A Botanical Expedition through one of the World’s Great Floral Kingdoms
Carnivorous Plants of South Africa
South Africa
Africa
$4,450
Switch CurrencySouth Africa’s Cape Floristic Region is one of the greatest botanical treasure houses on Earth. Occupying only a tiny corner of the African continent, this remarkable region supports an astonishing diversity of plants, with thousands of species found nowhere else. Proteas, ericas, orchids and spectacular spring wildflowers transform its mountains and valleys. Among this remarkable flora are some of Africa’s most beautiful carnivorous plants (Drosera, Roridula and Utricularia).
BrochureStart Point
Monday, August 30th, 2027
Cape Town
End Point
Friday, September 10th, 2027
Cape Town
Drosera regia
Drosera capensis Silvermine Gate
Drosera hilaris Silvermine Dam
About The Expedition
During this expedition, we journey from the mountains of the Cape Peninsula through spectacular fynbos, wetlands, sandstone ranges and the Succulent Karoo in search of extraordinary carnivorous plants and other botanical treasures.
CARNIVOROUS PLANTS
Discover South Africa’s remarkable carnivorous flora, searching for beautiful Drosera, Roridula and Utricularia species across
wetlands, mountain slopes and seasonal habitats. We hope to encounter a wonderful variety of carnivorous plants, from tiny annual sundews and delicate bladderworts to the extraordinary sticky-leaved Roridula.
CAPE FLORAL KINGDOM
Explore one of the richest botanical regions on Earth. Despite its relatively small size, the Cape Floral Kingdom supports an extraordinary diversity of plants, thousands of which occur nowhere else, making almost every day of our journey a botanical adventure.
SPRING WILDFLOWERS
Travel during the spectacular spring flowering season, when landscapes across the Western and Northern Cape can erupt into colour. Depending upon seasonal conditions, entire hillsides and valleys may be transformed by extraordinary displays of daisies, bulbs and countless other wildflowers.
PROTEAS & FYNBOS
Explore magnificent fynbos habitats in search of proteas, ericas, restios and an astonishing diversity of other
characteristic Cape plants. From coastal vegetation to high mountain
slopes, we encounter dramatically different plant communities as we travel.
SUCCULENTS & GEOPHYTES
Discover an exceptional diversity of succulents, bulbs and other geophytes, including tiny botanical treasures that can easily be overlooked. Our journey takes us into some of South Africa’s richest habitats for these fascinating and often highly localised plants.
ORCHIDS
Search for some of South Africa’s beautiful terrestrial orchids in their natural habitats. Spring provides an excellent opportunity to encounter flowering species across fynbos, wetlands and mountain environments, adding another dimension to the remarkable botanical diversity of our journey.
AFRICAN PENGUINS
Visit the coast to encounter charismatic African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), one of southern Africa’s most distinctive seabirds. Watching these remarkable birds ashore provides a wonderful wildlife contrast to the botanical focus of our expedition.
SPECTACULAR WILDLIFE
Alongside the extraordinary flora, we keep watch for South Africa’s diverse wildlife. Chacma baboons and rock hyraxes are amongst the most conspicuous mammals, while we may also encounter Cape
grysbok, grey rhebok, bontebok and other native wildlife, together with a wonderful diversity of birds, reptiles and smaller animals.
EXTRAORDINARY LANDSCAPES
Journey through an ever-changing succession of landscapes, from the mountains and fynbos of the Cape Peninsula to the rugged Cederberg, flower-filled Bokkeveld and arid landscapes of the Succulent Karoo.
AMAZING FOOD & WINE
Enjoy South Africa’s wonderful food and wine along the way, from excellent steaks to the beautiful red wines for which the Cape is famous.
Included
- All accommodation throughout the itinerary (shared twin or double room)
- All meals and non-alcoholic drinks
- Expert expedition team and professional guides
- All activities and excursions as per the itinerary
- All ground transport and other travel logistics during the itinerary
- Basic medical kit and satellite, radio or emergency phone
Not Included
- International flights to the start point and from the end point
- Travel insurance
- Passport and travel documents (e.g. visa, if required for your nationality)
- Pre- and Post-expedition accommodation
- Tips and gratuities (optional)
- Alcoholic beverages Souvenirs
- Personal expenses
- Optional single room upgrade
Itinerary
From the magnificent fynbos of the Cape Peninsula to the spring wildflowers of the West Coast, the geophyte-rich Bokkeveld and the extraordinary Succulent Karoo, this expedition explores some of South Africa’s richest and most spectacular botanical landscapes.
Prefer different dates?
We can organise a private, bespoke trip to fit your schedule and preferences.
Extend your journey
Extend your journey with an add-on safari to one of South Africa’s spectacular wildlife reserves for the chance to see elephants, lions, leopards and rhinos.
Contact us for more information: sales@redfernadventures.com
CAPE TOWN TO BAINSKLOOF
Our expedition begins in Cape Town as we journey into the mountains of the Cape Fold Belt. Our first botanical explorations introduce us to the extraordinary diversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom, searching fynbos and seasonally wet habitats for sundews, orchids, proteas, ericas and other characteristic plants. Key species include Drosera admirabilis, D. liniflora, D. regia (a real highlight of the whole trip), D. trinervia, D. capensis and Utricularia bisquamata.
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant.
THEEWATERKLOOF DAM
Today we explore spectacular mountain habitats around Theewaterkloof Dam. We stop at several sites to explore granite and sandstone slopes that support wonderfully diverse fynbos. We look for Drosera ericgreenii, D. capensis, D. cistiflora (broad leaf form), D. trinervia and D. zeyheri as well as Utricularia bisquamata, orchids, geophytes, proteas and countless smaller botanical treasures.
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant.
TABLE MOUNTAIN
We take a cable car to explore the magnificent Table Mountain, one of the botanical icons of South Africa. Our walks take us through exceptionally rich fynbos vegetation as we search for spectacular populations of D. cuneifolia and D. trinervia as well as aloes, proteas, ericas, restios and spring-flowering species. The views from Table Mountain are magnificent and on clear days, we can see Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned).
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant.
MALMESBURY & SWARTLAND
Leaving Cape Town, we travel north into the Swartland and explore seasonal wetlands and remaining fragments of exceptionally rich lowland vegetation. This region offers opportunities to encounter a different assemblage of carnivorous plants, bulbs, annuals and colourful spring wildflowers. In particular, we look out for Drosera cistiflora “white flower”, D. pauciflora, D. speciosa, D. violaceae and many hybrids, and then later D. cistiflora “orange flower”.
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant.
GIFBERG
Continuing north, we reach the dramatic landscapes of Gifberg, a towering sandstone plateau, home to streams and seasonally wet habitats that provide superb botanical habitats. We search for D. alba, D. capensis “red form”, D. cistiflora, D. trinervia, D. sp. nov “Orange Flower”, Utricularia brachyceras and U. bisquamata as well as orchids and interesting drought-adapted plants such as Conophytum.
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant.
NIEUWOUDTVILLE
Today we enter the remarkable Succulent Karoo, one of the richest succulent regions on Earth. In addition to seeing the beautiful Drosera variegata, D. trinervia and a striking unnamed new species, our focus broadens as we search for extraordinary succulents, geophytes
and miniature plants adapted to this arid environment, while seasonal wildflowers can add
splashes of colour to the landscape. We can detour to see otherworldly quiver trees. Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant
DRIVE TO CEDERBERG
We spend the morning exploring the celebrated botanical landscapes around Nieuwoudtville and the Bokkeveld, renowned for their exceptional diversity of bulbs and other geophytes. We then journey south into the rugged mountains of the Cederberg to search for Roridula dentata. This species undergoes natural boom-and-bust cycles associated with fire, but with several known locations to explore, we have a good chance of encountering this beautiful plant.
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant
CEDERBERG
A full day is devoted to exploring the spectacular Cederberg and Pakhuis landscapes. Among sandstone formations and mountain fynbos, we search for Drosera afra, D. alba, D. variegata, D. cistiflora “red form” and D. cistiflora “salmon flower form”, as well as orchids, proteas (including Protea acaulos), ericas and other endemic flora.
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant
CEDERBERG TO DARLING
We leave the mountains and travel south towards Darling, stopping along the way to explore promising botanical habitats. We visit several reserves home to some of the most spectacular spring wildflower displays in all of South Africa. Among the rainbow of flowers, we find spectacular Drosera cistiflora “white flower” and D. pauciflora plants. Nearby, we can find striking red-leaved forms of D. cistiflora.
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant.
DARLING & THE WEST COAST
The lowlands of the West Coast can be spectacular during spring, with colourful carpets of annuals and bulbs transforming the landscape. We explore some of the region’s finest remaining natural habitats, searching for orchids as well as Drosera cistiflora “red flower”
and D. trinervia amongst the remarkable variety of seasonal wildflowers. We then drive south
towards Hermanus.
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant.
HERMANUS AND FERNKLOOF
Today is a real highlight of the trip. We have a full day to explore the beautiful coast around Hermanus. This area is home to exceptionally rich fynbos vegetation, famous for Proteas, ericas and orchids. The rolling scenery of mountains and ocean creates some of the finest scenery of the trip. We look for Roridula gorgonias, D. aliciae, D. cistiflora, D. eustahaysae, D. glabripes, D. hilaris, D. slackii and D. zeyheri. We also often see Chacma baboons!
Overnight in a boutique hotel and dinner in a local restaurant.
RETURN TO CAPE TOWN
Our final day takes us into the magnificent landscapes of the Cape Peninsula, exploring the fynbos and wetlands around Silvermine to see beautiful D. admirabilis, D. aliciae, D. capensis, D. glabripes, D. hilaris, D. ramentacea and D. trinervia. We make the most of our last opportunities to encounter orchids, proteas and other endemic plants.
After lunch, we can visit a colony of African penguins before returning to Cape Town, bringing our botanical journey through South Africa to an end.
Ready for the Adventure of a Lifetime?
Join us in South Africa and discover spectacular carnivorous plants, colourful spring wildflowers and the extraordinary botanical diversity of the Cape.
BESPOKE PRIVATE TOURS
If you prefer not to join a group tour, we can tailor a private trip to match your dates and interests. Please email us for more details.