The 1st of September is Celebration time in South Africa. It is the beginning of spring and nature starts blossoming and days get warmer. The spring wild flower displays in Western and Northern Cape is truly spectacular. Spring in South Africa is also when you’ll find the southern right whales frolicking around the coast. The Addo Elephant National Park is great to visit in spring when it’s not too hot or too cold. It is home to the Big 7 (buffalo, lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, great white sharks and southern right whales), and a great safari add-on after a visit to Cape Town and the Garden Route. In the Kruger area spring is the height of dry season with sparse vegetation. Because the rivers and dams are so low a high concentration of game can be viewed, which means that game viewing during this period is usually very good.
There are some really fantastic events happening during the month of September, the Darling Wild Flower Show, the Darling Voorkamerfest, the Hermanus Whale Festival, the Nederberg Auction and the Magoebaskloof Spring Festival, to mention but a few 😉 Even if you are not interested in any of the scheduled yearly events, just to see the fauna and flora is reason enough to visit and enjoy Spring.
During spring the West Coast nature reserves are carpeted with flowers. The Darling Wild Flower Show will showcase the magnificent varieties of these beautiful colorful wild flowers. Happening at the same time in this interesting little town is the Hello Darling Arts Festival in Evita se Perron theatre. This event features some of the country’s top performers including Pieter Dirk Uys and his alter ego Evita Bezuidenhout. The Darling Voorkamerfest is regarded as one of the most unique arts festivals in the world. Different performances take place in township abodes or some of Darling’s grand Cape Dutch homes, and the owners play host to the guests. This is a truly South African cultural experience not to be missed!
The Hermanus Whale Festival is celebrating it’s 21st year as the only Enviro-arts festival in South Africa and puts the creatures of the deep on stage and under the spotlight alongside top performers and musicians from the 28th September to 1st October this year. The festival will continue with more activities during the following weekend 5th to 7th October. The Whales are always the star performers at the festival with the Endangered Species Marquee, claimed to be the best ever, quality crafters, sport events, kids entertainment, Two Oceans Marquee with a full music program, Checkers Food Emporium and thousands of people celebrating Spring in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
A range of exciting events have been planned to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Magoebaskloof Spring Festival. The Spring Fair, which is held at the Magoebaskloof Hotel, prides itself on showcasing arts and crafts of exceptional quality. Only hand-crafted items are allowed and the vetting procedure is strict.
The Food Hall at the fair will showcase local organic cheeses, organic herbs, jams, jellies and pickles, dried fruit and health foods. Other events include a bier fest with a German oompah band, several performances by The Men in Red (Welsh Male Voice Choir),the Peanutbutter Sandwich Walk -a big little walk of 2.5kms and a treasure hunt featuring places of local and historical interest. There will be an art exhibition featuring works by talented local artists and the forestry competition is great fun when timber and forestry workers pit their skills against each other. Picnics can be enjoyed alongside the picturesque Stanford Lake at the College.
A premier event on Cape Town’s wine calendar, the Nederburg Auction serves to showcase the spectrum of award-winning wines and rare Cape finds created by the country’s most talented winemakers. Since its beginnings in 1975 with the ‘famous five’ founding participants; Delheim, Groot Constantia, Overgaauw, Simonsig and of course Nederburg, and an offering of just 15 wines, the Auction has evolved into an international event where major local and overseas wine buyers bid for a stringently selected range of the finest wines created by South Africa’s most talented winemakers. This year marks the 38th year of this prestigious event.
Road Travel Africa would love to share some of these events with you, so get in touch and get the ball rolling. We are only an email / phone call away and would love to assist in turning your dream African Trip into a Reality!
Southern Africa Travel 
One thought on “September is Spring in South Africa!”
Comments are closed.