Melanie is a travel photojournalist and guidebook author based in Johannesburg. A qualified field guide, scuba diver and budding birdwatcher, she is an expert contributor on Southern Africa and has written for Lonely Planet, Travel+Leisure, Condé Nast Traveller and Fodor's, and photographed some of the continent's beloved travel lodges.
Horse ride (or ebike) past fairy circles at Wolwedans

By
Melanie van Zyl
Wolwedans is one of the most established lodge collections in the country, with enviable locations dotted across the NamibRand Nature Reserve. I loved how committed this operation is to treading lightly, and I had tremendous fun gliding along, up and down, over the dunes of the Namib Desert by horseback and bike.
Whether a flat-out gallop or a sedate trek, all levels of riders are welcome to wind between the “fairy circles”, mysterious barren patches amid the desert flora that have long perplexed scientists. Theories range from plant self-organisation to toxins from euphorbia bushes. Still, my favourite story is the Himba explanation that they are the footprints of Mukuru, their supreme being.
At a glance
Destinations
Namib-Naukluft National Park
Activity
Safari, Adventure, Active, Nature & Wildlife
Duration
1 day

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Horse ride (or ebike) past fairy circles at Wolwedans
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