One of the most scenic regions in Namibia, Damaraland, has a dramatic landscape of red-hued mountains, enormous granite koppies (hills) and wide, open, sandy plains. It lies south of Etosha National Park and north of Swakopmund. It’s home to a few black rhinos and the elusive desert elephant.

Home to the largest known concentration of Stone Age cave paintings in southern Africa, Twyfelfontein isn’t just any old town in Damaraland. It’s got about 2500 engravings carved on a petrified sand dune, dating back to around 3000 BC. A guide can take you to these engravings, which are easily accessible by foot. The best time to visit this historic wonder is in the late afternoon when the engravings catch the soft light just before sunset.

Nearby you’ll find the Petrified Forest – this is the site of very old fossilized logs. It’s speculated that these logs were washed down an ancient river 250 million years ago. After being buried under wet, silica-rich mud, they became petrified, or rather, fossilized, and today there are about 50 of these trunks lying on the ground, with the longest one being 30m long. You can still see the bark and growth rings on some of them.

Activities: 

* Bushmen rock art

* Twyfelfontein (World Heritage site)

* Animal tracking safaris

* Desert elephant and Black rhino

* The Petrified Forest (300 million year old tree trunks)

* The Organ Pipes (rock formations)

Articles:

Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings