With the first rains of spring, the dry, dusty plains of South Africa’s “outback” are magically transformed into a carpet of colour as the Namaqualand wild flowers burst to life.

Almost overnight, the normally drab semi-desert of the Northern Cape is suddenly covered in millions of cheerful flowers, which last from early August to late September. And contrary to popular belief – it isn’t just a bunch of daisies! 

Superlatives don’t do justice to this spectacle. You will find yourself constantly changing your focus from gazing out across a few acres of multicoloured daisies, which almost seem to have been cultivated, or focusing close to your feet and revelling in the myriad of different flowers co-existing in the space of a few metres.

No exaggeration, you will find acres of daisies, or brightly coloured bulbs. Tiny little pockets of delicate flowering plants create a private garden every few metres down the road and everywhere, flowers flourish for their brief but sublime moment in the sun.

Obviously, the exact timing of the flowering and the very best viewing positions change from year to year and even within the season, so it is best to get the latest up-to-date flower reports before heading off. Truly, the blooming of the desert is almost biblical in its proportions.

Travel to South Africa