A popular drive within the Namib-Naukluft Park is the Welwitschia Trail. Stone beacons along the way point out attractions along the way. Scattered along the route is an extraordinary concentration of Welwitschia mirabilis. This living fossil is indigenous to the Namib Desert and reaches ages of 1 000 to 2 000 years. Welwitschias grow close two the ground and only have two leaves which a torn into many part over the years. The Welwitschia Trail takes visitors past a particularly impressive specimen known as the Great Welwitschia and is estimated to be about 1 500 years old. A popular lookout point gives travellers a sweeping view of the Moon Landscape. This eerie and eroded landscape was formed 450 million years ago and is still a surreal sight. The farm Goanikontes is an oasis of eucalyptus and palm trees. Once a vegetable farm the area around the historic 1850s farmhouse is now a popular picnic site. The Welwitschia Trail is a scenic that will take several hours to complete. A map and permits are available at the MET office in Swakopmund.
