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Just 90 minutes outside of Cape Town, the little town of Darling is waiting to be explored. And explore I did, when I was invited to visit the Flower Festival over the weekend of 14 to 16 September 2018. If you follow us on Instagram, you may have seen a few posts but let’s get down to the details, shall we?
There is so much more to Darling than just the wildflowers, but the wildflowers are SPECTACULAR! You could easily visit any time of year and find more than enough to do. In fact, do yourself a favour and make a weekend of it, so that you can really immerse yourself in the culture.
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The people of Darling are invested in their town and their new tourism identity, launched on Saturday, 15 September is nothing short of fabulous. I mean, #HelloDarling sounds exactly something Tannie Evita would say (and I’m pretty sure she does).
We were welcomed with open arms and a generous goodie bag on arrival filled with some delicious local treats, from The Flying Pig and Darling Sweet. These are just a few of the vendors who are well worth a visit. See what I mean when I said you won’t get bored?
Even the drive to Darling is beautiful and, there are a number of stops you could make along the way if, for example, you wanted to turn the trip into an educational experience.
If you are looking for a way to really open your mind to another culture, visit Kwatthu to learn about the San people, you can read more about our visit here.
And, after all that, you may be too tired to drive back to Cape Town so, make a booking and stay overnight at the lovely Thali Thali Game Farm and choose to stay a while. Take a walking wildlife tour (Giraffe Trail 11km, Eland Trail 6.5km, Springbok Trail. 3.5km). Or learn how to shoot a bow and arrow with accredited archery coach and owner of the lodge Thys van Niekerk, who has previously shot for South Africa’s national squad. (In 2014, he won a silver medal for South Africa at the World Field Archery Championships.)
If your budget doesn’t stretch to an overnight stay, you can enjoy the wildlife for just R50 per person as a day visitor. But do make an plan to have lunch in their restaurant. Their team knows their way around a kitchen!
There you have it, your weekend itinerary all planned out. So, take a look at your diary, book some time off and go on a road trip. The best part about exploring your country like a local is there is no need for expensive flights, visa applications or foreign currency, although, if I could, I totally would #justsaying. Travel is an investment for your soul.
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