THE FLORA OF SOUTH AFRICA:
THE WESTERN CAPE, NAMAQUALAND, AND THE GREAT KAROO
August 17-31, 2012 15 days/14 nights !!
Patrick Cardwell and Local Guides
 South Africa is famous the world over for the incredible diversity and beauty of its native flora. Though it represents less than 1 percent of the world's total land surface, South Africa accounts for 10 percent of all the known species of flowering plants. Of these, 80 percent are endemic, found only in South Africa. Anyone who loves flowers or gardens will recognize floral "friends" among the most flamboyant of South Africa's native species—the proteas, geraniums, amaryllis, freesias, ice plants, red-hot pokers, bird-ofparadise, gladiolas, and gazanias. Our journey begins in Cape Town, our portal to the Cape Peninsula. Driving along the spectacularly scenic Atlantic coastline, we'll enjoy the varied nature preserves that comprise Table Mountain National Park, a World Heritage Site. The Cape Peninsula is home to more than 1000 flowering plant species, over 50 species of mammals, 250 species of birds, and more than 40 species of amphibians and reptiles. The Cape of Good Hope, described by Sir Francis Drake on his global voyage in 1580 as "the fairest Cape...in the whole circumference of the earth," provides our first introduction to the botanical wonders of the Cape Floristic Region. We'll explore world-renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the first gardens in the world devoted exclusively to a country's indigenous flora. The habitats and plant species represented provide an extraordinary cross-section of South Africa's major vegetation communities. Our trip has been timed for peak bloom—the distinctive shrublands known as fynbos should be awash in red proteas, magenta-hued heaths, orange gerbera daisies, and pink ice plants. Wildlife watching should also be excellent, especially for the endemic bird species of the fynbos, such as orangebreasted sunbird, Cape sugarbird, and the Cape canary. We'll see ostriches and also be able to photograph African penguins at Boulders Beach.
Leaving the Cape Peninsula, we head north along the dramatic coastline of the Western Cape, with its deserted beaches, rolling dune fields (sandveld ), and unusual granite outcrops—always keeping a watchful eye for a troop of Chacma baboons, Cape mountain zebra, or bontebok. We'll spend a day exploring and photographing in West Coast National Park, with its fabulously blooming coastal strandveld and sandveld habits and the magnificent lagoon serves as a critical stopover for migratory birds and hosts large breeding colonies of Cape cormorant and Cape gannet. In the coastal scrub, we'll watch for several species of antelope, including springbok and the diminutive steenbok and Cape grysbok. Moving further north, into the region known as Namaqualand, we'll immerse ourselves in brilliantly colored floral tapestries amidst rounded granite hills and quartz-studded plains. Imagine showy gazanias and other daisies, succulent karoo species, such as aloes and ice plants, geophytes (bulbous species) such as hyacinth, iris, candelabra lilies, and amaryllis—all while watching oryx, with their rapier-like horns, and springbok, South Africa's national mammal, wandering across the plain.
 Our return route takes us over mountain passes and across dramatic plateaus as we enter the heartland of the Great Karoo. Wherever we look, showy geophytes, such as snow-white arum lily and the yellow spires of bulbinella, grace the rocky slopes. In the most arid and moon-like landscapes, we find the cryptically colored, dwarf succulents known as "living rocks." In the remote Cedarberg Mountains, we'll explore pristine mountain fynbos, reveling in a high elevation species mix of proteas and heaths. Descending into the famed Tankawa Karoo, in the rain shadow of the Cedarbergs, we enjoy a spectacularly colorful display of succulents, especially aloes and ice plants, as well as gazanias and other annual daisies. A final dawn wildlife drive gives us a chance to see and photograph giraffe, Cape buffalo, blue wildebeest, Burchell's zebra, kudu, impala, meerkats, and white rhino. Our return to Cape Town brings us full circle—and to the conclusion of a unique natural history journey!
Price: $4,950 (includes a $1,000 deposit)
Group Size: 12
Trip Rating: 2
Price Includes: 15 Days/14 Nights, including all hotel/airport transfers, all ground transportation, all lodging, all meals, services of naturalist guides, local guides/lecturers, all national park and museum entrance fees, and service gratuities.
Does not include roundtrip airfare to Cape Town from your point of departure, trip insurance (required), alcohol, or items of a personal nature. Trip cost is based on double occupancy; the single supplement is $490.
Photographs on the South Africa and Namibia pages courtesy of Carlos Passera
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Journeys to South Africa and Namibia top the travel "wish list" for most naturalists. Ranking third in the world in total biodiversity, South Africa is home to nearly all the charismatic megafauna for which sub-Saharan Africa is famous, more endemic bird species than are found anywhere else on the continent, and some of the world's most beautiful and unusual plants. South Africa's flora gets center stage on our first trip to the African continent—but birdwatching and other wildlife viewing opportunities will be exceptional wherever we go. Our second trip shifts the naturalist focus to Namibia, where we experience towering orange dunes, fog-nourished coastal deserts, and Etosha National Park, one of Africa's premier wildlife safari destinations.