Today we intend to visit the spring flower preserves in Namaqualand and see if we can see any good blooms. But first we stop in the town of Springbok to fill up the tank and to get some South African currency, rands, from one of the few banks in the area. We also make a few photos of the city as we pass through it on our way Goegap Nature Reserve.
Goegap is really close to Springbok and we arrive in about 10 minutes. However it takes some time to pay for the entrance as again we have to fill out some forms but we also receive information about the hiking and driving trails. In the end we decide to stop at the succulent garden and then drive the 2WD auto loop through the reserve.
On the road we notice quite a few oryx on the meadows which are unexpectedly white until we identify that the color is given by a multitude of white flowers.
At the end of the paved road we stop and walk to the visitor center, which is under construction, so we can visit the succulent garden nearby. On the way we find a weaver nest on the ground, not sure if it is because of the construction or because the bird didn’t build it correctly. There are also quite a few quiver trees in the area – this is the last time we see them on our trip.
The garden is quiet and there are quite a few succulents in flower which we enjoy and snap pictures off.
In fact we have seen some of the succulents already in the wild and we will see a few more during the next days but it is a nice refresher to see them all in one place.
After the succulent garden we start the loop drive and it takes us close to the white meadow with the oryx. It is really impressive and quite a few of the cars in front of us stop to take pictures multiple times so the going is really slow until we can finally pass them.
Of course we also stop to take photos quite often but still we are going much faster than the competition.
The road goes through a pass and descends on the other side and almost immediately we see an oryx close to the road. It seems undecided but just as we pass it it decides to run in front of the car so we stop and wait for him to finish crossing. This happens a couple more times today, either the oryx are suicidal or they are really dumb.
On this side of the mountain the majority of the flowers are purple but there are still quite a few orange daisies in the mix. This makes for some great views of fields of flowers purple and orange all mixed together.
It seems that it is mostly a mix of meatfigs and daisies that are giving the color and we enjoy stopping and taking close up photos of the many flowers.
The road now curves back over another pass and we get into orange flower territory. There are also a lot of oryx on the meadow that are enjoying the abundance of food in the area.
And then just as we are getting used to this bounty of flowers it is time to leave, we have one more stop planned at a national park protecting the flowers.
