Wildflower tourism has become a popular travel trend with visitors flocking to in-bloom destinations around the world.
In the last few years, Japan has seen a surge in cherry blossom tourists, leading to significant overtourism at iconic parks and sites like Chureito Pagoda during the blossoming season. In many cases, there can be more than 10,000 tourists in a single day.
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The rise of social media has contributed to this pressure as well, with Japanese cherry blossom posts often going viral, thanks to the stunning scenery and colourful displays.
This has led to incidents like the city of Fujiyoshida cancelling its Arakurayama Sengen Park festival because of safety concerns, infrastructure stain and unruly visitor behaviour.
Climate volatility has also meant that cherry blossom patterns have changed in recent years. Trees now bloom earlier and often for a shorter duration, leading to tourist disappointment in many cases.
The same overtourism and climate pressures have also been seen in tulip tourism in the Netherlands.
This has caused nature lovers to increasingly look beyond Japan and the Netherlands for beautiful blooms and stunning landscapes.
But where should you head for some unique flower tourism? We take a look at some of the best in-bloom destinations to visit.
Namaqualand, South Africa and Namibia
Namaqualand, a semi-arid region along South Africa and Namibia’s west coast, is one of the world’s most biodiverse places.
It offers travellers a rare and unique “blooming desert” phenomena between August and September, with more than 3,500 wildflower species, out of which around 1,000 are unique to the area. These include several succulents and the iconic Namaqualand daisies.
This “super bloom” can be seen all the way from inland mountain ranges to the coastal Sandveld, offering a stark contrast of arid plains and valleys carpeted with white, purple and orange flowers.
Travellers can enjoy several hiking trails in the Namaqua National Park, along with a dedicated “wild flower route”.
With the blooms being subject to annual rainfall patterns, this experience is all the more fleeting and special.
Travellers can also enjoy 4x4 trails, explore the Atlantic coast and Quiver tree forests, raft down the Orange River and stargaze. Culture and history lovers can also head to the town of Springbok for more insight into its copper mining history.
Jerte Valley, Spain
For travellers looking for cherry blossom wonder outside of Japan, Jerte Valley in Spain is the perfect alternative.
The valley boasts around 1.5 million to two million cherry trees, which all bloom together in spring, transforming the hillsides and valley floor of the Cáceres region into a sea of dramatic white.
The blooms last around 10 days, with the best time to see them being in late March or early April. In contrast to Japan’s cherry blossoms, which are mainly celebrated for their intense beauty, rather than agricultural value, these Spanish blooms also herald a massive fruit harvest for picota cherries.
Much like Japan’s Hanami parties, the Jerte Valley cherry blossoms are celebrated with the Fiesta del Cerezo en Flor (cherry blossom festival).
Here, visitors can enjoy music and theatre performances, browse through handicrafts and artisanal products, taste local, traditional cherry-based dishes and enjoy guided hiking and walking tours.
Travellers can also explore charming, historic villages and protected sites like Cabezuela del Valle, which is famed for its rustic architecture.
One of the best ways to experience the blooms is by driving through the valley, which takes tourists through 11 different municipalities with various stunning viewpoints of the slopes.
Valley of Flowers, India
Another prime flower tourism spot is the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Uttarakhand, India.
Located within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, the Himalayan valley offers a unique “living tapestry” effect against vast mountain peaks, with bloom colours changing every few weeks between June and September.
Due to it having its own micro-climate, the valley is also lusher and more beautiful than surrounding Himalayan valleys.
It features more than 600 species of flowers, including rare and endangered mountain species such as the cobra lily, Himalayan blue poppy and the Brahma Kamal, a species of flower that is considered sacred. A diverse range of rare orchids, primulas, poppies and daisies can also be seen.
The park offers a unique transition zone between the Great Himalaya and Zanskar ranges and is home to rare endangered animals like the snow leopard, Asiatic black bear and musk deer.
The changing colours of the blooms and rare Himalayan species make the valley a haven for photographers, nature enthusiasts and botanists alike.
Outdoors enthusiasts can enjoy a variety of accessible trekking trails, typically starting from Govindghat, while culture-seekers can head to Hemkund Sahib, a high-altitude Sikh pilgrimage site.
Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Lake Tekapo, located in the Mackenzie Country on the South Island of New Zealand, is another unique flower tourism destination. The lake itself is a glacial one, and a striking turquoise colour, due to glacial rock flour.
It also offers one of the world’s clearest night skies, perfect for combining flower tourism with some astrotourism.
Visitors can enjoy vibrant fields of pink, blue and purple Russell lupins, set against the stunning lake and snow-capped mountains, transforming the whole Mackenzie Basin into a magnificent spectacle.
The area around the Church of the Good Shepherd is particularly photogenic, however, while travellers along the Mackenzie Basin highway should get a very good view as well.
The best time to see the blooms is from mid-November to December, with “golden hour” (right before sunrise or sunset) being the best time for photographers.
Other things to do include stargazing, hiking, relaxing in hot pools and springs, kayaking, skating and taking scenic flights over the Southern Alps with Mackenzie Helicopters or Air Safaris.
Muker Meadows, UK
For travellers who have had their fill with flowering mountain valleys, Muker Meadows, in England’s Yorkshire Dales, offers a different experience. These are traditional, upland hay meadows, or agricultural grasslands, which typically bloom between mid-June to early July.
As a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Coronation Meadow, it is one of the most biodiverse and well-preserved hay meadows in the UK.
Travellers can marvel at rare flowers like wood crane’s bill, yellow-rattle and melancholy thistle set against a historic backdrop of scenic dry stone barns and walls.
This is in addition to other species like buttercups, selfheals, lady’s-mantle, and pignuts, offering plenty of photography and nature learning opportunities.
Soak in some classic English scenery on a walk through the meadows, or enjoy a peaceful picnic in the afternoon sun. Hikers can also head to River Swale or Keld for a scenic walk.
