AUGUST 2020

Springtime!

When we turn the page of our calendar to the month of September, we know that spring has begun in South Africa.

We are very blessed to see the most beautiful spring flowers at our home. In fact, these colourful flowers are in the field at the back of our house.

When we saw that the flowers had already started blooming in August this year, we decided to pay a visit to the Postberg Nature Reserve. This reserve is located within the West Coast National Park near Langebaan in the Western Cape Province.

Postberg Nature Reserve is closed for most of the year, but during August and September it is open to the public. This is the time to see the exceptional carpet of spring flowers in the reserve.

We set off early one morning, and our first stop was at the Geelbek Restaurant in the West Coast National Park. This restaurant has a proud South African heritage that dates back to the 1700’s. It is right on the picturesque Langebaan lagoon, and the Cape Dutch building is a national monument – worldwide known for their juicy South African meals and dishes such as: Bobotie, Venison Pie, Geelbek Mussels, Crab cakes and many other favourites.

Since it was still fairly early, we just enjoyed a cup of coffee while sitting outside in the beautiful garden at one of the many tables.

Although our trip was mainly to see the beautiful spring flowers, we were surprised to also see a few ostriches on our way. We also saw more wild animals in the Postberg Nature Reserve (photos towards the end of this post).

When we entered the Postberg Nature Reserve, we could almost immediately see the carpet of different colours of spring flowers.

The gravel circular route gives you many opportunities to stop and take photos of the flowers. I just love the sea of mostly white flowers that cover the ground and then, as you step closer, there is this incredible detail on the flowers.

While we were driving through the reserve, the Atlantic Ocean was visible most of the time – a spectacular sight.

To see the flowers in such abundance is a feast for the eye – it is almost impossible to capture it with a camera. And to see the flowers up close is special – that is when one sees how beautiful they really are.

Here are a couple of close-up shots of the flowers:

And when you stand a little further back to take a ‘group photo’ of the flowers, you will also be amazed at the many different colours standing together.

As mentioned earlier in the post, we were lucky to also see wild animals on this trip – always a bonus! Here are a few photos:

As we continued driving through the reserve, the flowers were mostly on both sides of the gravel road.

As we approached the ocean, the field literally turned into a colourful work of art. Green and white flowers were dominant, with patches of orange in between.

As soon as we arrived at the ocean, we could still see some wild flowers – almost growing in between the rocks.

Although it was still slightly cold, it did not stop visitors from walking on the beach and enjoying the sunny weather.

We ended our trip with a stop at the main lookout point. From here, there is a beautiful view over Langebaan and the lagoon.

It is always a privilege to see this beautiful landscape during spring (and especially in sunny weather which makes the spring wildflowers look their best).

A couple of weeks after our visit, we heard that the spring flowers are now in full bloom and even more spectacular than what we saw – it’s almost hard to believe, right?