Once a year, Namaqualand, transforms almost
overnight, from a dusty desert landscape into a magic
carpet of flowers.
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Namaqualand
AWOL Tours to Namaqualand are run in August
and September departing from Cape Town and travelling up the West Coast
to the Namaqualand area in search of daisies, bulbs and
succulents. The trip can be combined with cycling through fields
of daisies, sea-kayaking amongst the dolphins or specialised
photographic trips. On all tours a botanical guide will interpret the
natural wonders of this flower spectacle.
After the winter rainfall, and seemingly overnight, the dusty valleys
of Namaqualand are transformed into a wonderland of wildflowers.
Namaqualand is home to the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the
world and more than a 1 000 of its estimated 3 500 plant species are
found nowhere else on earth.
On tour you will have the opportunity to visit the old forgotten copper
mining towns of Nababeep and Okiep, quaint towns where church steeples
stand tall, such as Kamieskroon and Nieuwoudtville, as well as nature
reserves in the area that are conserving the floral diversity.
Skilpad Nature Reserve plays host to some of the world's richest
succulent flora and is home to the world's smallest tortoise, the
Namaqua Speckled Padloper. Amphibians and reptiles are well
represented, with a number of endemic species. The mammal species that
have adapted to these harsh conditions include klipspringer, aardvark,
baboon, steenbok, duiker, porcupine, black-backed jackal and leopard. A
variety of Birdlife is typical of the arid western regions of
South Africa and you may get the chance to spot the majestic Black
Harrier amongst other.
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