Quiver Tree Forest, Namibia: A Guide to Visiting This Otherworldly Landscape

Rising from the rocky desert of southern Namibia, the Quiver Tree Forest in Namibia is a striking and otherworldly landscape. Home to hundreds of towering quiver trees, this natural wonder offers a surreal backdrop for photographers and nature lovers alike. Its unique beauty makes it one of the country’s most fascinating sights.

Quiver Tree Forest is not just a scenic spot—it holds cultural and ecological significance, making it a great stop for those interested in Namibia’s natural heritage.

However, is it worth adding to your itinerary? We had very mixed feelings - which is why in this guide, we’ll break down what to expect, the best times to visit, and whether a trip to the Quiver Tree Forest and Giant’s Playground aligns with your travel plans.

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Quiver Tree Forest, Namibia: A Brief Intro

Before going into the details of Quiver Tree Forest in Namibia, we'd like to tell you a bit about quiver trees, and where they can found!

🤩 What is Special About the Quiver Tree?

The Quiver Tree (formerly known as Aloe Dichotoma) is a unique and striking tree native to Southern Africa, known for its thick, forked branches and golden bark that peels into beautiful patterns. 

It thrives in harsh desert climates and has been used by the indigenous San people, who hollowed out its branches to make quivers for their arrows, which is where the name comes from.

It truly is one of the most beautiful and peculiar tree that we've ever witnessed, making it a really unique experience to add to your bucket list.

💫 Are Quiver Trees Rare?

Quiver Trees are considered extremely rare, especially as climate change and habitat loss threaten their populations. 

These trees are a symbol of resilience, standing tall in some of the driest landscapes on Earth, and can only be found in just a few places!

❣️ Where Can You Find Quiver Trees?

Quiver Trees are found primarily in the arid regions of Namibia and South Africa. One of the most famous locations is the Quiver Tree Forest in Namibia, where hundreds of these trees are gathered together to create a stunning, otherworldly landscape. 

They also grow in scattered areas of the Northern Cape in South Africa, particularly in the Namaqualand and Richtersveld regions. (We didn't see these ones though).

These trees thrive in rocky, desert environments, making them a rare and fascinating sight in the wilderness of Southern Africa.

📍 Where is Quiver Tree Forest in Namibia?

Quiver Tree Forest is located just outside of Keetmanshoop in southern Namibia. It's situated along M29, on the left hand side when coming from the town of Keetmanshoop.

It's important to note that when you put Quiver Tree Forest in Google Maps that it might give you the wrong pin like it did to us. Make sure to put Quivertree Forest Rest Camp, like we have pinned on the map below.

Quiver Tree Forest Prices & Timetable

Now that you know where Quiver Tree Forest is, and how to get there, let's go over when you can visit, and how much it costs for entering.

Don't have time to read the whole article and want to save it for later? Just pin it!

🕒 When Can You Visit Quiver Tree Forest in Namibia?

Quiver Tree Forest can actually be visited at any time, but it does require a reservation. There are two different time slots that you can purchase, which are the day pass, and the night time photography pass.

☀️ Day Pass at Quiver Tree Forest

The day pass is the more affordable ticket, and allows you to access both Quiver Tree Forest and Giant's Playground from sunrise til sunset.

✨ Night Pass for Quiver Tree Forest

The night pass gives you permission to visit Quiver Tree Forest from sunset until sunrise, which is particularly popular for those looking to go for astrophotography. We were told that this is more popular for people that come with guides, and is a separate cost from actually spending the night.

💵 How Much Does it Cost to Visit Quiver Tree Forest in Namibia?

Here are some of the current prices for visiting Quiver Tree Forest:

☀️ Day Pass - N$ 120/person

✨ Night Pass - N$ 600/person

⛺️ Camping - N$ 340/person (includes day pass entrance)

🛌 Lodging - N$850-5,700/room (plus additional N$ 120/person entrance fee)

(We'll go over more details for the lodging in the next section)

Quiver Tree Forest, Namibia: Our Experience

Quiver Tree Forest is privately owned by a family, and due to limited information online, we decided to use Google Maps for reviews. We used the Wifi from Canyon Roadhouse, a cute and quirky lodge close to Fish River Canyon that we had lunch at. They so kindly let us use their phone and call Quiver Tree Forest, as we didn't quite understand how the entrance and costs worked.

When we called, a grumpy lady answered the phone completely annoyed from the second she picked up. She was probably one of the crankiest and nastiest people I've ever tried to give business to in my life. We explained to her how we wanted to see the trees at night, and that we really wanted to see Fish River Canyon for sunset and drive to them right after.

"Impossible" she said, vaguely saying that we needed to choose one or the other. Well, we didn't want to miss out on our opportunity to see the Quiver Trees, so we sadly skipped Fish River Canyon.

🎫 Checking in at Quiver Tree Forest

Once we got there we found that super grumpy lady. We tried understanding the tickets to see what would be best for us (and what would be worth it). She cut us off and asked "where are you from?" to log in our info.

The second we both said which countries we are from she rolled her eyes. It's pretty funny though - because we read 3 other Google reviews that said she did the same thing. I don't think it matter where you are from. I just think she hates all foreigners. 

We reluctantly gave her the cash for the tickets, and she explained to us where we needed to go. Quiver Tree Forest was inside the fenced area down a dirt road, and Giant's Playground is a few km off the side of the main highway. We decided to start off with Giant's Playground.

🪨 Giant's Playground

When we pulled in, there wasn't a single person to be seen (although we saw one other car), just a big area with a ton of rocks. The landscape was pretty cool, and had just a couple of scattered Quiver Trees around. Without a guide though, the place was a bit underwhelming.

We spent all of 30 minutes walking around, but if we had more info or nicer lighting, we probably would have spent a bit more time.

🌅 Sunset at Quiver Tree Forest

After visiting Giant's Playground, we headed over to Quiver Tree Forest for sunset. We drove a back to the gated area of the forest, and then to the end of the dirt road, where we were greeted by the Quiver Trees.

The area is really large, and we probably should have given ourselves more time to explore deeper into the forest, but we really enjoyed watching the sunset and seeing the gorgeous glow with these unique trees. We also saw some cute dassies playing around, which was a nice treat.

🌌 Astrophotography at Quiver Tree Forest

We had to rush to get out of the park once the sun set, and we decided to spend the night elsewhere. However, we decided to drive along the highway, where you can see the trees from, and parked there when it got dark. 

We got to see the trees with the stunning starry sky for free, and took pictures of the ones that were closer to the road. We may or may not have also taken pictures of us and put ourselves next to the trees so we could create our own magic.

It wasn't necessarily what we imagined our night would look like, but out of principal we just could not fork over more money to a family that was just so nasty.

Other Things to Keep in Mind for Visiting Quiver Tree Forest, Namibia

Now you know almost everything you need for visiting Quiver Tree Forest, Namibia! But don't go just yet - we want to share a few more things with you.

☀️ Weather in South Namibia

The area near Quiver Tree Forest is desert-like, so it is hot and dry in the summer, and in the winter days are pleasantly warm and sunny, but nights get really cold.

🕒 The Best Time to Visit Quiver Tree Forest, Namibia

The best time to visit Quiver Tree Forest is either at sunrise or sunset for the beautiful glow against the trees, and at night for the incredible astrophotography opportunities. 

If you are able to choose your dates, it's best to plan for going when it is a new moon, or the slightest crescent, and when the skies are clear for the best visibility of the Milky Way.

🎒 How to Prepare for Visiting Quiver Tree Forest

Preparing for Quiver Tree Forest certainly depends on whether or not you are staying the night, if you'll be camping, or if you plan on doing astrophotography. 

Here are some of the things we'd recommend bringing for a day trip to Quiver Tree Forest:

• Sneakers (for hiking and exploring the rock formations)
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Hat to protect yourself from the sun
• Reusable water bottle (we suggest one that is insulated to hold the temperature)
• Cash for the entrance
• Camera (we use the Sony A7Riii)
• Standard Lens for a variety of focal lengths(we use the Sony GM 24-70)
• Wide Lens to capture great panoramas and astrophotography (we use the Sony GM 14 F1.8)
• Telephoto Lens to bring far away trees closer in the frame or capture wildlife (we use the Sony GM 70-200)
• Tripod to get pictures while no one is around or for astrophotography (We use the Rangepod Tripod)
• Action Camera as a replacement for a drone (we use the Insta 360 X3)
• Extra Long Selfie Stick (the accessory for the Insta 360 that gives drone-like content)

Here are some things we'd recommend bringing if you are staying the night at Quiver Tree Forest:

• Jacket if you are visiting in the winter
• Flash light for getting around at night
• Travel toiletries (our favorites are from Sheer Alternatives because they're all natural and 100ml)

Here are some things we'd recommend bringing if you are camping at Quiver Tree Forest:

• Towel 
• Power Bank (we use Anker power banks as they are super long lasting and durable)
• Snacks
• Cooler with food to cook
• Tent
• Pillows
• Mats/ air mattress to sleep on
• Blanket to stay warm

⏳ How Long to Spend at Quiver Tree Forest

You can easily see Quiver Tree Forest, Namibia in just a few minutes, or spend hours exploring it.

The forest is actually really big, so it depends on how deep in you'd like to go, and what your photography goals are.

If you aren't a photographer and simply want to see the trees, you can check out Giant's Playground and Quiver Tree Forest in 1-2 hours. If you are a photographer though, you could probably spend the entire evening/night photographing these beauties.

🤔 Is Quiver Tree Forest Worth Visiting?

We're not going to lie- the horrendous attitudes of the owners of Quiver Tree Forest really made us not so interested in supporting them. They really make you feel unwelcome, and it certainly takes away from the experience.

We also hated how visiting overnight was such an outrageous price, and that camping and "photographing the trees" are different prices.

That being said, Quiver Tree Forest is so unique, and definitely worth at least seeing. We'd recommend paying the entrance for and staying for sunset, or camping and not telling them you're going to take pictures at night (since they seem to want to charge a ton more for this - which makes no sense).

So will you be visiting Quiver Tree Forest in Namibia? We hope this guide has given you some insight for whether or not you want to add it to your itinerary, and helped you for your upcoming trip.

Want to learn more about planning a trip to Namibia? We have a few other Namibia travel guides, as well as more coming up. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter for all of the updates on the new articles, as well receiving exclusive content for our followers each week.

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