The Welwitschia plant has only two leaves, which, over the course of the years, are frayed by the wind. The desert plant belongs to the family of succulents and can store moisture in its inside. The water, necessary for its growth, is extracted from the fog which penetrates into the desert for up to 200 days a year.

Welwitschias grow exclusively in the central part of the Namib desert, approximately 40 to 120 kilometres from the coast. One can see a lot of these remarkable plants on the signposted Welwitschia Drive. Turn off the C28 road about 50 kms east of Swakopmund.

The 'Welwitschia Mirabilis' is probably the most famous plant in Namibia. It can reach about 1000 years of age, in individual cases even up to 2000 years. The 'living fossil' was discovered by the Austrian botanist Dr. Welwitsch in 1859 and hence named after him.