Glorious West Coast Flowers

Now is the time to witness the vast splendour of the magnificent wild West Coast flowers that bring with them the alluring promise of spring! Carpets and carpets of flowers blooming in a kaleidoscope of colours provide a feast for the eyes. If you weren’t camera happy before, you will be now.

Whilst there are various areas to see the spring flowers, we chose to do a day trip to Postberg which is within the West Coast National Park. The Postberg area of the park is only open to the public during August and September whilst the flowers bloom.

We kept our visit to the West Coast National Park to a day trip but this would also make an ideal weekend stay in or out of flower season. Accommodation options include chalets, cottages and houseboats outside the Postberg area but still inside the park. See the link for accommodation information at the bottom of the post. There are also hikes and cycling / MTB trails too.

Getting There

We set off with very excited kiddies, a flask of strong coffee and a generous picnic basket on a Saturday morning two weekends ago. The drive from Cape Town is approximately 100km on the R27 to the park’s southern gate. Once you’ve paid entrance fees and received your helpful map and brochure it’s time to relax, slow down and enjoy cruising the park roads. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife large and small!

What We Did

By now nature was calling and the kids needed a loo stop and a mini leg stretch so we drove to the Preekstoel picnic / braai spot whilst soaking up breath taking lagoon views en route. We last visited the park two years ago and I will say that the picnic, braai and bathroom facilities are consistently immaculate. I know, I know, that’s such a mom comment to make but it makes a huge difference.

You’ll love the beauty of the beach, azure water and rock formations at Preekstoel. It’s spectacular and reminiscent of the Mediterranean. The Preekstoel area adjoins Kraalbaai. We’ll be back in summer to lounge on the beach and let the kids paddle around in the warm shallow lagoon water.

We left Preekstoel with protesting children as they just wanted to carry on exploring the gorgeous beach. We entered the Postberg section where you’ll be required to provide proof of park fee payment. This is where the real flower magic begins! Plankiesbaai on the Atlantic coast side is the picnic / braai spot where we like to chill out and have our picnic. There are beautiful views for mom and dad and boulder hopping fun for the kids. You can also do a walk up the hill here to see sweeping views of the beach and sea.

After a leisurely picnic we carried on with a slow winding drive enjoying all the different areas and varieties of flowers whilst heading in the general direction of Uitkyk. As you approach Uitkyk you’ll see massive and interesting rock formations. If you climb up the one area you’ll be able to see over to the Langebaan Lagoon side again. After stopping here, we started heading towards the Postberg exit.

Over the course of the day we saw sunbathing lizards, plenty of birds big and small including many ostriches and several mountain zebras. Watch out whilst driving around for laidback tortoises roaming the roads and buck on the go.

Feeling very satisfied, sunkissed and relaxed after a day soaking up nature, we left the park and headed home. Visit One Stop Wanderlust on Instagram for more pictures.

Useful Information

• Park gates open 0700 but the Postberg entrance opens at 0900.
• SA citizens with ID pay R77 per adult and R39 per child per day in flower season
• No sun means no flowers so check weather forecasts
• Best viewing times are generally between 1000 to 1500

Info & Contact Links

• West Coast National Park
• West Coast National Park accommodation
• West Coast Flower Hotline 063 724 6203
• West Coast Tourism for weekly flower updates, maps and loads more

Take only pictures, leave only footprints

One Stop Wanderlust showcases family travel and family-friendly outings in South Africa. Grab a coffee and stay on the blog to find more exciting wanderlust worthy ideas and tips.