The Quiver Tree Forest on Gariganus Farm near Keetmanshoop is an ideal stopover on many routes, featuring hundreds of ancient, sculptural aloe plants and nearby massive dolerite boulders – better known as the Giant’s Playground. The aloe dichotoma (or the quiver tree) is not actually a tree but a giant succulent plant that can grow up to 8 meters tall., with the oldest specimens dating back 200 to 300 years. Walk through the surreal landscape, spot rock hyraxes (dassies), and explore the stacked rock formations of the Giant’s Playground. This is any photographer’s dream! The trees look entirely otherworldly during sunrise and sunset, when the bark glows bright golden-orange, and at night, when the milky way arches over the alien-looking tree silhouettes.
