The West Coast
Attractions
The West Coast runs north from Cape Town through Langebaan lagoon and fishing towns such as Paternoster, into the Namaqualand flower region that blooms briefly each spring. The flowers are at their best between August and September.
Climate
Dry and windswept for most of the year, with the spring flower bloom dependent on winter rainfall.
Activities
Lagoon kayaking and birdwatching at Langebaan, seafood and small-town time in Paternoster, and flower-route driving in season.
At a glance
Routes that include The West Coast
Wild Flowers, Cheetahs and Red Dunes
Cape Town and the Winelands, north along the West Coast, then east into the red dunes of the Kalahari. Travel in August or September and the road north runs through Namaqualand in flower, with wildflowers to the horizon for a few short weeks after the winter rain. In the Kgalagadi, game drives follow the dry riverbeds to the waterholes, looking for cheetah and the Kalahari's black-maned lions. Evenings end with sundowners on the dunes under night skies with almost no light pollution.
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