News

The flowers are starting to bloom at Namaqua National Park and it is promising to be another flower extravaganza. Even though it is relatively late for the flower season to start the best part of this is that it will last longer. Weather depending, the flowers will last well until the end of September 2022.

The Namaqualand region of South Africa falls within the Succulent Karoo Biome, which has been identified as one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots. There are only three hotspots in South Africa. When compared to regions with similar semi-arid environments the richness of this Biome is exceptional. Namaqualand is further distinguished from other desert regions by the presence of the following families: Mesebryanthemaceae (vygies); Iridacea (irids); Hyacinthaceae (lachenalias) and Crassulaceceae (crassulas).

Minimum temperatures of at least 18 degrees are required for the flower crowns to open fully and to ensure an experience that will last a lifetime.

The flowers can be viewed at different routes inside the Park including the very popular Caracal route to Kookfontein, the coastal route in the direction of the Hondeklip Bay gate and the 4×4 Kurubees area. It is expected that the flowers will start to peak from middle August and hopefully into October 2022 as all indications are there that we will have a rather later than usual flower season. This merely means that visitors can expect to experience the flowers during the best season of the year. So in this case, the saying, “Better late than never” is more than apt for this year’s flower season and a welcome forecast as well.

Issued By

South African National Parks – Arid Region Communications

Enquiries

Genevieve Maasdorp
Communications Manager: Arid Parks
Tel: 054 338 0600