Quiver trees
Forking branches.
Hans Stieglitz — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Le Grand Portage, derivative work: Fletcher6 (talk) — CC BY 2.0 · Ragnhild&Neil Crawford from Sweden — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Reinhard Kraasch — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small, strange forest of about 250 tree aloes, a desert plant known as the quiver tree because the San people made quivers for their arrows from its hollow branches. The forest was declared a national monument and lies on a farm near Keetmanshoop. The trees grow among heaped dark boulders, with smooth golden trunks and branches that fork again and again to end in tufts of spiky leaves, shapes that seem to come from another world, especially against blue sky or an orange sunset. The best times are sunset and night, when the trees become black silhouettes against the coloured sky and then under the stars, drawing photographers. Nearby is the Giant's Playground, hills of black boulders piled as if by a giant. The fee is paid to the farm and differs between sources, and there are a campsite and lodge on site. The desert is very hot by day from October to March and cold at night, so start early and carry water and a hat.
Forking branches.
Black silhouettes.
Piled boulders.
About 14 km north-east of Keetmanshoop, on the Koës road
Because the San people made quivers for their arrows from its hollow branches.