Superlatives abound when visitors describe this year’s spring wild flower display in the West Coast National Park (WCNP): “Breathtaking, the best ever, glorious, a miracle”. And it is indeed beautiful.
SANParks manager Charlene Adams tells the FM ample rains and good weather prompted a 12% increase in August visitor numbers from 20,971 last year to 23,438. A total of 7,500 vehicles accessed the Postberg section of the park for viewing the flowers. September promises to be even better.
“This year is different. We are expecting visitor numbers to continue to escalate until the end of the season,” says Adams.
The park is home to 1,200 plant species. The spring blooms open in waves of colour: white rain daisies, blue fairies-of-the-veld, pink sour figs and bokbaai vygies, yellow sorrel, orange gazanias and more. Looking closely among large clusters one finds a variety of less prolific flowers, including the carrion scented spider flower, ferraria crispa. The season reaches its peak in mid to late September and the Postberg section is open to the public until the end of the month.
According to Adams, the disturbance of the original veld — caused by crop cultivation and grazing in past decades — has led to this area of the Western Cape putting on a spectacular show of colour every year.
A diversity of soils — Strandveld, Sandveld, granite and limestone outcrops and Renosterveld — with different nutrient levels give rise to a stunning assortment of flowering plants. With fynbos areas across the Western Cape they form the Cape floral kingdom.
Despite being the smallest of only six recognised floral kingdoms in the world, the WCNP is the most diverse. Covering an area of about 36,260ha, it features the Langebaan lagoon and plays a part in protecting diverse coastal and marine ecosystems.
We are expecting that visitor numbers will continue to escalate until the end of the season
— SANParks manager Charlene Adams
The park is home to more than 250 bird species, including populations of waders, coastal species, raptors (such as the vulnerable black harrier) and wetland birds. It has two well-positioned bird hides. Animals include eland, zebra, bontebok, springbok and duiker, as well as caracal and mongoose.
Visitors have access to picnic and braai sites with views over land, sea and the lagoon.
Since April, facilities have undergone an infrastructure upgrade of more than R50m. “It’s changed — in a good way,” says Adams.
Improvements to the entrance will reduce waiting times and queues. The Geelbek “activity node” and restaurant are being revamped and 11 chalets are being refurbished in the Duinepos area, across the road from Geelbek.
In line with SANParks’ future plans and its Vision 40, improvements are expected to stimulate conservation tourism, community participation and job creation.
Adams’ team is supported by honorary rangers Rory and Yvette Muldoon, trained volunteers who, among other tasks, raise funds, organise beach clean-ups and assist with visitor information and education.
In two clean-ups in the past year volunteers removed about 530 bags of waste from Sixteen Mile beach which stretches north from Yzerfontein.
“We get the most amazing things on this beach, gas bottles, old fridges, tyres, soft drink bottles with Asian writing on them,” they say. “The worst are plastic earbuds, sucker sticks, toothbrushes and plastic lighters.”
The Muldoons’ tips for a successful visit include catching the blooms between 10am and 11am on sunny days and avoiding puffadders and cobras by not trampling or lying down on the flowers.
The honorary rangers also developed guides to the spring flowers and birds in the park as part of their fundraising efforts.
South African citizens will be able to take advantage of free entry to the park on September 22-26 2025 during the SANParks national parks week. Proof of South African ID is needed.
The entrance to the WCNP is about 100km north of Cape Town, off the R27. Most internal routes are tarred but the last section of the road to Postberg is gravel.
Earlier this week a philosophical visitor was overheard quoting Albert Einstein to his companion: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
What we see here in this park is a miracle.
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