Clanwilliam Wild Flowers and Cape Fynbos

WILD FLOWERS and CAPE FYNBOS
Flower Routes | Wild Flower Show | Ramskop Nature Garden | Cape Fynbos

Each year during August and September, depending on the preceding winter's rainfall, the area is transformed into a floral showcase. The area features a large variety of wild flowers. Ramskop Nature Reserve at the Clanwilliam Dam Resort boasts 250 indigenous species of wild flowers.

FLOWER ROUTES Information regarding flower routes cannot be accessed ahead of time as the profusion of flowers is dependent on good rains. Information offices throughout the area remain in contact, and predictions regarding the season can only be made from July. The best times for flowers is generally August and September. Many of the towns in the area offer flower shows during that period. Enquire at the nearest Information office before setting out on a tour. The Clanwilliam Information Office can assist you with information regarding the best routes to select. Remember that flowers need to be viewed with the sun behind you and preferably between 10h30 and 15h30 when the sun is at its warmest. On the days that are rainy or misty most of the flowers remain shut because of the cold.

WILD FLOWER SHOW The annual ten-day Wild Flower Show is presented by the Clanwilliam Wild Flower Association in the Old Dutch Reformed Church. It starts at the end of August and ends first week in September. The Church was declared a National Monument in 1978. At the end of winter, the Flower Church becomes a hive of activity. Volunteers happily create a manmade landscape inside the church; a kaleidoscope from nature made accessible to everybody. About 360 species are exhibited by the Clanwilliam Wildflower Society, which is a fitting complement to the dignified architecture of the church. The pulpit has been quiet for many years, but the flowers offer a song of praise heavenwards. This flower fête includes concerts, art and food stalls, and a street carnival. A special botanical division displays all the flowers on show with their botanical, as well as their common names. It is alleged that the greatest variety of wild flowers in one district in the world happen to make their appearance in the area around Clanwilliam.

RAMSKOP NATURE RESERVE:
The Wild Flower Garden contains a variety of more than 350 species of cultivated wild flowers.
The walks on the laid-out paths through the garden also offer a beautiful view over the Clanwilliam Dam and of the Cederberg Mountains. Thousands of local and international tourists visit this garden during the months of August and September.
The best viewing times are between 11h00 and 15h00. There is also a short hiking trail from the flower garden to the dam wall. During the season the Woman's Organisation offers light refreshments at the garden. (For groups wishing to make use of the facility it is recommended that arrangements be made in advance).
Please enquire at Clanwilliam Tourism about this service and also for admission fees. 027 482 2024.

CAPE FYNBOS The greater part of Clanwilliam falls within the world renowned Fynbos Biome. Fynbos is recognised as one of the 6 floral kingdoms in the world. More than 8 500 varieties have already been identified, of which more than 6 000 are endemic. The word 'endemic' implies that the plant only occurs in a specific area. Various endangered endemic fynbos species can be found in the area. The most notable of these are the Clanwilliam Cedar (Widdringtonia cederbergensis) and the Snow Protea (Protea cryophila) which grow exclusively in isolated sites in the Cederberg Wilderness Area.
The Snow Protea is 130 - 160 mm in diameter and grows maily in small belt of about 25 km in length, and between 1 750 and 1 900 m high in the Cederberg mountains. During the winter the plants are covered by snow for weeks. The Snow Protea survives in the most stringent weather conditions, from heat to cold, and usually grows in cracks of bare rocks. Plants can reach 70 years of age. The flower takes a full year to open, and plants seldom have more than 3 to 4 flowers.
Buchu (Agathosma betulina) is a sought after medicinal herb which grows in the mountains in the area. Clanwilliam and surrounding area is the only place in the world where Rooibos grows, and where it is cultivated, processed and exported.

ELANDSBERG ECO TOURISM The plantlife of the Cedarberg area is as fascinating as it is varied and beautiful. Our ‘safari’ tours on the estate aim to provide visitors with a feel for the astonishing “secret lives of plants” and the myriad of little miracles that make the fynbos plant kingdom so unique.
The tour also touches in popular terms on the geological history and the roll of the mountains in this very delicate eco system. These tours are combined with a visit to a Rooibos plantation and to the factory where the tea is processed and packaged. Contact Annette or Chris du Plessis at 027-482 2022. The farm Groenkol is approximately 18 km outside of Clanwilliam on the way to Lamberts Bay.