The beauty of Goegap Nature Reserve
For those in the know, ‘flower season’ sings a siren song every year – a natural phenomenon that beckons, whether or not you have leave… The blooming of millions of wildflowers (usually late July to early September) transforms the drab Namaqua landscape into a psychedelic painting. The colours are so bright they hurt your eyes. And photos never seem to capture the real, vivid beauty.
Beyond the timing of this spectacle changing every year, flowers also remaining closed on cool, wet, or windy days – only opening their petals on warm, sunny days to attract pollinators. This is to protect their pollen from damage. So, the reality is that it is a game of chance, and only if you are very lucky is the magic revealed to you.
As you know, I like research. I like stacking the odds to get the best possible results. This is my personal recipe for catching “the flowers”. You need to be flexible, and then, when ‘the season’ is deemed to have started, make your plans and head out. It seems to me that there are four main areas, and within those areas I identified a specific spot where lady luck would be more likely to grant us enchanting sights. The first area is Springbok, and specifically Goegap Nature Reserve. The second area is Kamieskroon – in the Skilpad Wildflower Reserve, which is part of the Namaqua National Park. The third attraction is the town of Nieuwoudtville itself. And lastly, the West Coast National Park.
Between these four spots, I figure you have a chance of seeing the best the season has to offer – and if one isn’t quite ready for you, the others will be! And when the sun goes down and the flowers close, the stars take their place on the stage, providing a magnificent show. To be honest, this is one of the worthiest natural phenomena – with over 3,800 plant species, 28% of which are endemic to the region, transforming the arid landscape into a show that will forever remain etched into your memory!
The Goegap Nature Reserve, located 15km southeast of the town Springbok, was established as the Hester Malan Nature Reserve in 1966 when the Okiep Copper Company donated land for a wildflower garden. Sometime later, it was renamed “Goegap” after the original Nama word for “waterhole” or “reed water”. This reserve continues to receive land extensions from various conservation trusts. It plays an important role socio-economically during the tourist season, receiving more than 7,000 visitors in 2024, with over 5,200 of those visitors coming during the annual flower season between August and September.
The world’s ONLY entirely arid biodiversity hotspot is the Succulent-Karoo biome, located right here in South Africa and Namibia. It is renowned for having the richest succulent flora on Earth, with many species unique to the region. It is one of the 25 richest and most threatened areas for plant and animal life globally.
The Goegap Nature Reserve, covering an area of 150 km2, falls within this Succulent-Karoo Biome, and the temperatures for the area range between -2,8°C in July to 39,3°C in January/February. As the reserve is situated partially in the summer rainfall area and partially in the winter rainfall area, rainfall varies annually between 100 and 300mm per year, with an average of 150mm. It supports 600 different indigenous plant species and 94 bird species. 45 mammal species are represented, amongst which are unusual species as the straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) and the beautiful spectacled dormouse (Graphiurus ocularis). The leopard (Panthera pardus) is an occasional visitor to the reserve.
Goegap offers accommodation, day visitor areas with picnic spots, and a 4×4 trail (for 4×4 vehicles with low range and decent clearance). This reserve is one of our less-known reserves, and definitely worth a visit!
Jacqui Ikin & The Cross Country Team
INFO BOX
Goegap Nature Reserve
Tel: 027 718 9906 / 076 832 2591
https://www.facebook.com/GoegapNR
