Big on hospitality, short on traffic jams, rich with tales of diamond smugglers, shipwrecks and vast sunbleached landscapes which erupt into colour each spring – these are the ingredients of the Namaqualand and Bushmanland regions of the Northern Cape.

Many visitors seeking the flowers in Spring find they’re entranced too by the long open roads, clean air and crystalline night skies and by the excitement and adventure of mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, diving, rock climbing and safaris in one of Africa’s premier wildlife reserves. 

UPINGTON

Gateway to the Cape Namibia route and totally dependent on the life-giving waters of the Orange River, Upington is the stepping stone to exploring the exciting possibilities of Namaqualand and Bushmanland. Overlooking the lush island vineyards in the river the town is the crossroads to the exciting Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the north, southern Namibia to the west and the flowers and the magnificent landscapes of Namaqualand to the south.

ORANGE RIVER WINE CELLARS

The contrast of vivid green vineyards set against the red sand and desert landscape surrounding the Orange River creates a special atmosphere for enjoying one of the most unusual and interesting wine regions in South Africa. Enjoy some of the best chilled hanepoot table grapes as a snack and relax with a glass of local red wine as you watch the sun dip over the horizon turning the blue waters of the Orange River a vivid shade of purple and red.

AUGRABIES FALLS

Flowing from the distant Maluti mountains in Lesotho the meandering Orange River, South Africa’s largest river plunges thunderously into a giant rift in the earths surface creating the world’s sixth largest waterfall. The immense roaring of the water and the spray and mist hide a likely fortune in diamonds which lie trapped at the bottom of the falls, washed downstream by the river and inaccessible due to the savage power of the water.

KGALAGADI TRANSFRONTIER PARK

Sharing a vast area with Botswana this spectacular Park showcases an amazing diversity of wildlife. Take a drive along the Nossob River and encounter a pride of Kalahari lions and perhaps an enormous black-maned male. Spend hours observing the astonishing diversity of birds and animals at home in this enormous wilderness and above all take the time to unwind and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of this very special place.

RICHTERSVELD NATIONAL PARK

The stark beauty of these remote and rugged mountains which sweep down in jumbled confusion to the cool waters of the Orange River possess a surreal beauty of forbidding lava mountains studded with semi precious stones and unique succulent plants, sandy plains and the sentinel halfmensboom (halfperson tree) that stands patient guard over this rugged landscape. Take a walk through these mountains and marvel at the miracle of nature where all life, in its rich diversity and abundance, is dependent on cool morning mists which roll in from the Atlantic Ocean.

SPRINGBOK

Springbok is the principle town of Namaqualand. Springboks colourful history is closely linked to that of the copper industry and is the site of the first commercial mining operations in the country. The colourful culture of the Nama people is also widely on display in Springbok.

NAMAQUALAND FLOWERS

The riotous beauty of the flower season in Namaqualand is enhanced by the spectacular landscape of jumbled granite domes and rugged hills and mountains that surround the picturesque towns of Kamieskroon and Springbok, named after South Africa’s national animal. With the advent of the spring rains the austere, yet beautiful landscape of the region erupts into a wild kaleidoscope of flowering plants creating the illusion of mountains floating in a sea of colour.