Spring Flowers of Namaqualand 7951

Enjoy access to the airport Executive lounge before we depart from London to Cape Town on our overnight flight.

Upon arrival in Cape Town, we will transfer to the hotel to check in and drop off our luggage. We will then enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before departing for Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Established in 1913, today it is one of the finest botanic gardens in the world and provides the perfect introduction to South Africa’s flora. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon and this evening is at leisure.

After breakfast we will ascend to the top of Table Mountain by cable car and discover some of the many floral species to be found here – some grow here and nowhere else. Later, we then have a city orientation tour including a walk in the Company’s Garden. An oasis in the centre of the city, it was first established as a refreshment station for the trade routes that navigated around South Africa. Here the star attractions include a species of ginkgo tree with no living relatives, a towering rubber tree and an ancient saffron pear which is propped up by steel beams. We have some time to wander the fountains, ponds and tree lined walkways of this peaceful sanctuary in the heart of the city.This afternoon is at leisure. Alternatively, you may choose to join the optional excursion to Robben Island – the island prison which housed Nelson Mandela during his 18-year incarceration. Hosted by a local guide, the tour includes historical sites around the island including the high wall built by prisoners during the 1960s, the island’s graveyard, the Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s House, the Bluestone Quary and the military bunkers. The tour culminates with a viewing of Nelson Mandela’s holding cell.

Today after breakfast we depart for a long but rewarding day as we explore the Cape Peninsula. We head along Chapman’s Peak Drive as it winds its way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast on the south-western tip of South Africa. We visit the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, which encompasses the entire southern tip of the cape, below Simon’s Town. We will see how soil types and moisture influences the range of plants which grow here in the coastal fynbos. We enjoy an oceanside lunch before visiting the remarkable Boulder’s Beach where we find a colony of African Penguins which were once critically endangered but today, thanks to local conservation efforts, the beach is home to a thriving colony of over 3,000 birds.

This morning after breakfast we depart Cape Town for a visit to !Khwa Ttu San Cultural Centre and Nature Reserve. Here we enjoy a Tea tasting at the veld pharmacy – San and other indigenous people have always understood the plants around them were so much more than simply pretty flowers or a tasty snack.12,000 years ago we were all hunter-gatherers and this is an opportunity to rediscover some powerful lost knowledge – what to use to win a wife, or heal a wound, or keep you alive on the long journey ahead. Try the memorable, health-giving tea and hear a story in the !Kung language, with its distinctive click consonants. Later we have the chance to embark on an Open Vehicle Game drive in the reserve where Eland, Zebra, Springbok, Black Wildebeest, Ostrich are just some of the magnificent animals we might encounter on this special 90-minute game drive in the veld, as we learn a little more about the characteristics of the unique flora and fauna found here.This afternoon we visit the West Coast National Park and the Postberg Nature Reserve within the park, which is famous for its carpets of spring flowers such as the rain daisy.

This morning, we depart on another long but rewarding day as we drive up the West Coast and see the beautiful, bright yellow canola fields. We continue through Veldrif and visit Bokkomlaan, to learn about the local dried fish called Bokkom. We then continue to Elandsbaai to enjoy lunch by the sea and, weather permitting, enjoy a lovely walk on the beach.We travel through the towns of Leipoltdville and Graafwater to reach Clanwilliam, with the impressive Cederberg mountains as a backdrop, and the only place in the world where Rooibos tea grows naturally. We visit the House of Rooibos to learn how the plant is grown, harvested and made into tea, followed naturally by a tasting of the final product. There is also a wonderful variety of merchandise on sale, from teas to skin care products.We continue further north and enter the unique region of Namaqualand, with the breathtaking Matzikama mountain range welcoming us to Vanrhynsdorp. We visit a nursery where we see the most incredible succulent plants and learn how they adapt to survive their harsh living conditions.

Today after breakfast at leisure, we depart and drive up the breathtaking Vanrhyns pass and visit the quiver tree forest – it is truly a sight to behold! These are not actually trees but aloe plants, and as we take a walk through the forest we will learn all about them and discover many other incredible plant species growing all around us.We visit the beautiful sandstone church in Nieuwoudville for tea and pancakes, before continuing to Matjiesfontein farm to enjoy the fields of flowers that stretch as far as the eye can see.

This morning, we head further north and stop for refreshments along the way in the town of Garries. We continue through the town of Kammieskroon and visit the Skilpad area of the Namaqua National Park which is close to Springbok. We spend the day here, walking along the flower paths and discovering the native flora and fauna.

After breakfast today we depart along the N7 to Clanwilliam, driving through the Pakhuis pass and marvelling at the amazing rock formations. We stop for refreshments at Traveller’s Rest, a beautiful hidden gem situated next to the Brandewyn river, where we can marvel at the majestic Biedouw valley and walk among the spring flowers.  We later visit the Ramskop Wild Flower Garden home to more than 350 species of cultivated wild flowers. The walks through the garden also offer stunning views over the Clanwilliam Dam and the Cederberg Mountains.

Today we drive to Worcester and visit the Karoo National Botanical Gardens. Set in magnificent surroundings in the foothills of the Hex River Mountains, the gardens are home to over 400 naturally occurring plant species that include Namaqualand flora, one of the largest collections of indigenous succulents in South Africa.  We later depart for Franschhoek.

After breakfast, we visit Stellenbosch Botanical Garden, the oldest university garden in South Africa, featuring an enormous variety of plants from across the globe.  These include aquatic plants from the Amazon, tropical orchids, insectivorous plants from Borneo, Puya plants from Chile, Mexican cacti, members of the Proteaceae family as well as Welwitschia from the Namib desert; mesembs (stone plants), euphorbias and stapeliads from the Karoo and Namaqualand, economic plants, herbs and many others.  Because of spatial restrictions the garden concentrates on dwarf plants such as succulents, indigenous dwarf shrubs and pot plants.After a picnic lunch, we visit the Vergelegen Wine Estate where we view their beautiful gardens. Vergelegen (meaning ‘situated far away’) has been a gardener’s paradise from the time the land was first tamed by Willem Adriaan van der Stel in 1700, since when it has passed through a succession of owners. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited during their tour of 1947 and were said to be “overcome by Vergelegen’s loveliness”. The gardens were restored in 1987 and now feature a White Garden, a Rose Garden, and the magnificent Octagonal Garden, which has views to the house along 400m of twin herbaceous borders. Along with summer flowering perennials, annuals such as cleome and nicotiana are planted in September.

Today we visit the Caledon Wildflower Garden and Nature Reserve, a place of beauty and conservation. Located in the Klein Swartberg mountains, the reserve is home to some of the most diverse and unique species of fynbos.This afternoon at leisure in Hermanus. Alternatively, you may choose to join the optional afternoon whale watching excursion.

After breakfast, we depart to Fernkloof Nature Reserve, which covers 1800 ha in the Kleinrivier Mountains above Hermanus and ranges in altitude from sea level to 842m. It protects coastal and mountain fynbos and a small patch of evergreen forest and there is no other place on earth where so many different species can be seen growing in such close proximity, including great numbers of Ericaceae, such as the endemic Erica hermani. Keep an eye out too for animals such as klipspringer, baboon and dassie and birds such as cape sugar bird, sunbirds, rock thrush, jackal buzzard and black eagle.Later, we visit Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens, situated in the centre of the coastal fynbos where the flora is richest. Here we find mountain slopes, heathlands, gorges, marshes, and beachside dunes. Renowned for its waterfalls and amber pools, we explore the collection of fynbos families such as proteas, ericas and restios as well as irises, daisies and orchids.

Today there is time at leisure before we transfer to the airport for our return flight to London.

We arrive in London.