{"id":9658,"date":"2026-05-15T08:44:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/?page_id=9658"},"modified":"2026-05-16T10:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T10:04:14","slug":"petrified-forest","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/namibia\/damaraland\/petrified-forest\/","title":{"rendered":"The Petrified Forest of Damaraland: 260 Million Years in the Desert"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The desert floor is flat and pale, scattered with low scrub and gravel. Then you look down, and the ground is not ground at all but the cross-section of a log, the annual rings still visible, the grain of the wood still readable, petrified solid by a process that began 260 million years ago when the tree fell in a forest that no longer exists on a continent that no longer has the shape it then had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damaraland’s Petrified Forest is one of the most thought-provoking geological sites in southern Africa. It contains over 50 fossilised tree trunks, the largest up to 30 metres long and six metres in circumference, lying scattered across a small area of open desert as though dropped at random. They are not buried. They lie on the surface, having been exhumed by millennia of erosion from the sedimentary layer that originally preserved them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Science: How Did They Get Here?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Gondwana Origin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

260 million years ago, the landmass that would eventually become Namibia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana and lay at a much higher latitude, in a climate that supported dense conifer forests. The trees in the Petrified Forest are identified as Glossopteris<\/em>, a genus of seed fern that was widespread across Gondwana during the Permian period and is now entirely extinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At some point during the late Permian, a catastrophic flood event swept these trees from their forest, transporting them as logs in a vast river system and depositing them in the sediments that now form the Damaraland desert. They were buried rapidly, which prevented decomposition, and over millions of years the cellular structure of the wood was replaced molecule by molecule by silica, a process called permineralisation, until the organic material was entirely replaced by mineral while preserving the original structure in extraordinary detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Are They on the Surface?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The trees were buried under hundreds of metres of sedimentary rock. The subsequent 260 million years of erosion gradually removed this overlying rock, until the fossilised logs are now exposed at the surface. In geological terms, they are being exhumed: the process is ongoing, and the logs visible today are those that happen to be at the current erosion surface level. Others are presumably still buried below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Scale of Time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Putting 260 million years in context: when these trees lived, dinosaurs did not yet exist. The Permian extinction event, the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history, which eliminated over 90% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species, occurred just as these trees were being buried. The wood you are looking at predates every terrestrial animal alive today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Visit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Guided Walks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entry to the Petrified Forest is only permitted with a guide from the community office at the site entrance. This is both a conservation requirement and a genuine enhancement: the guides can locate the largest and most visually striking specimens, explain the geological story, and point out the endemic welwitschia plants that grow among the logs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard guided walks last approximately 45 minutes and cover the main fossil field. An extended walk of 90 minutes reaches the outer logs and includes more geological context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Look For<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Annual rings:<\/strong> The most extraordinary detail visible in cross-sections of broken logs. The rings are precisely the same structure as those in living trees, but made of stone. In some specimens the rings are clear enough to count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood grain:<\/strong> The longitudinal surfaces of the logs often show the grain of the original wood in remarkable clarity. Run your hand along the surface (this is permitted; the stone is robust) and feel the grain that was once living fibre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bark texture:<\/strong> Some logs retain the outer bark layer in fossilised form, with the characteristic patterning of the original tree species preserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welwitschia mirabilis:<\/strong> One of the world’s most extraordinary plants grows among the fossil logs. Welwitschia is a living fossil itself, a gymnosperm that produces only two leaves in its entire lifetime, which can extend to 1,500 years or more. Individual plants in the Petrified Forest area are estimated to be several hundred years old. They are protected by law and must not be touched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Damara Craft Market<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The community craft market at the site entrance is one of the better examples of community tourism in central Damaraland. Damara women sell hand-carved jewellery, woven bracelets, and small carved figures. Prices are reasonable and the craft quality is genuine. Purchasing here contributes directly to the community families who manage the site. See the Namibian crafts guide<\/a> for context on what to look for and how to ensure your purchase is authentic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Anreise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Petrified Forest is approximately 40 kilometres west of Khorixas on a good gravel road. The turn-off is signposted from the C39. The road is passable by 2WD vehicles in dry conditions; after rain it can become slippery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allow 30 minutes from Khorixas. From Twyfelfontein in Damaraland<\/a>, the drive is approximately 75 kilometres and takes about an hour. The site is naturally combined with Vingerklip<\/a> and Twyfelfontein in a central Damaraland circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Practical Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Entry and guide fees are payable in cash (Namibian dollars). Confirm current rates on arrival.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The walk is easy and flat, suitable for all ages and fitness levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • There is shade at the craft market but not on the walk itself. Hat and water are essential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The site is open daily from approximately 08:00 to 17:00.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Photography is permitted and unrestricted; a wide-angle lens for environmental shots and a macro lens for wood grain and ring detail will produce the most interesting results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The desert floor is flat and pale, scattered with low scrub and gravel. Then you look down, and the ground is not ground at all but the cross-section of a log, the annual rings still visible, the grain of the wood still readable, petrified solid by a process that began 260 million years ago when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":9609,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"slim_seo":{"title":"The Petrified Forest of Damaraland: 260 Million Years in the Desert","description":"Damaraland's Petrified Forest contains over 50 fossilised tree trunks from the Permian era, some up to 30 metres long. A complete guide to visiting this remarkable National Monument."},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9658","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"trip-thumb-size":false,"destination-thumb-size":false,"destination-thumb-trip-size":false,"activities-thumb-size":false,"trip-single-size":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"trp-custom-language-flag":false,"wte-embed-list-image":false,"wte-embed-grid-image":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"MatAdmin","author_link":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/author\/getlostinnamibiawithus\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The desert floor is flat and pale, scattered with low scrub and gravel. Then you look down, and the ground is not ground at all but the cross-section of a log, the annual rings still visible, the grain of the wood still readable, petrified solid by a process that began 260 million years ago when…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9658"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9659,"href":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9658\/revisions\/9659"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mat-travel.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}