In the early Spring, carpets of flowers engulf the local fields and surrounds of the small town of Nieuwoudtville. The town is a botanical marvel with highest speciation in the world, giving it the nickname “the bulb capital of the world.” Botanists, photographers and lovers of nature flock to the scenery every year during the flower season – from March to October. But what happens rest of the year? And what else is there other than flowers.
Nieuwoudtville is a small town in the Northern Cape province. When we drive into the town, the first thing we spot is the Protea Motors garage. At that point we were quite hyper sensitive about petrol. Our previous stop had no petrol and driving in the bundus with a dipping petrol gauge is an adventure I can do without. The garage has a large collection of vintage bikes spanning a century. It’s not a museum but a private collection with an owner who has a wealth of knowledge to share.
Marvel at the abundant Rock art and Sandstone buildings
We only had one night here but I think there’s enough to keep you occupied for a weekend getway. The San people lived in this area and rock art can be found here. Walking around town, you’ll see the Neo-Gothic Sandstone Church. It is one of the last sandstone churches that’s still standing in South Africa and is a national monument. You can also visit the sandstone ruins of early settlers.
It’a a very small, tranquil town and good place to buy a lottery ticket. I’m convinced that the lottery is more than likely bought in these off the beaten path places! Although, we only won R78, it proves my point.
Enjoy the hospitality
We stayed at Van Zijl Guest House. The garden was beautiful with large trees, orange flowers and two peacocks pottering around. The house was a well kitted self catering unit with a braai area and electric blankets in the beds. We spent time exploring and in the day and doing some astro-photography in the night.
In the evening we ordered a delicious, and great portioned, lamb shank with veggies at the restaurant around a roaring fireplace. While waiting four our meal, there was a talk given by Hendrik. He shared a brief history of the area and also what to look out for during flower season. There were both local and international visitors that night, which meant the talk was in English. Thank goodness, cos I have greeting level Afrikaans.
Explore the Nieuwoudtville Waterfall Reserve
The Nieuwoudtville Waterfall reserve is 7km outside of the town. The waterfall is at the Doring River and if you arrive at a good time, you’ll experience the incredible strength of the waterfall. Unfortunately, when we during a drought and the river levels were lower than normal. Even so, the surrounding rock, landscape and brief trail made up for it. There is an entry fee of just R20.
Visit the second largest quiver tree forest in the world
The quiver tree or “kokerboom’ is actually an aloe plant. It’s pliable branches were used by the San people to make quivers for their arrows. It was nice to have a visual reference of the tree. A while back, we went on a San tour some time ago at the !Khwa ttu Hertiage centre where they made reference to this and now I know exactly what they meant! You can take a walk in the hills of the quiver tree forest and with a permit, you can do astro-photography too. All the trees here are naturally occuring none were planted by people. Lovely to see what nature does on its own.
Ouside our accommodation
Explore the flowers
Spring time is a great time to visit and it would be remiss of me not to mention the flowers. Various farms open up their fields where you can explore all types of wonderful spring flowers. Unlike exploring reserves, you can stop, get out the car and take pictures. While this is the case in flower season, the Hantam National Botanical Garden is open all year round. Here you can get a more intimate knowledge of the bulbs and flowers that the small town is well known for in the botany community.
Getting there
Nieuwoudtville is a 4 hour drive from Cape Town, up the N7. It’s shortly after the breath-taking Van Rhyns pass with its expansive views.
Best time to visit
If you are hoping to experience the wild flowers, the best time in between August and September. The summers are hot and dry but make for beautiful outdoor summer evenings.