Flower season 2016 | Western Cape Government

Flower season 2016

2016
Western Cape Government
Listen

Spring has sprung and our beautiful province has started to shake off the winter chills and dressing itself in fields of colourful flowers. During September our flower season is in full swing, grab the opportunity to plan a road trip to view one of nature’s great displays.

Where to view the beautiful spring flowers

Finding the right spot is not always easy and the blooms are weather dependent. Some of the featured viewing sites and festivals include:

  • West Coast National Park

The beautiful West Coast National Park is renowned for its incredible wild flowers. Official flower season is from 1 August until 30 September, when the protected area of Postberg within the park is open to the public.

  • Agulhas Nature Reserve

Agulhas Nature Reserve has a diverse amount of plants equal to that of a tropical rain forest, the Agulhas Plain is an immensely abundant natural reserve, featuring over 2 000 species of indigenous plants including 100 that are endemic to the area.

  • Bontebok National Park

As part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the Bontebok National Park is a magnificent part of this most biologically diverse area on earth. There’s something in bloom year round with the peak flower season in the spring.

  • Namaqua National Park

Namaqualand is one of the Cape’s most famous flower wonderlands and the location of those incredible fields and fields of flowers. And the Namaqua National Park has more than a 1 000 of its 3 500 plant species that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

We’ve also compiled a list of 6 more spots where you can revel in the beauty of our floral wonderlands this month, including:

1. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens

The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens are Cape Town’s claim to botanical fame and is amazingly pretty and accessible. There are guided tours through the garden that will make your visit more special, and don’t forget to visit the Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway!

2. Tankwa Karoo National Park

The Tankwa Karoo National Park is breathtaking with its Surreal desert moonscapes and scenic landmarks and in flower season it’s a special visual delight.

3. Darling Wild Flower Show Namakwaland

The Darling Wild Flower Show is taking place from 16 - 18 September this year and has a fantastic collection of almost 1 200 species of flora. 80 of these species are endemic to the Western Cape and can be seen nowhere else on Earth.

4. Harold Porter National Botanical Garden

The Harold Porter National Botanical Garden is a superbly rich garden and can be found in the heart of the coastal fynbos. It it’s blessed with mountain slopes with wind-brushed heathlands, cavernous gorges and ancient relic forests, as well as dunes with specialised salt-adapted flora.

5. Hermanus Botanical Society Flower Festival

The festival runs from 22 – 25 September and showcases hundreds of stunning locally grown floral beauties. The flowers will be on sale and exhibition, and there’ll be an educational and historical journey documenting the story of plants in the area.

Remember to check with local tourism authorities to find out which areas are at their best before you plan and decide on a region you want to visit.

Cape Floral Region

The Cape Floral Region, 1 of South Africa's 8 World Heritage sites, comprises 8 protected areas stretching from the Cape Peninsula to the Eastern Cape. In 2004, the "Cape Floral Region Protected Areas" were inscribed as a World Heritage Site. The site includes 8 representative protected areas:

Western Cape flower seasonFree access to all CapeNature reserves

CapeNature is giving you free access to our nature reserves from 19 to 25 September. That means the standard conservation fee that day visitors pay will be waived for those days, at any of the CapeNature reserves across the Western Cape! So there’s no excuse – get out there, explore the finest wide open spaces the province has to offer and do it all for free!

The following Terms & Conditions apply:

  • The conservation fee will be free at the entrance to any CapeNature reserve that is open to the public.
  • Free day access will only apply at the reserve gate, no free access fee will apply when booking through the call centre and it excludes accommodation bookings.
  • No prior bookings.
  • Free access fee pertains to general access (conservation fee) and to all day activities (hiking, mountain biking, picnicking, horse riding). The waiver does NOT apply to concessions (including for example canopy tours and bouldering) or multi-day hikes.
  • Access to Protected Areas during the CapeNature Access Week will be conducted during regular reserve hours and applies to entries at CapeNature reserve gates only.

CapeNature discount accommodation promotion

Make sure you take full advantage of this special spring promotion by booking your summer getaway early. You’ll be able to get the best accommodation and activity lifestyle deals, like the September discount offer.

You can get 20% off if you book and pay in September 2016 and take up your booking by the end of January 2017 next year.

So don’t waste any time – start planning your summer holiday now! Read our Terms and Conditions and book with CapeNature today:

The content on this page was last updated on 5 September 2016