12 Sep 5 Experiences To Have When Traveling To See Namaqualand Flowers
As with any good trip, you go with one main mission in mind (in this case – to see the Namaqualand flowers) and you come back having seen and experienced so much more. You can read our full guide to seeing the Namaqualand flowers here, but if you’re curious to know what else there is to do and see whilst finding blooms, read on for our top not-to-miss experiences when traveling to see the Namaqualand flowers.
Here are a few additional experiences to add to your itinerary whilst in search of the Namaqualand flowers:
The Quiver Tree Forest near Nieuwoudtville
It is the largest Quiver Tree Forest in the Southern Hemisphere, with no entrance fee, and (if timed right) you may have it all to yourself (like we did). You’ll need permission from the land owner to film and photograph in the forest, but if you’re willing to drive the 7km dirt road to the owner’s home to ask for permission (or you phone ahead), you’ll be free to enjoy shooting the forest from every angle (like we did). You’ll also see a few tufts of the Namaqualand flowers scattered throughout the forest, so don’t feel like it’s blooms or no blooms. Find the forest here.
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The New Apostolic Church in Nieuwoudtville
A beautiful piece of architecture, reminding us of the type of churches found in Prague and Bavaria, except it’s nestled in a large, sunny, open field, surrounded by nothing but Namaqualand flowers and a few palm trees. Find the church here.
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A Guest House For Unplugging
Try and book yourself a night or two at the Gannabos Guest House #notsponsored. We stumbled across it while we were exploring Nieuwoudtville (and they were fully booked so we couldn’t spend the night) but their location – very close to Nieuwoudtville and on the same property as the Quiver Tree Forest – is amazing, and it looks like a beautiful place to enjoy the stillness and tranquility of the Northern Cape (not to mention having access to the Quiver Tree Forest after hours without a permit, meaning the best sunrise, sunset, and night photography opportunities in the largest Quiver Tree Forest in the Southern Hemisphere). We’re definitely going to book ourselves a night there next time.
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The Old Jail Museum’s Road-side Display
Vanrhynsdorp’s quirky road-side display outside The Old Jail museum is an ode to South African flora and ‘padstal’ signage, and makes for a great photo opportunity. The Old Jail museum was closed when we went (so we couldn’t actually go inside) but the reviews we’ve seen for it on Google seem to be pretty good, so it might be worth popping in after your shoot outside. Find it here.
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The Cederberg’s Mountain Catchment Area along the R364
This beautiful and scenic mountain road was one of the biggest surprises on our recent trip. We weren’t meant to spend the night in the Cederberg mountains, but since we changed our plans last minute and needed somewhere to stay halfway between the Namaqualand National Park and our next Airbnb in Hermanus, we chose the town of Clanwilliam, and managed to find a cute little mountain cabin (with the most amazing fireplace) only 30km from the main town. We arrived late (driving along the road at sunset) and left early (driving back along the road just after sunrise) and were blown away both times. We’ll definitely be back to experience this part of South Africa for longer, so expect a blog post on that soon. Find the mountain pass here.
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We hope you enjoyed this post and it inspires some additional adventures for when you visit to see the Namaqualand flowers!
Remember to read our full guide to viewing Namaqualand flowers here and watch the behind-the-scenes vlog here
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