Martin Briggs finds birds, farms and fossils - and a man who draws music from trees As you leave Keetmanshoop in Namibia on the M29, you'll find three fascinating destinations within 50km of the town.Quiver Tree Forest Camp is situated on the Noltes' farm, about 15km from the town; Giant's Playground is a further 5km; and Mesosaurus Camp is another 20km.Gravel roads in Namibia are usually wide and well-surfaced, with a track running alongside for mule wagons and donkey carts. We passed Manuel, his cart travelling at quite a speed. We asked him to pull up for a photograph, and he duly reined in Langman and Bluebull, who were probably thankful for the rest. His dogs, Oubaas and Kennet, emerged from beneath his legs to ascertain the reason for the halt in progress.mini_story_image_hleft1Quiver Tree Forest offers dinner, bed and breakfast and there is also a camping area. The shaded campsites each have a massive stone platform balancing on boulders - a handy "table". One wonders how these heavy rock slabs were transported and cleverly positioned to provide a level surface.This campsite at Quiver Tree lies adjacent to a koppie covered in magnificent specimens of these eponymous trees. Aloe dichotoma consists of a fibrous stem to store water (it is a succulent) covered by a thin papery "bark" and topped by a canopy of aloe-type "leaves". Tiny flowers appear in the canopy during the winter months.The quiver trees on the koppie are so large that some are laden with communal nests built from grass by the sociable weaver (Philetairus socius). Guests are encouraged to photograph the trees silhouetted by the setting sun from the koppie, and there is even a thatch-roofed bar on the top.Giant's Playground, reminiscent of Zimbabwe's Matobo Hills with its giant basalt rocks piled like a child's building blocks, is accessible only with permission from Quiver Tree Camp. A 30-minute sign-posted walk winds through countless stacks of massive boulders.Mesosaurus Camp is on the farm Spitzkop, home to retired sheep farmer and Mesosaurus fossil expert Giel Steenkamp. Now 71 years of age, he bought the farm in 1972 and lives there with his wife, Bugs, their son Hendrik and his wife, Nolene.At the bush camp, 5km from the entrance gate, two massive sociable weaver nests indicate the best campsites. Peace and solitude reign, except for the constant arrivals and departures and chattering of these industrious little birds.story_article_left1More quiver trees dot the surrounding hills and the base of one resembles a dinosaur foot grasping the rocks, which is fitting given the fossils found on this farm.We were fortunate enough to arrive on a day that Giel was taking visitors to the fossil sites. We set off in a convoy of 4x4s, passing Hendrik and his sheepdog, Misty, herding goats into the kraal.First stop on Giel's tour was the grave of a German colonist. The headstone reads "Hier ruft Untffz J Splittgerber geb. 2.11.77 Fretenw gef. 13.11.04 b. Spizkoppe", and the grave is at the exact spot where Johan Splittgerber lost his life to the Nama during skirmishes there.Fortuitously, the grave of Untffz Splittgerber lies close to some of the most important fossils on the farm. Giel told us how he had stumbled on these reptilian fossils and thought the imprints embedded in the rocks were those of the salamander.However, it took Dr Burger Oeloffse of the University of Pretoria to identify them. Oeloffse immediately realised that the creatures on Spitzkop farm predated the salamander and identified them as Mesosaurus fossils.Giel warmed to his subject as he related the geological ages and how this part of the world was once covered in water, with swamps no deeper than 35 to 100cm, in which crabs, fish, and prawn-like creatures lived. Mesosaurus, however, was the apex predator of this age and locality.Giel is careful to keep the sites protected against damage from livestock and the elements. Lifting a sheet of corrugated-iron roofing, he pointed out the grooves in the shale delineating the spine and limbs of an ancient Mesosaurus. story_article_right2So detailed was the imprint that indentations indicating the dorsal spinous processes were clearly visible, and even a metacarpal fracture endured by the specimen could be determined in the shale. We learnt that the fossils on Giel's farm, dating from about 270-million years ago, are the oldest reptilian fossils in Southern Africa.Another site revealed some fossilised faeces. This "coprolite", although turned to stone with age, still shows vividly as a brown streak. Giel said Oeloffse had been able to determine the diet by examining specimens of this coprolite.Giel, joking that he himself was another fossil on the farm, opened and closed gates as he led our convoy on towards a koppie, where quiver trees grew in abundance. Giel enlightened us on the origin of the name and showed us how the Bushmen made quivers for their arrows by removing the innards of a branch. Closing one end of this "tube" with a pelt resulted in a perfectly hollowed receptacle, or quiver.The forest of quiver trees grows among stacked dolerite boulders. Giel said the dark colouration was magnesium oxide, while iron oxide formed the lighter colours. Locally, these pigmentations are known as "desert varnish".It was here that Giel produced his trump card. He is well known for his talent at eliciting musical notes from these rocks, and he entertained us with 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. The quiver trees stood to attention all around us, their stems matching the golden rays of the setting sun. WHERE TO STAY sub_head_endQuivertree Forest Rest Camp, e-mail quivertree@africaonline.com. Phone +264063683421Mesosarus Chalets and Camp, e-mail mesosaururs.camp@gmail.com. Phone +264063683641- © Martin Briggs..