Namaqualand and the Spring Flowers

Namaqualand is a vast, arid region of the Northern Cape that for most of the year looks stony and bare, but for a few weeks each spring it stages one of the world's great natural spectacles: after the winter rains, the seemingly dead ground bursts into immense carpets of wildflowers, above all orange and white daisies, that stretch to the horizon and turn whole hillsides and plains into sheets of colour. The bloom is concentrated around August and September and depends heavily on the rains, so its exact timing and intensity vary from year to year, but in a good season it is unforgettable. The Namaqua National Park and a scatter of reserves protect the finest displays, and the flowers open to face the sun, so the show is best in the warmth of late morning and early afternoon. It draws flower-chasers from across South Africa and beyond to a region otherwise known for its silence and space.

What you actually see

• The flower carpets - vast fields of orange and white daisies across the plains and hills.
• Namaqua National Park - the protected reserve with some of the best displays.
• The desert in bloom - succulents and countless other species flowering with the daisies.
• The wider Northern Cape - the silent, spacious landscapes of the region.

When to go

The bloom is a narrow window, mainly August into September, and its timing and richness swing with the winter rains, so check the season's reports before travelling. The flowers open to the sun, so aim for late morning to mid-afternoon on a bright day and drive with the sun behind you. Outside this window the region is arid and flowerless.

Honest expectations

The whole appeal is a brief, weather-dependent spectacle: come at the wrong time, or in a poor rainfall year, and you may see little, so this is a trip to plan around current bloom reports rather than a fixed date. The region is remote, with long drives and few services between towns. The flowers close on dull, cold or windy days. In a good year, timed right, it is spectacular; the gamble is real.

Nearby

The Orange River and the Richtersveld lie to the north; the West Coast National Park, also famed for flowers, is closer to Cape Town.