BEAT THE BLOOMS

Intrepid travellers who venture along the lesser gravel roads high along the western reaches of the Northern Cape, where arid desert land tumbles towards the tempestuous Atlantic Ocean, will be lucky enough to discover ‘Eenkantland’.

This ‘Land on the Side’ is also known as Namaqualand, and the region’s Namaqua Coastal Route traverses the north-western parts of the area. It is a place of stark, jaw-dropping beauty, where a semi-desert inland escarpment transitions into a turbulent shoreline.

Here, rich and varied botanical biomes have been savaged by a vigorous climate, and these extreme elements have shaped a space which is rugged beyond belief. Look closely, and you will find that the arid earth bristles with a profusion of bulbs and succulents, while quiver trees and dramatic granitic outcrops lie stacked against the time-warped horizons.

During spring, and seemingly overnight, the dusty valleys and plains of Namaqualand are magically transformed into a floral wonderland. ‘Bloom