Goboboseb Mountains

The Goboboseb Mountains are located in northwestern Namibia, within the Erongo Region's Dâures Constituency, about 35 km west of the iconic Brandberg Mountain, the highest peak in the country at 2,573 meters. This area is part of a vast desert landscape, known for its arid conditions and stunning scenery, including the Ugab River where desert elephants roam.

The mountains are part of the Awahab Formation, dated to 132-135 million years ago, consisting of interbedded basalts and quartz latites. This volcanic rock formation hosts over 42 minerals, with notable ones including amethyst, prehnite, smoky quartz, and rarer finds like babingtonite and pumpellyite-(Mg). These minerals often form in vugs, creating spectacular, well-crystallized specimens prized by collectors.

Mining here is primarily small-scale, focused on collectors rather than large commercial operations. Known since the early 2000s, local miners like Ras Greef have been active, selling minerals such as pale beige stilbite crystals, indicating a collector-driven history rather than industrial mining.

The nearby Brandberg Mountain is culturally significant, featuring ancient rock art like the "White Lady" painting, over 2,000 years old, and is sacred to indigenous groups like the Himba. The climate is hot and desert-like (BWh), but the mountains create microclimates supporting diverse flora and fauna, including unique desert-adapted species.