Driving along Daisy Lane

Namaqualand's flower season occurs from July to October - peaking in late August to early September - so you'd better hurry if you want to book a camping spot for this year's spectacle. Join us on a leisurely drive from Kakamas to Nieuwoudtville in search of the perfect floral show.

- Cyril Klopper

The N14 barrels headlong through the Green Kalahari, barely changing its heading. Quiver trees hold vigil on pale yellow grasslands while hot tar hums under your rig’s tyres as you cross ephemeral rivers. Signs stating their peculiar names flash by: Hartbees,Yas se Laagte, Kaboep… Snow white daisies rise out of the red sand, as if they’re grateful for the recent rains.

YESTERDAYYOU DROVE nearly 900 km from Gauteng to Kakamas in the Northern Cape. It was quite a trek and no wonder you decided to check in at the Kakamas Hotel rather than pitch your tent.

We’ll definitely be camping on this trip, but that comfy hotel room allowed you to charge your camera’s batteries (and your own) and format its memory cards in preparation for what is to come. The hotel’s restaurant served slow-roasted lamb tails (R69 per serving), a Karoo delicacy known as skaapstertjies that probably wrought havoc with your cholesterol, but so be it, they were delicious and you’re on holiday.

And now we’re on our way to Namaqualand. The first town after Kakamas is Pofadder where the wildflowers on the side of the road are increasing in number. It’s time to dig out your wildflower guide book because you’re itching to know what species they are.

The petals of one specimen are golden yellow with black spots in a ring near the centre.Your guide book identifies it as Gazania lichtensteinii, or botterblom (butter flower) in the common vernacular. Next to it is a type of succulent; it has pale yellow flowers with delicate strands for petals.You flip through your book until you find it: Malephora crassa, or golden fingers. The common names are adorable!