"Keetmanshoop" a Keetmanshoop Travel Page by nora_south_africa

Keetmanshoop is regarded as the capital of the south
One place of interest that must surely be unlike anything you have seen before, is the quiver tree (kokerboom) forest 23 km north east of Keetmanshoop. On private land, these weird trees form an eerie, sparse forest amongst giant boulders and are best viewed just before sunset. The kokerboom is a member of the aloe family
Accommodation on the farm is offered in plastic igloos, not very comfortable and quite stuffy. A campground is also available, clean but very simple. The accommodation options in Keetmanshoop town are much nicer.

The 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 heightor even higher.... 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 lived in this area.

Today the town has more than 20 000 inhabitants and is a nice place to stop over, there are quite a few hotels and a caravan park.