23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Galactic Welwitcha

While riding across Namibia’s Skeleton Coast and Damaraland, we camped in deeply remote deserts. One night I found a Welwitschia I had long wanted to photograph and slept nearby, rising before dawn to capture the 1,000 year old plant under the stars.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2024
Date Uploaded: 12.2025
Photo Location: damaraland, Namibia
Copyright: © Wiktoria West