Nieuwoudtville to Springbok: follow the Namaqua Flower Route

FFrom the bulb extravaganza of Nieuwoudtville to the flower fields of the Namaqua National Park, from the village blooms of Loeriesfontein to the succulent delights of Goegap Nature Reserve around Springbok and the historic copper sites in the district, this is a road trip to delight the senses. 

The 270km trip between Nieuwoudtville and Springbok in Northern Cape province is best done over three nights in the spring months of August and September. First, though, you'll need to get to Niewoudtville – itself a remote little town in the southern part of the vast semi-desert province. It’s best to drive yourself from Cape Town, which is a journey of about 350km – it will take about four hours. 

You’ll want to savour this Namaqualand journey for as long as possible, because you’ll be driving through a landscape carpeted in colourful blooms as the region comes alive with the first rains of the season. 

Nieuwoudtville is more than a daisy town, however. This is where you find more than 300 species of geophytes: beautiful bulbs that have been lying dormant, which present themselves in great abundance as the spring rains fall. 

You could spend your first night on one of the many guest farms in the Nieuwoudtville district. After a day of intense flower-watching and landscape photography at the nearby Hantam National Botanical Garden – a 6 000-hectare reserve containing 3 distinct types of floral kingdom and 9 trails on which to explore the varied habitats and soil types – you can go food shopping in the little town to enjoy a braai under the stars at your lodgings. 

The next morning, drive south past the Hantam National Botanical Garden on the gravel Oorlogskloof Road towards the Pakhuis Pass. About 7 to 10km out of Nieuwoudtville you’ll come across a series of ancient glacial pavements – the rocks graded and grooved by moving ice back when South Africa was still part of the giant land mass known as Gondwana. It’s a sobering reminder of just how old these rocks are. 

After that, head back through town and north on the R357 towards Loeriesfontein for about 25km until you reach the quiver-tree forest. Famous in this area, it is one of the largest in the world. And since you’re already on the road, after marvelling at the quiver trees zip up to Loeriesfontein (it’s 30km further on) and visit the massive display of windmills (in Afrikaans, ‘windpompe’ – literally, ‘wind pumps’) at the Fred Turner Museum. 

After lunch back in Nieuwoudtville, venture west along the N7 over Vanrhyns Pass and into Vanrhynsdorp, the little Victorian-era town in the Knersvlakte (literally: ‘grinding flats’). As you pass through the area, you will see an intriguing mix of fynbos (a plant kingdom all on its own), succulents and wild flowers.  

Vanrhynsdorp’s attractions include the Latsky Radio Museum (run by owner and collector George Latsky), Traut’s Tie Museum (housing more than 2 400 ties collected by late, legendary barman Cecil Traut over 60 years) and the Kokerboom (‘quiver tree’) Nursery, a nature reserve devoted to 3 local species of this ecologically important succulent 

From Vanrhynsdorp, head north for 200km on the N7 to reach your second night’s lodgings in Kamieskroon, which bristles with exotic cameras and lenses during the flower season. Travellers come from all over the world to attend photographic workshops among the riot of spring blooms, and they leave with some of the finest natural images they have ever captured. 

The prime attraction of the Kamieskroon area is the nearby Namaqua National Park, more than 100 000 hectares of pure flora. It’s quite a dizzying experience to move through such vivid colour, laid out in vast swathes all around you. 

After a fun-filled night at the Kamieskroon Hotel and a morning visit to the park, drive less than an hour north on the N7 to the town of Springbok, in the heart of Namaqualand. First stop is lunch at the Springbok Lodge & Restaurant, where you can find out first-hand where the local flowers are blooming. Locals can give you the latest flower updates, so you know exactly where to go. 

One of these places is the Goegap Nature Reserve, less than 10km out of Springbok on the R355. Take some picnic snacks and drive slowly through the reserve, stopping for flower sightings and a pop-in at the Hester Malan Wild Flower Garden, which features an amazing selection of succulents. 

If there’s time, drive 30km north on the N7 and west on the R355 to Nababeep, to visit the mining museum celebrating the historic copper boom that once transformed this area. Or stay on the N7 instead, and 5 minutes after skipping the Nababeep/R355 turn-off you’ll find yourself in the little town of Okiep, another famous part of this area’s copper-mining history. Treat yourself to dinner, and maybe your final night’s stay, at the Okiep Country Hotel.  

And there will probably be more flower stops on your return journey...