Imagine a spectacle so great… The brown desert landscape of Namaqualand morphs completely, year after year. In spots usually dominated by arid vegetation, thousands of Namaqualand daisies and flowers in all colours, shapes and sizes pop up. This forms one of the most beautiful floral displays in the world, one of the many reasons why you have to visit the area to experience the Namaqualand flower season.
Read our overview post on the 2021 flower season if you have not seen it yet. We also created an update for the 2022 Namaqua flower season. See what the 2023 season holds.
Weekly flower updates from Namaqua National Park: 20 September
A statement from the Namaqua National Park:
The flowers at Namaqua National Park are still relatively good and should continue to do so for the rest of the week. Most of the flowers can still be viewed on the 5 km circle route. The Khorhaan walking trail has got the most scenic flower sightings. We are predicting that next week will be the last week of good flower display except for the Coastal section. Flowers can still be viewed at the routes as previously mentioned. Namaqua National Park is still the best place for flower viewing. Springbok and its surroundings also have flowers that can be viewed.
The most dominating species are Ursinia cakilefolia (Glansooggousblom), followed by Dimorphotheca sinuate (Namaqualand daisy). Other flowers to see are the Diascia namaquensis (Ramhorongkies), Gymnodiscus capillaris (Reksening), Pharnaceum croceum, Pelargonium incrassatum, Pelargonium triste (Rasmusbas), Romulea citrina, Moraea schlecteri (Tulp), Lapeirousia silenoides (Meidestert), Gazania leipoda (Botterblom) and Hesperantha pauciflora. The temperatures forecasted look good in terms of good flower viewing. The circle route at the Coastal section still remains the best side for good flower sightings.
Flowers that have made a late display at Skilpad and the Caracal Eco-Route are Lschenalia anguinea (Viooltjie), Wahlenbergia annularis (Bluebells) and Dubbelgousblom. The Gazania sp. (Botterblom) is also in bloom and took a little longer to bloom.
A moderate to fresh easterly breeze is predicted for the week.
We always need to keep in mind that the minimum temperature has to be 18 degrees and higher for the flowers to open up fully.
The weather forecast for the next seven days
| Date | Temperature (degrees) | Rain |
| 20 September 2021 | 16 | 0 |
| 21 September 2021 | 25 | 0 |
| 22 September 2021 | 31 | 0 |
| 23 September 2021 | 22 | 0 |
| 24 September 2021 | 20 | 0 |
| 25 September 2021 | 27 | 0 |
| 26 September 2021 | 31 | 0 |
Weekly flower updates from Namaqua National Park: 13 September
A statement from the Namaqua National Park:
The flowering season is starting to show signs of nearing its end. There are still flowers to view at the Skilpad section, but the flowers have started to fade and they are not as bright and colourful as previously.
The Koeroebees area, 12km from the Skilpad offices, still has a few flowers to view. Due to the windy days the previous week, and as the temperatures gradually start to rise, one can see the effect it has on the flowers. Skilpad will have flowers to view in the coming week, but the temperatures forecasted does not look good in terms of good flower viewing. Flowers can still be found on the 5 km circle route and the Khorhaan walking trail. The circle route at the Coastal section still remains the best side for good flower sightings.
Species to be seen at Skilpad are: Gousblom, Dubbelgousblom, Pietsnot, Blue and white Sporie, Ursinia cakilefolia (Glansooggousblom) and the Dimorphotheca sinuate (Namaqualand daisy). Other species to be found are the Diascia namaquensis (Ramhorongkies), Gymnodiscus capillaris (Reksening), Pharnaceum croceum, Pelargonium incrassatum, Pelargonium triste (Rasmusbas), Romulea citrina, Moraea schlecteri (Tulp), Lapeirousia silenoides (Meidestert), Gazania leipoda (Botterblom) and Hesperantha. Dominating species to be seen at the Coastal section are Vygies, Gousblom and Sandlelies. They are now in full bloom and almost at their peak.
A light to gentle breeze from the south-east is predicted for the rest of the week, not good news for the flowers, light showers are also expected in the week.
We always need to keep in mind that the minimum temperature has to be 18 degrees and higher for the flowers to open up fully.
The weather forecast for the next seven days
| Date | Temperature (degrees) | Rain |
| 13 September 2021 | 17 | 0 |
| 14 September 2021 | 13 | 0.3mm |
| 15 September 2021 | 14 | 0.1mm |
| 16 September 2021 | 20 | 0 |
| 17 September 2021 | 24 | 0 |
| 18 September 2021 | 26 | 0.2mm |
| 19 September 2021 | 18 | 0.1mm |
Weekly flower updates from Namaqua National Park: 6 September
A statement from the Namaqua National Park:
Namaqua National Park experienced minor changes in the past week. The flowers are still good but there’s a clear sign indicating that the season is about to end. We are expecting beautiful favourable weather for flower viewing, starting from tomorrow till the rest of the week. We are receiving a variety of day visitors at the Skilpad and Groenrivier sections. The flowers will probably last for the next two weeks before starting to fade.
Warm weather is forecast for the rest of the week. A gentle to fresh breeze from the east is forecast for Thursday and that might be too dry for the flowers. Dominating species are Ursinia cakilefolia (Glansooggousblom) followed by Dimorphotheca sinuate (Namaqualand daisy). Other flowers to view are Diascia namaquensis (Ramhorongkies), Gymnodiscus capillaris (Reksening) Pharnaceum croceum, Pelargonium incrassatum, Pelargonium triste(Rasmusbas), Romulea citrina, Moraea schlecteri (Tulp), Lapeirousia silenoides (Meidestert), Gazania leipoda (Botterblom), Hesperantha pauciflora, Leysera gnaphalodes ( Teebossie), Leysera tenella (Teebossie) and Senecio arenarius (Pershorgerblom). The 5km circle route remains the best place to view flowers together with the Korhaan walking trail.
The Coastal section received 2mm of rain last week, dominating species are Gousblom, Dubbelgousblom, Pietsnot, Sporie in different colours and the Namaqua Daisy. The Hondeklipbaai gate via Groenrivier has got the best flower sightings. The Coastal circle route has reached its flower peak.
We always need to keep in mind that the minimum temperature has to be 18 degrees and higher for the flowers to open up fully.
| Date | Temperature (degrees) | Rain |
| 06 September 2021 | 13 | 0 |
| 07 September 2021 | 20 | 0 |
| 08 September 2021 | 26 | 0 |
| 09 September 2021 | 30 | 0 |
| 10 September 2021 | 25 | 0 |
| 11 September 2021 | 22 | 0 |
| 12 September 2021 | 20 | 0 |
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Weekly flower updates from Namaqua National Park: 30 August
Statement from Namaqua National Park:
The Skilpad section at the Namaqua National Park is still looking good and the flowers should continue to bloom for the week ahead. Most of the flowers are on the 5 km circle route, as well as the Khorhaan walking trail. The two walking trails present the best options to view flowers from nearby and see other species of flowers, instead of driving.
The most dominant species are the Ursinia cakilefolia (Glansooggousblom) and the Dimorphotheca sinuate (Namaqualand daisy). Other species of flowers to see is Diascia namaquensis (Ramhoringkies), Gymnodiscus capillaris (Reksening) Pharnaceum croceum, Pelargonium incrassatum, Pelargonium triste (Rasmusbas), Romulea citrina, Moraea schlecteri (Tulp), Lapeirousia silenoides (Meidestert), Gazania leipoda (Botterblom) and the Hesperantha pauciflora.
At the Bitterrivier area within the Groenrivier coastal section, lots of vygies are in full bloom. Species like the volstruis vygies, coppervygie as well as gousblom are the most popular flowers in that vicinity. The dubbelgousblom, gousblom sporie and daisy are also good to view on the 21 km circular route near the Bitterrivier.
The flowers usually last up until the first to the second week of September based on the weather conditions. The next two weeks should hopefully still provide good flower viewing before they start to go down.
Skilpad received 8mm of rain on August 28, Groenrivier (coastal section) received 24mm and a little bit of hail. A light south-easterly breeze is predicted later in the week, which in itself is not good news for the flowers. We always need to keep in mind that the minimum temperature has to be 18 degrees and higher for the flowers to open up fully.
The weather forecast for the next seven days
| Date | Temperature (degrees) | Rain |
| 30 August 2021 | 18 | 0 |
| 31 August 2021 | 16 | 0 |
| 01 September 2021 | 24 | 0 |
| 02 September 2021 | 18 | 0 |
| 03 September 2021 | 13 | 0.6mm |
| 04 September 2021 | 17 | 0 |
| 05 September 2021 | 18 | 0 |
Weekly flower season updates from Namaqua National Park: August 23
Statement by Namaqua National Park: Namaqua National park flowers are moving towards full bloom now that we have received 5mm of rain on August 19 combined with expected rain for this coming week. The Namaqua National Park landscape has transformed compared to the previous report but is still not completely covered with flowers. We are expecting rain this week on August 26 and 27. Flower sighting will be quite exciting due to the rain received, and sunny weather conditions from today till Wednesday. Good flower pictures will be taken due to the favourable weather.
The Namaqua Landscape is carpeted with beautiful scenic flowers at the 5 km circle route, the most dominating species for this week are Ursinia cakilefolia (Glansooggousblom) followed by Dimorphotheca sinuate (Namaqualand daisy). Other flowers to see are Diascia namaquensis (Ramhorongkies), Gymnodiscus capillaris (Reksening) Pharnaceum croceum,Pelargonium incrassatum, Pelargonium triste(Rasmusbas), Romulea citrina, Moraea schlecteri (Tulp), Lapeirousia silenoides (Meidestert), Gazania leipoda (Botterblom)and Hesperantha pauciflora. Monday (August 23 ) till Wednesday should be a good time for flower viewing at Namaqua National Park and its surroundings. Cloudy conditions are expected from Thursday to Friday this week.
The weather forecast for the next seven days:
| Date | Temperature (degrees) | Rain |
| 23 August 2021 | 23 | 0 |
| 24 August 2021 | 19 | 0 |
| 25 August 2021 | 27 | 0 |
| 26 August 2021 | 13 | 18mm |
| 27 August 2021 | 8 | 10mm |
| 28 August 2021 | 12 | 0 |
| 29 August 2021 | 20 | 0 |
Please note that the minimum temperature should be at least 18 degrees for the flower crowns to open up fully
Weekly flower season updates from Namaqua National Park: August 16
We are now entering the peak time of the season – from mid-August to early September the flowers will display their best colours and performance. Most of the flowers are still to be seen on the 5 km circle route at the Skilpad Rest camp. The most dominating species are Ursinia cakilefolia (Glansooggousblom) followed by Dimorphotheca sinuate (Namaqualand daisy). Other flowers to see include Diascia namaquensis (Ramhoringkies) and the Gymnodiscus capillaris (Reksening).
At the Groenrivier Coastal section, one will find the best flowers on the 21 km circle route. The flowers to view there are the Gousblom (Dubbelgousblom, Bittergousblom, Wit-sôe) and the Vygiebos (t’nouroebos). Flowers can be seen alongside the coastal line, stretching from the entrance gate at Hondeklpibaai southwards until Groenrivier mond.
Forecast: Persistent wind is forecast and temperatures are also relatively low for the rest of the week which has a negative impact on the flowers.
The weather forecast for the next seven days are as follows:
| Date | Temperature (degrees) | Rain |
| 16/08/2021 | 24 | 0 |
| 17/08/2021 | 16 | 0.6 mm |
| 18/08/2021 | 16 | 0.2 mm |
| 19/08/2021 | 15 | 2 mm |
| 20/08/2021 | 18 | 0 |
| 21/08/2021 | 18 | 0 |
| 22/08/2021 | 20 | 0 |
We would love to hear from you in the comments if you recently saw the wildflowers. How did you find the experience? Where did you go and where was it most spectacular?
