Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Street art in Cartagena.
Colombia • 10 days, 9 nights
Colombia Discovery: Coffee, Art & Music
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Lighthouse and Museum of Jára Cimrman (Maják a muzeum Járy Cimrmana).
Lighthouse of Jára Cimrman
Markers honor 865 war dead.
Sovjet Ereveld (Soviet Field of Honor)
The intaglio leaves a subtle impression on the land along Riverside Drive in Fort Atkinson.
Panther Intaglio
Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?
about 9 hours ago
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
2 days ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
3 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Namibia Fairy Circles of Southern Africa

Fairy Circles of Southern Africa

Unexplained bald patches in the landscape grow and recede over time, as though they are somehow alive.

Namibia

Added By
Mark Casey
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Fairy Circles in Namibia.   Stephan Getzin
Fairy Circles in Namibia.   Stephan Getzin
  Olga Ernst & Hp.Baumeler/Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 4.0
Fairy Circles in Namibia.   Thorsten Becker
Fairy Circles in Namibia.   Thorsten Becker
Fairy Circles in Namibia.   demerzel21 / depositphotos.com
Fairy Circles in Namibia.   Vernon Swanepoel
Fairy circle in April   Aksel / Atlas Obscura User
Fairy circle in April   Aksel / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

They call them footprints of the gods.

Whether in the thickly tufted prairie grass of the southern plains or in the dry stalks of vegetation in the dusty foothills, something is happening in Southern Africa. It doesn't really matter what the climate or soil conditions are, or who is there to see it or not, or what grazing pattern the local wildlife happens to follow. Rings are forming in the ground.

Perfectly round, almost too-good-to-be-true rings, in fact. But they are true, and they are naturally occurring, so far as anyone can tell. The small, circular patches of bare ground form like bald spots in the otherwise thick grass or fields in Namibia and South Africa, where humans often don't set foot. Their mysterious origin has lead them to be called "Fairy Circles" colloquially, and legends ranging from local tales of god's footprints to international recognition as a "UFO hot spot" have sprouted up in short order.

But the Fairy Circles are not grand designs like their distant paranormal cousins, crop circles, and bona fide scientific research has led to the conclusion that not only do they occur naturally, but they grow and shrink over time, as if they were alive. Examination of the soil in and around the circles reveals no abnormal insects or parasites, no unusual fungus to speak of. All science has discovered thus far is that they're not a hoax.

Popular hypotheses about their cause include mold or spores that kill off the grass, the radiating pattern of growth of which would certainly explain the odd circular shape; or wind or soil erosion, which would do less to explain the patterns but has been observed elsewhere and found to cause "bald spots."

For now, the odd formations are both intriguing and entertaining to nearby residents as well as botanists and UFO enthusiasts the world over. For all the predictable supernatural talk about the Fairy Circles occupying, representing or otherwise creating a path to another world, they do in fact occupy a strange and unreal dimension—that rare place and time after which a phenomenon has been discovered, but before it is blandly explained away like so many lights in the sky. For now, the only certainty is the mystery.

Related Tags

Plants Natural Wonders Martian Landscapes Geological Oddities Intriguing Environs Ecosystems Geology Nature

Community Contributors

Added By

Mark Casey

Edited By

Martin, aribrown, Meg, Samir S Patel...

  • Martin
  • aribrown
  • Meg
  • Samir S Patel
  • Aksel

Published

June 28, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/fairy-circles-grass/
Fairy Circles of Southern Africa
NamibRand Nature Reserve
Namibia
-25.01909, 16.016997

Nearby Places

Duwisib Castle

Alt Duwisib, Namibia

miles away

Dead Vlei

Sossusvlei, Namibia

miles away

Namib Sand Sea

Namibia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Namibia

Namibia

Africa

Places 23
Stories 8

Nearby Places

Duwisib Castle

Alt Duwisib, Namibia

miles away

Dead Vlei

Sossusvlei, Namibia

miles away

Namib Sand Sea

Namibia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Namibia

Namibia

Africa

Places 23
Stories 8

Related Stories and Lists

In Australia, Aboriginal Knowledge and the Mystery of Fairy Circles

insects

By Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing

Fairy Circles

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

39 New Places in the Second-Edition Atlas Obscura Book

List

By Dylan Thuras

Related Places

  • Huesca, Spain

    Congost de Mont-rebei

    A breathtaking canyon offers stunning views and frightful pathways through an ecological paradise.

  • Green Mountain summit on Ascension Island

    Ascension Island

    Ascension Island

    Remote, volcanic island that Darwin, Hooker, and the Royal Navy shaped into a thriving, artificial ecosystem.

  • Rodellar, Spain

    The Hole at Rodellar

    An arresting arch punched straight through a mountain provides one of the most scenic spots, and challenging climbs, on the planet.

  • Pitch Lake.

    New Jersey, Trinidad and Tobago

    Pitch Lake

    This peculiar lake of pitch is so thick and viscous that one can walk on its surface.

  • Talayuelas, Spain

    El Cañón de Talayuelas

    A fiery-red region of scooped out land still largely untouched by civilization, tourists or otherwise.

  • Erta Ale by Night

    Afar Zone 2, Ethiopia

    Erta Ale

    Ethiopia's "smoking mountain" is in one of the hottest regions on the planet and is home to two lava lakes.

  • Munnar, India

    Kolukkumalai Tea Estate

    At 8,000 feet, the world's highest tea estate draws visitors for both its products and its panoramic views.

  • Artist’s conception of the “Cryobot” and “Hydrobot.”

    Antarctica

    Lake Vostok

    Largest sub-glacial lake ever discovered.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.