The Kgalagadi
Nossob · Auob riverbeds
Camel thorns along the dry riverbeds, weaver nests in their crowns and lions in their shade.
Self-driveGuided
Stays in the KgalagadiWhere to see
Where to see the Camel Thorn Acacia in South Africa
The camel thorn is the tree of the Kalahari and the Namib: a wide, dark crown on red sand, often the only shade for kilometres, with sociable weaver nests the size of haystacks in its branches. Its roots go down further than almost any tree’s to reach water, and its grey, velvet pods feed the desert’s antelope through the dry season.
Vachellia erioloba
Planning a trip
When and where to find the Camel Thorn
The camel thorn is the tree of the Kalahari and the Namib: a wide, dark crown on red sand, often the only shade for kilometres, with sociable weaver nests the size of haystacks in its branches.
Where to base yourself
- The Kgalagadi
Mokala
Mokala National Park
MokalaThe park named after the tree, an easy drive from Kimberley.
Self-driveStays near Mokala- Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
Living camel thorns in the dune valleys, and the dead ones of Deadvlei.
Self-driveGuidedStays near Sossusvlei
Species
Vachellia erioloba
Records
1,511
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Camel Thorn on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Camel Thorn
The camel thorn is the tree of the Kalahari and the Namib: a wide, dark crown on red sand, often the only shade for kilometres, with sociable weaver nests the size of haystacks in its branches. Its roots go down further than almost any tree’s to reach water, and its grey, velvet pods feed the desert’s antelope through the dry season.
In South Africa it lines the dry riverbeds of the Kgalagadi, the Nossob and the Auob, and gives Mokala National Park near Kimberley its name, from the Setswana for the tree. In Namibia the most photographed camel thorns are dead ones: the black skeletons standing on the white clay of Deadvlei, near Sossusvlei, killed when the dunes cut off the river centuries ago and preserved by the dry air.
Where are the dead trees of Deadvlei?
Deadvlei is a clay pan near Sossusvlei in Namibia’s Namib-Naukluft National Park. The trees are camel thorns that died when the dunes cut off their water centuries ago, and the dry air has kept them standing.
Where can you see camel thorns in South Africa?
Along the dry Nossob and Auob riverbeds in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, in Mokala National Park, which is named after the tree, and across the Kalahari of the Northern Cape.
When is the best time to see the Camel Thorn?
Sightings of the Camel Thorn peak from Jul to Aug, based on 1,514 iNaturalist records. You may still see it outside those months, sightings are just less frequent.
What is the Camel Thorn?
Vachellia erioloba (camel thorn, giraffe thorn) is a tree of southern Africa in the family Fabaceae. Its preferred habitat is the deep dry sandy soils in parts of South Africa, Botswana, the western areas of Zimbabwe and Namibia. It is also native to Angola, south-west Mozambique, Zambia and Swaziland. The tree was first described by Ernst Heinrich Friedrich Meyer and Johann Franz Drège in 1836.
Stays that give back
Where to stay for a chance to see the Camel Thorn
Every stay on the Camel Thorn page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.
See where to stay