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Quiver tree forest, Namibia

Keetmanshoop
Namibia


Keetmanshoop MuseumKeetmanshoop lies on the B4, 500 km south of Windhoek. It is the traffic junction and the economic centre for the whole south of Namibia. The town was founded as a mission station in 1866 and named after the German trader Johann Keetman who supported the mission financially. There is a museum in the old church where the illustrated history of Keetmanshoop is on display. Worth a visit is the old "Kaiserliche Postamt" built in the year 1910, which now houses the Tourist Information.
Today the town consists of 20 000 inhabitants and is a nice place to stop over, as there are some comfortable hotels and a caravan park.

About 13 kilometres north-east of Keetmanshoop lies the spectacular and much photographed Kokerboom or quiver tree forest on the farm Gariganus. The site has been declared a National Monument.

Kaiserliches PostamtThe quiver tree or "Kokerboom" is indigenous to the hot and dry southern part of Namibia. The plants are succulents and can reach a height of up to 9 metres in height. They have adapted to the extreme environmental conditions by storing water in their trunks. The tree only blossoms for the first time after 20 to 30 years and can reach 300 years of age. The wood is very light and spongy inside. And because the trunk and branches can be easily hollowed out, they were used as quivers by the bushmen (San people) who formerly inhabited this area.

Visitor information and accommodation you will find on the Keetmanshoop Info page.
Kokerboom, Namibia
Top left: Old fountain in front of the Keetmanshoop Museum. Below: Imperial Post Office Top right: Popular motive: Quiver trees in the evening light. Left: Quiver trees can be found throughout the south of Namibia. On Gariganus they are particularly numerous.

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