Leliefontein, Namaqualand
Namaqualand is the least populated part of the country, due to the bleak, desert-like climate and the mountainous landscape. Leliefontein is one of the little towns in this harsh region, a pretty historic village that lies between Kamieskroon and Garies, just east of the N7.
Despite its apparent harshness the landscape is beautiful. Visitors from across the world head to Leliefontein, on the 'insider's route', to see the seasonal flowers. Annually across the hills that surround the village is a carpet of flowers.
Leliefontein means 'lily spring' after the natural spring that is the reason for the town's origin. At first glance Leliefontein is little more than a smattering of simple, square houses, most of them facing east to ward off the westerly winds that sweep through here.
The town started out as the kraal of a Nama chief, called Wildschut (wild shot), after which it became a mission village, and was known as a 'coloured reserve' during the apartheid years.
In town local tourism centres around the camping and caravan site, Leliefontein Lodge (named such for the few en-suite rooms), run by Vera Engelbrecht and a team of local ladies . Their matjieshuis (reed houses) accommodation is the most popular. The Richtersveld is one of the only places where you will find these reed houses, the traditional Nama home.
Vera and her team will cook you a traditional meal, served in the open-air boma, and if you are interested, she will arrange for demonstration of the Nama riel, or Nama Stap Dance, performed at birthdays, funerals, weddings and as a tourist event.
The local church, its presbytery and the gardens are particularly historical and worth a visit. Both the church and the parsonage are national monuments. In the pastor's yard stands a sundial
The shipwreck and daisies route begins in Leliefontein and ends in Kleinzee, a trip through a part of the Namaqualand least travelled. The little towns, the bright flowers and the back roads reveal the secrets of the Namaqualand.
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options
Springbok Lodge & Restaurant
Springbok is an ideal stop-over as it offers easy driving to Upington, Cape Town, the West Coast, the Richtersveld and Namibia. The Springbok Lod...
Kleinzee Beach Cottage
Situated in the town of Kleinzee in the Northern Cape, the unit sleeps two adults or a family of four. It has a main bedroom furnished with a do...
Kleinplasie Guesthouse
With 22 luxurious and beautifully furnished chalets / rooms, and luscious gardens, swarming with suikerbekkies, jan frederike, finches, doves and...
Springbok Inn
Springbok Inn is a newly built hotel that has a swimming pool, restaurant and bar available to guests. We offer bed and breakfast accommodation i...
Yield House
Situated on the beachfront, Yield House offers guests lovely self-catering accommodation in Port Nolloth in three sections which can be booked se...
Peaceful Place
Peaceful Place has three separate self-catering units. If required, all three units can be rented simultaneously. Every self-catering unit is wel...
Daisy Country Lodge
Daisy Country Lodge offers quality accommodation just 4km outside of the town of Springbok. From this location you can enjoy gorgeous views over ...
Orange River Rafting Lodge
Orange River Rafting Lodge is situated on the banks of the Orange River and has a peaceful atmosphere, with perceptible silent, starry nights. Th...
Galjoen Self Catering
Galjoen Holiday Home in McDougalls Bay offering accommodation near Port Nolloth, just 2 kilometers outside the main town. This laid back town is ...
Noteworthy attractions
Richtersveld National Park
The Richtersveld is a unique mountain desert wilderness of great beauty, tucked in the far north-western corner of the Northern Cape in South Afr...
Goegap Nature Reserve
The Goegap Nature Reserve with its granite peaks and sandy plains are dominated by Carolusberg, the highest point in the area. Goegap's wild flow...
Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape
Inscribed in 2007 as the eighth World Heritage Site in South Africa, the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape is a remarkable mountainou...
Namaqua National Park
Say Namaqua National Park and people immediately think carpets of spring wild flowers. And they would not be wrong - Namaqualand not only has som...
Namaqualand Flower Route
The spring wild flowers are a phenomenon that never ceases to amaze and delight, even for those who live in what is considered South Africa's "ou...
Skilpad Wildflower Reserve
The Skilpad Wildflower Reserve was established by the WWF in 1988 to raise awareness of the floral kingdom of the Namaqualand. Mainly shrubland a...
Akkedis Pass
The Richtersveld is usually described by the adjectives 'rugged', 'desolate' and 'forbidding'. It's a dry, unforgiving landscape that is at once ...
Messelpad Pass
Messelpad Pass lies on the 104 km gravel road between Springbok and Hondeklip Bay in the Northern Cape, one of two passes through the Tigerkloof....
Wildeperdehoek Pass
Almost inextricably linked to Messelpad Pass (the two are part of the 'Copper Route' between Springbok and Hondeklip Bay) Wildeperdehoek Pass is ...
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