Southern Africa - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 170

the dark forest and light of the stars. At dawn,
you wake with the birds. You may never see the
fabled touraco in the dense canopy, but with
David as your guide, at least you'll know when
you hear it.

night they rise up to dance, trampling the
ground below.
The best base from which to see the circles
is at one of the luxurious solar-powered camps
run by Wolwedans, which has committed to
protect ten square kilometres of the Namib
Rand for every bed it makes available. Most of
the staff here come from desperately poor local
communities and have been trained up on-site in
the Wolwedans Desert Academy.
Wolwedans also runs safari-style trips into
the park, where the attraction is as much the
desolate and otherworldly landscape as it is
the animals. A haven for photographers, the
colours and shapes of the hills shift slowly as
the day unfolds. Standing atop a million-year-
old dune, watching the sun set in one direction
as the moon rises in the other, feels as far from
anywhere as one can possibly be.

Need to know Kurisa Moya is 45 minutes' drive
from the city of Polokwane. For more on directions,
activities, accommodation and rates see W www.
krm.co.za; T [phone].

The otherworldly scenery at
Wolwedans

218 SEE THE fAIry CIrCLES IN
THE NAmIb rAND, NAmIbIA

Namibia's Namib Rand is southern Africa's
largest private nature reserve - a vast 1800
square kilometres of shimmering mountains and
red-hued desert. Its wonder is typified by the so-
called fairy circles, unexplained halos of metre-
high grass standing out from the semi-desert
scrub around them. Found only here, they have
been the subject of much study and speculation.
Some people say they are caused by termites,
others radioactivity; the bushmen say this is
where their ancestors' spirits reside and that at

Need to know Wolwedans is around six hours'
drive from Windhoek or Swakopmund; you'll need
a 4WD vehicle. Accommodation is for a minimum
of two nights. Further info on rates, reservations,
activities and the Desert Academy at W www.
wolwedans-namibia.com; T [phone].