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The quiver tree forest is located near Keetmanshoop on the road from Keetmanshoop to Koes. From Keetmanshoop you can drive to the Fishriver canyon or to Aus or Luderitz within one day. The Giant's Playground is nearby. Here you will find a number of quivertrees. This place is better known for its giant boulders stacked on top of each other like the blocks of a playing child. This was caused by magma that has been eroded. From the parking lot a walking path runs through the Giants playground. Both the quiver tree forest and the Giant's playground are located on the Gariganus farm, a farm that is in full operation. They are not freely accessible. You have to pass by the farm and buy a ticket, which is not particularly expensive. You can also spend the night on the farm. Quivertree Forest Rest Camp There are a couple of bungalows and other possibilities to spend the night in some luxury, and there is a fairly basic campground. Free WiFi is available at reception. I spent two nights on the campground, because I wanted to be photographing at night. This is allowed, but you must buy a permit in advance.
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The quivertree, Aloidendron dichotomum, is a capricious, hollow tree found in Namibia and South Africa. Keetmanshoop is the only place in Namibia where there are that many together in a forest. It is a national monument. It is not a dense forest, the trees are standing far apart from each other. This offers the opportunity to get beautiful views and to capture solitary trees aswell. After sunset you can create beautiful compositions here where you can combine the Milky way with the whimsical shapes of the quivertrees. With full moon you have many options here.
My intention was to stay in the quiver tree forest around new moon so it would be able to photograph the galaxy, in combination with the quiver trees. This did not quite work out, because it was rainy weather, with thunder storms. Beautiful aswell of course, but not what I was looking for. It is best to make an orientation round through the forest in daylight so you know where to find the right compositions. The forest is not very big, you will not get lost. At the west side, it can get busier at sunrise and sunset, which means that it becomes more difficult there to take pictures without other people in the frame.
Don't forget to bring enough water and something to eat when you venture into the quiver tree forest. It is not big, but you would not like to interrupt your photography session because the heat is to severe that you are forced to look for some water.
Photographing sunrise without having 'man made structures' in your composition. The sun sets behind the farm, so you will have objects like water towers and antennas in your composition. In some trees there are nesting Sociable Weaver. Sometimes these nests are re/used by parakeets. There are also some rodents around and you will also encounter lizards.
The campsite is very spacious, your neighbors are probably about a hundred meters away from you. There are two showers and two separate toilets and a place to wash dishes. The spots are lit, operated by yourself. There is a place for a BBQ. There is no shop, but Keetmanshoop is about 15 km from the camp where there is a shopping center..
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