101 Reasons to visit Namibia: Bloom where you are planted- Sandhof Lilies

Imagine standing in a pan filled with flowers as far as the eye can see. This kind of 
beauty makes time stand still. Flowers are often used to deliver messages that couldn’t 
be spoken aloud. In a sort of silent dialogue, the picture in front of me speaks a 
thousand words. There is something rare and magical about the pan filled with flowers. 
On the edge of the pan, the rocky area makes it unbelievable to think it had rained. The 
land has been waiting for this moment and now celebrates by blooming in full, glorious 
splendour.

Namibia is characterised by its warm temperatures and little rain. In the south of 
Namibia it is no different, rain is scarce. However, as soon as the first sight of rain 
appears, the dry and barren landscapes transform into something unbelievable. In the 
south of Namibia, about 39 km from Maltahöhe is Farm Sandhof, better known as the 
Sandhof Lilies. With a good rainy season, the barren landscape of the farm is 
transformed into a sea of pinkish flowers. From all over the country, the Namibians 
make their way to Sandhof to see this unique occurrence of flowers. There, they camp 
next to the vlei for the day while taking in the beautiful sight. The sound of laughter and 
people chatting creates a harmonious moment.

Photo credits: Janke Murray

What makes these flowers special, is their blooming behaviour. Only after the first rains 
have fallen the bushveld lilies bloom. The sight is spectacular and very rare. This 
phenomenon only occurs in some parts of Namibia and Farm Sandhof is one of these 
places. This species of lilies, Crinum Paludosum, is a funnel shaped flower with a pink 
and white colour. 

Photo credits: Janke Murray

The bulbs are situated in a clay pan and as soon as enough rain has filled the pan, at 
least 30cm of water, they start to bloom. The flowers however do not wait for anyone. 
For the next 6 to 8 days the flowers create a canvas of beauty and visitors can admire
the lilies. The lily field is about 800 ha. What makes this even more spectacular is that 
the flowers only occur once in every 3-5 years. This is truly a destination one does not 
want to miss. 

Photo credits: Janke Murray 

Whenever you are traveling in Namibia in the rainy season, and hear that the lilies are in 
bloom, make sure to visit Sandhof and experience this very rare phenomenon of flowers 
in the desert. Sometimes, the unplanned routes are the best kind. If there is one lesson 
that comes to mind when visiting the lilies it is: ‘bloom where you are planted

Author: Janke Murray