Namakwa Flower Tour Aug-Sept only is a 4 day / 3 night package tour by Jamela Africa Safaris

Day 1: Cape Town to Vanrhynsdorp
We depart from Cape Town at 8:00; at 08:45 from Road Lodge Airport; and at 9:30 from Cape Town International Airport (for flight arrivals before 09:00). We travel via Bloubergstrand, one of our country’s most sought after beach resorts, with a spectacular view over Table Mountain and Robben Island. We pass Melkbosstrand, Atlantis and Mamre on route to Darling, where we stop at Evita se Perron in order to observe auntie Evita portraying the political history of our country. Hence we travel back to the sea where we observe the Club Mykonos resort with its great atmosphere, at Langebaan. We will also see Saldanha harbour – the biggest, deepest and safest harbour in SA! Next we pass through the West Coast triplet towns of Velddrif, Port Owen and Laaiplek, which forms the bokkom capital of SA at the mouth of the Berg River. Port Owen with its water streets, reminds the visitor of Venice. We pass through Dwarskerbos which made history when a mini tsunami struck the town in 1969. Rocherspan, and Verlorenvlei are two bird watchers paradises and swamps we pass before reaching Elands Bay where crayfish boats are dropped with lifts from the wharfs to the bay. We can spot whales here at this time of the year if we are lucky. From here we travel through Sandveld past Leipoldtville and Graafwater via Clanwilliam to Vanrhynsdorp, where we overnight each night of the tour at Namaqualand Country Lodge, and where buffet mouth-watering meals are served with every breakfast and supper.

Overnight: Namaqualand Country Lodge

Day 2: Vanrhynsdorp
Today is a long day and is one of the highlights of the tour! We travel early through the Knersvlakte where it looks initially as if nothing grows there, until once we stop to observe the huge variety of miniature succulents growing amongst the white quartz stones – some succulents even resemble the stones! We also travel through the Hardeveld via small towns such as Nuwerus and Bitterfontein, where the biggest diamond theft in the SA history occurred. From Garies, we travel through the Namaqualand klipkoppe which stretch till the north of Springbok. En route we shall also observe the interesting phenomenon of how a farmer used his gun-barrels as support poles after the Anglo Boer War! We visist old copper mining towns around Springbok – Nababeep, Concordia and Okiep, which was the richest coppermine in the world at one stage, and we shall also see how the mine company used a ship engine to generate power for the town. This route of today promises to have some of the best flower scenes of the tour. If you did not visit the Namaqualand Klipkoppe during flower time, you did not visit Namaqualand!

Overnight: Namaqualand Country Lodge

Day 3: Vanrhynsdorp
Our first stop for the day is at the world famous succulent nursery in Vanrhynsdorp – the largest of its kind in the world. We then follow another route through the Knersvlakte till we reach the Bokkeveld Mountains where we shall ascent the spectacular Vanrhyns Pass till we reach the top of the Bokkeveld Plato at Nieuwoudtville – renowned as the bulb capital of the world. We shall spend the day in the vicinity of this beautiful town visiting sightseeing spots like the quiver tree forest, the Niewoudtville waterfall and glacier tracks. We shall also visit the imposing sandstone D.R. Church with a most interesting history. The congregation believes they are the only church in the world who erected a monument for debt! We shall also sightsee the beautiful flowers in this area.

Overnight: Namaqualand Country Lodge

Day 4: Vanrhynsdorp to Cape Town
The last day of our tour, but still a colourful day loaded with excitement! We travel via the Olifants River Valley to Clanwilliam where we enter the Pakhuisberg Mountains, which forms a part of the Cedarberg Mountains. The rock formation of the Pakhuisberg Mountains again reminds man about his insignificance; it appears as if the rocks are stacked one upon the other. We also visit the grave of C. Louis Leipoldt in the mountains. We visit the Ramskop Nature Reserve at the bank of the Clanwilliam Dam where about 350 different flowering species can be found due to the location of 4 areas around Clanwilliam. Hereafter we travel further through the valley bordered by the Sederberge and Olifantriver Mountains until we cross the Piekenierskloof Pass. The route takes us further through the Swartland with its golden yellow canola lands and bright green corn fields. This breathtaking day ends in Cape Town. The first tour members are dropped off at Cape Town International Airport between 17:00 and 18:00, and the last stop will be in Cape Town between 18:30 and 19:00
NB: time may vary according to the weather and traffic.

Overnight: End of services