Namibia 2014

Saturday27September

Waking up at Anib Lodge campsite in Mariental. We pack everything up and hit the road again, still heading south.

We drive all morning and reach the Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop. And already the famous trees are there. This tree is inseparable from the country; if you search for Namibia on the internet, you will surely come across photos of this tree.

But for now, we meet the small local inhabitants: Cape hyraxes (Procavia capensis). A kind of marmot, they are very curious and wary at the same time and don't know what to make of these tourist photographers...

That doesn't stop us from settling down to eat...

But that was without counting on the sociable weavers who had clearly spotted that there would be crumbs left from this meal...

Acacia flowers

We leave the table to the large-billed small birds and get back in the car to reach the famous Quiver Tree Forest.

We are next to the Gariganus farm, in the "forest" of quiver trees (kokerboom in local language), declared a National Monument.

This tree is an aloe dichotoma, it belongs to the aloe family. Indeed, it is by getting closer that one clearly recognizes the characteristics of this family with its thick and fleshy leaves.

Other succulent plants from the aloe family line the rocky ground.

Detail of the quiver tree bark.

Here is the explanation for the name of this aloe, "the quiver tree". The hollow branches served as cases for the Bushmen to carry their arrows.

In the second photo, the remains of the leaves form a flower-like shape. In the other photos, real withered flowers.

A black-eyed bulbul (Pycnonotus nigricans) at the top of the aloe, which also hosts a nest of sociable weavers.

The multiple nests were built little by little and eventually formed a single block with a huge labyrinth within it.

A few kilometers away, we reach a most curious area. Here, no trees but only enormous dolerite blocks seemingly methodically arranged here and there. At first, it feels like arriving in a disaster zone, like a city after an earthquake. But it is indeed nature that has done its work here. Only time has shaped this landscape, through erosion and nearly 180 million years...

And if erosion hadn't been responsible for all this, wouldn't it rather be a giant who had fun arranging all these stones in balance? This is undoubtedly what inspired the name of the place.  

So who is responsible? Erosion or giant?  

We still manage to find some aloe dichotoma.

We leave the area and our journey crosses the Transnamib railway.

Ah, this time it's not just an ostrich we cross paths with, but also its little chicks! And this mom is very brave because she has to watch over her 12 offspring during the afternoon walk! Unless it's just the local nanny!  

And here are some red hartebeests (Alcelaphus buselaphus).

"The red hartebeest is an animal that does not tolerate captivity well. It is therefore rarely found in farms or zoos." © Wikipedia

2nd campsite of the trip, we are at Cañon Roadhouse, not far from the Fish River Canyon that we will visit tomorrow.

The Moon keeps us company with its first crescent! Don't forget that we are in the southern hemisphere and the phases are reversed! (the first quarter begins on the right in France, while here it appears on the left or almost horizontally during this period).