In spring each year the Cape’s West Coast erupts in a riot of colours.
It’s our yearly blessing following the winter rain – and part of our unique botanical bounty.
Our Mediterranean climate of short wet winters (and long hot summers) rewards us with this extraordinary feast of eye-watering abundance each August.
The West Coast National Park is just an hour north of Cape Town – where Posberg Nature Reserve straddles thunderous waves rolling in from the icy Atlantic ocean, with the languid, turquoise Langebaan lagoon as its focal point – and spring flowers so vivid you almost need to wear sunglasses.
The Park is a birding site so legendary that it’s a Ramsar site (deemed to be of international importance for the conservation of wetland birds).
It’s also a site where our earliest ancestors walked – leaving a trail of fossilized footprints that date back to 117,000 years. Dubbed ‘Eve’s footprints’ this important cultural artefact is another part of the Park’s unique mix.
Each spring it’s a spot for picnics and pictures. A day-trippers delight. A gem on our doostep.
It’s where we go for our annual flower pilgrimage. A gift from Mother Earth.
Top picture credit: Fanus Welhagen. Achnoweldgement: Mountains in the Sea – SAN Parks