Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Spring into the Flower Season



The explosion of spring flowers has fast become one of South Africa’s most popular natural events, drawing visitors from across the country and the world to marvel at the carpets of colour that bloom in the Western and Northern Cape each year.

You’ll see magnificent spring flowers as far south as the Western Cape wine lands town of Darling, but if you have a little more time on your hands the Northern Cape is the place to visit. Heading north on the N7 freeway, you’ll pass the turnoff to Clanwilliam, but keep driving past the vineyards and rooibos tea plantations until you reach Vanrhynsdorp; the ‘gateway to Namaqualand’.

It’s here that you’ll need to choose between left and right; the high road or the low road. Left takes you north along the N7 to the famous Namaqualand, while right will lead you over the winding Vanrhyn’s Pass to the Bokkeveld Plateau and Nieuwoudtville.

If you stick to the N7 – the main drag north which runs right up to Namibia – you’re on your way to perhaps the most famous flower gardens on earth; Namaqualand. Dry and barren in summer, winter rains transform the dusty landscape almost overnight as the famous Namaqualand daisies, gazanias and succulent vygies turn the desert into a riot of colour.

For the full article on the Flower Season.

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