NAMAQUALAND - home to the Benguela Dolphin

Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the West to Pofadder in the East, and from Garies in the South to the Orange River in the north, Namaqualand is a vast area , baking lazily under a clear unendingly blue sky and a radiant sun.

During the dry, often dusty and arid summer months, it's almost impossible to imagine that come spring and a short rainy season, a jewel-like carpet of wild flowers will magically spring up, almost overnight to clothe the dry ground in every shade imaginable. Most of the flowers belong to the different species of daisies.


The spectacular display of wildflowers can be best admired in the period from August to October, when visitors can phone the regional and national "Flower Hotlines" to enquire about quality, size and position of the most beautiful flower regions.

Northern Namaqualand's rough and often wild Atlantic coast, frequently covered in dense sea fogs, is not the place for pleasant swimming. Due to the Benguela current, the water is, very cold. Benguela Dolphin-Cephalorhynchus heavisidii takes its name from this current and thrives in the cold water.

The small harbour town of Port Nolloth, gives a sleepy and laid-back impression. However, activity on the boats anchored in the shallows belies this first impression. People are looking for diamonds. Powerful pumps on board of the boats suck the sand up from the bottom of the sea, let it run through a shaking-machine and filter the diamonds out. To this day, a licence to prospect diamonds is still a lucrative business.

Springbok is the hub of Namaqualand and takes its name from the large herds of springbok which used to pass through the arid valley to drink water from the spring. Iin the mid 1900's, when copper resources were discovered near the small settlement, the herds were driven away and mining began in the area. Now most of the mines are closed and Springbok is the centre of the wildflower region. Each spring the town becomes inundated with a great invasion of tourists who stream into the Goegab Nature Reserve. Even out of season, this nature reserve offers an interesting insight into the unique plant world of Namaqualand.