Springbok - South Africa is world-renowned for its beautiful and plentiful flowers. And what better way to experience this, than driving through Namaqualand in the Northern Cape.
From August to October, Namaqualand hosts one of nature’s most spectacular flower shows.
Enjoy driving through this 100 percent big sky country - that extends 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 the small agricultural town of Garies.
As part of Avis’s South Africa’s Best Roads To Drive campaign, driving 500 kilometres from Cape Town to Flower Central, aka Kamieskroon, to the very heart of Namaqualand will be a breeze.
You will be treated to bursts of colour that come after the winter rains. The veld turns into a lush carpet of flowers that makes for unforgettable photographs, and features the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the world.
Namaqualand is indeed a vast and varied region. During the arid summer months, it is mind-blowing 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 colour.
Leave behind Cape Town’s majestic Table Mountain and point your vehicle north along the N7. With the glittering Atlantic on your left, and the rich soil of the Swartland on your right, you could stop off for some country fare at the quaint village of Riebeek Kasteel, visit Evita Bezuidenhout in Darling, or marvel at the red rocks of the Cederberg.
A photo posted by Martijn Catz (@martijncatz) on Nov 15, 2016 at 12:17pm PST
Kamieskroon, established in 1926, is in the heart of Namaqualand. From here, you can travel to the Namakwa National Park which becomes a riot of colour in the flower season.
Adapted from a press release for IOL