Wild Flower Route
Wild flowers do not arrive in tidy rows. They spread across fields, roadsides and valleys when the winter rain has been kind, briefly turning the West Coast and Namaqualand bright with colour. This route starts in Cape Town and follows the spring flower country north through Darling to Kamieskroon.
Highlights include:
- Having breakfast at Ou Meul Melkbosstrand
- Eating roosterkoek on Route 27 for lunch
- Stopping in the town of Darling
- Looking for spring flowers in West Coast National Park
- Eating beside the coast at Die Strandloper
- Exploring the Biedouw Valley in flower season
- Staying among the Cederberg flower country at Enjo Nature Farm
- Walking in Hantam National Botanical Garden
- Tasting rooibos at Velskoendraai Farmstall
- Seeing the spring flowers in Namaqua National Park
South Africa road trip from Cape Town to Kamieskroon (593 km, about 8 hours driving). Plan this trip with Sideroads Africa.
Stops along the way
- Ou Meul Melkbosstrand: West Coast bakery and café stop in Melkbosstrand.
- Roosterkoek Route 27: Roadside roosterkoek stop on the R27 West Coast route.
- Darling
- 1910 The Old Forge Bar & Restaurant: English colonial-style bar and restaurant in a converted Darling barn — fireplace, garden, and village-pub atmosphere on Lang Street.
- Vyge Vallei Estate: Darling R27 guest estate with a wineshop and farmstall on the West Coast flower run
- Rosemead Artisan Bakery & Café: Artisan bakery and café on the West Coast.
- West Coast National Park: Best time to go is August/September to see the wild flowers blanket the coastal landscape.
- Die Strandloper: West Coast open-air seafood restaurant near Langebaan.
- Langebaan
- Calypso Sunset Accommodation: Langebaan Calypso Beach guest house for lagoon sunsets before the N7 run north
- GB Coffee Cafe: Langebaan waterfront cafe on Bree Street — house-roasted coffee, breakfasts, and light meals
- Clanwilliam
- Biedouw Valley: Spring flower valley east of Clanwilliam via Pakhuis Pass — carpets of daisies in season.
- Enjo Nature Farm: Farm stay in the Biedouw Valley — cottages and camping among Cederberg flower country
- Velskoendraai Farmstall: Farm stall restaurant at the entrance to Clanwilliam — local fruit and veg, rooibos tasting, home baking, and country meals
- Hantam National Botanical Garden: Vast biodiversity hotspot outside Nieuwoudtville featuring miles of scenic walking trails across dolerite koppies.
- Antjie se Eetplek: Nieuwoudtville cafe on Voortrekker Street — homemade meals, cake, and coffee in Hantam flower country
- Oudeklip Guesthouse: Historic sandstone guesthouse on Kerk Street in Nieuwoudtville — five semi-self-catering units in flower country
- Bagdad Cafe Padstal: Grootdrift roadside restaurant known for large pancakes and Sunday lunches
- Namaqua National Park: Spring wildflower carpets and coastal succulent landscapes in the heart of Namaqualand.
- Die Kliphuis: Kamieskroon kitchen on Ou Hoofweg — traditional Namaqualand meals just off the N7; dinner by booking
- Kamieskroon Cosy Cottage: Self-catering cottages on Jan Scholtz Street with Kamiesberg views — flower-season base for Namaqua National Park