the best displays of wild flowers in the country and looks especially fine during the flower season and beyond. There's a new medical plant section in the garden.

 

If you pick your dates right, you can also visit the Clanwilliam Flower Show held at the end of August. Every year about 400 species from 32 families are exhibited in their typical setting at the fascinating Clanwilliam Wild Flower show with their botanical names, as well as their very descriptive tongue-twisting local names.

 

Higher up in the Cedarberg, the protea flowers and other fynbos species are seen later on in the spring with their spectacular large bulbous flowers.

Niewoudtville

Try to include Niewoudtville on any flower tour as many flowers, bulbs and orchid species that are not found anywhere else in South Africa can be seen here. The other charming aspect of Nieuwoudtville is the number of local farms which open their gates to visitors (usually for a small fee) and allow you to drive all over the farms viewing the flowers – perfect for picnics. Some even also have little curio shops and impromptu coffee shops during the flower season. A very charming way to spend a day…

Namaqualand

We suggest that you head north to Springbok at a fairly fast pace and then meander southwards at a more leisurely place so that the spring flowers are always facing you. There are various side roads which are often rewarding for flowers. Visit the Goegap Nature Reserve and Skilpad Wildflower Reserve at Kamieskroon.

The Telephone Book !!!

The telephone book explains it all. It contains the telephone numbers for (just to give you an idea of the extent of the Northern Cape Province) Alexander Bay, Springbok, Nieuwoudtville, Upington, Kathu, Kimberley the Government Section AND the yellow pages for the Northern Cape Province.

 

This book covers 30% of South Africa, but only 5% of the South African population live in this province.

 

Nieuwoudtville is just 10 kilometers from the Western Cape boundary and should actually be treated as an extension of the Western Cape. We have a Mediterranean climate - wet winters and dry summers - and are part of the Cape Floral Kingdom.
Hendrik Van Zijl - Your Host
While living and working as an attorney in Cape Town he developed the biggest indigenous bulb nursery in South Africa with up to 600 items on his catalogue.

 

At his invitation Barbara Jeppe the botanical artist came to stay with the Van Zijl family in Constantia. Over a period of three years she spent a year with the family illustrating and writing the first book (Spring and Winter Flowering Bulbs of the Cape) ever to be published just on the bulbs of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Of the 420 bulbs (illlustrated on 62 plates) 85% came from Hendrik's nursery.

 

In the acknowledgements to this book Barbara Jeppe wrote the followings "this book was the concept of Hendrik and Rhoda Van Zijl. I stayed with them during the two winter seasons and one summer period while writing and painting for this book. It was a long association of co-operation and friendship during which time I became part of the family. Their three daughters Liezl, Adele and Tanya were good companions.".

 

In 1991 he bought his first house at Nieuwoudtville and thereafter all the guesthouses listed on this web site. But it was his interest in indigenous flora and particularly bulbs which brought him to Nieuwoudtville.

 

During 1997 Hendrik translocated to Nieuwoudtville bringing his Clivia collection and his large collection of historical and botanical reference books with him.

 

The Smidswinkel Restaurant is run as a full on Information Centre with maps, books and Hendrik in attendance to answer what questions you may have about the Flora at Nieuwoudtville and the history of this fascinating area.

The Roads to Everywhere

When visiting Nieuwoudtville abandon the tar roads and drive to everywhere and not anywhere. You are not going to see nothing but everything.

 

Drive out on the gravel roads, follow your nose, stop somewhere, sit on the bonnet of your car, have a cup of coffee (and why not a glass of wine) and enjoy the vistas around Nieuwoudtville.

 

This applies to all days of the year. You do not need a GPS to do this and it is much better if you don't. The only rider to these suggestions is that you must have the right frame of mind and take your time.