5 Tips for Seeing The West Coast Flowers

It’s spring in Cape Town and flower season out on the West Coast. Imagine a carpet of pink, white, orange and yellow as far as the eye can see, set against a bright blue sky. Flower season in the Western Cape is from August to late-September, but how long they’re around for depends on the weather. Right now, there’s still quite a lot of beauty to see, but hurry, cause it won’t be around for much longer. Here are my 5 tips for seeing the West Coast flowers.

cape town west coast flowers national park darling paternoster langebaan — Nature’s own magic carpet.

5 Tips for Seeing The West Coast Flowers

Yellow show on the way to Plankiesbaai picnic area in the West Coast National Park.

1. Visit the West Coast National Park. It’s probably the best place along the coast to see the flowers. It’s over 38 000 ha big, so there’s lots to see! The entrance is R70 per person and you can pay with a card, but it’s best to take cash.

west coast national park flowers — Roxanne in the flower show.

2. Arrive early. We got to the gate just before 9am and there was already a queue. If you arrive after 10, you’re likely to sit in hours of traffic. The park opens at 7am, so get there as early as you can to avoid the masses. Otherwise, its best to wait and go after 3pm, which makes for good light anyway.

cape town flowers west coast national park — Legs out for Spring!

3. The Langebaan entrance has more beautiful flowers, so start there. Then drive across to the Kraalbaai side for views of the stunning turqoise lagoon. Don’t forget your swimsuit – it might be warm enough for a dip (you never know with Cape Town weather).

plankiesbaai west coast national park — Grab your picnic spot at Plankiesbaai and enjoy the sunshine.

4. Take a picnic or food for a braai. There are loads of amazing spots where you can camp out for the day, as long as you arrive early enough. Make sure to take blankets and chairs and head straight for the Plankiesbaai picnic area or Kraalbaai. Seriously, you need to hurry there to avoid missing out.

the noisy oyster paternoster — Lunch at The Noisy Oyster is a great way to spend a sunny Sunday.

5. If you’d rather head out for lunch, be sure to book a table. We booked at The Noisy Oyster (+27 22 752 2196) in Paternoster and had a long and delicious seafood lunch. Highly recommend! Groote Post is also stunning, but you’ll need to book asap as they get full really quickly.