The Welwitschia mirabilis of the Namib Desert is an extraordinary plant. It is believed to live for more than 1 000 years. You can see many near the popular seaside resort of Swakopmund and in the Namib Naukluft National Park. One of the largest, oldest known ones is the “big welwitschia”, which you can see on the Welwitschia Drive in the north of the park. Buy a permit to enter the park at the Namibia Wildlife Resorts office in Swakopmund.

There is something mysterious about the iconic plant of the Richtersveld, the halfmens. When you see one silhouetted against the horizon, it is easy to imagine it being a person staring at the stark beauty of this desolate mountain desert landscape.

The baobab, which looks as if it’s upside down, with its roots in the air, seems to grow at human
settlements and on the old travel routes of big-game hunters and explorers. Madagascar has six
baobab species and Africa and Australia one each. Beyond the Hendrik Verwoerd Tunnels in the Soutpansberg range, a large number of baobabs welcome you with many open arms.

Botanists will tell you the euphorbia isn’t a cactus, but if you see clumps of these succulents on a northern slope of a Bushveld koppie, it’s easy to imagine John Wayne riding into the scene.
The euphorbia is at its prettiest in winter, when it’s decked out in flowers.

A quiver tree silhouetted against the sky at sunset is a truly memorable sight. This member of the aloe family considerably shortens the N14 route between Springbok and Upington in the Northern Cape. Keep a lookout for the quiver tree with the big sociable weaver nest on the northern side of the road between Kakamas and Pofadder. In Namibia, one of our favourite sights is a clump of quiver trees next to the C28 gravel road between Windhoek and the coast.