Damaraland (Twyfelfontein)
A wilderness of red rock hills and mesas, with the World Heritage rock engravings of Twyfelfontein, the Petrified Forest, the White Lady of the Brandberg and desert-adapted elephant tracking.
Damaraland lies in the southern Kunene Region of northwestern Namibia, between Etosha National Park and the Skeleton Coast. It is a semi-desert plateau of red granite hills, basalt mesas and dry riverbeds. The main base is the Twyfelfontein area: the World Heritage rock engravings of Twyfelfontein, the Organ Pipes, Burnt Mountain and the Damara Living Museum are all within 20 km, and the Aba-Huab and Huab riverbeds are the main areas for tracking desert-adapted elephants. To the east are the Petrified Forest and the Vingerklip rock pillar; to the south is the Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain, with the "White Lady" rock painting; and to the north are the Palmwag Concession and Grootberg Pass. The best season is the May–Oct dry season, with warm days, cool nights and animals gathering near water in the riverbeds; Nov–Mar is extremely hot, and occasional thunderstorms can send floods down the riverbeds. Getting there: there is no public transport, so you'll need to self-drive (a high-clearance 4x4 is recommended) or join a tour. From Windhoek via Otjiwarongo and Khorixas it takes about 5–6 hours; from Swakopmund via Uis about 4–5 hours; you can continue north to Etosha. The main roads are gravel with an 80 km/h speed limit; watch out for punctures and dust, and note that fuel is only available at places such as Khorixas, Uis and Palmwag. Plan on 2–3 nights at a campsite or lodge near Twyfelfontein: one day for the rock art and geological wonders, and one day tracking desert elephants or desert black rhinos with a guide. Desert elephants are wild animals, so never get out of your vehicle to approach them; when camping, carry enough water and protect yourself from the sun — the night skies are superb.
Top sights
- Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings – One of Africa’s densest concentrations of rock engravings, with more than 2,000 depictions of rhinos, giraffes, lions and footprints. It wa…
- Huab & Aba-Huab River Desert Elephants – Wild African elephants adapted to the desert migrate along dry riverbeds. Following a guide in a four-wheel-drive vehicle to find the herds…
- Organ Pipes – Neatly arranged basalt columns in a small canyon that resemble a pipe organ, about 100 m long, a classic example of columnar jointing geolo…
- Burnt Mountain – A mountain of shale scorched by volcanic activity, with black, purple and red layers that look as if they have just been burned in the wild…
- Damara Living Museum – An open-air cultural museum run by the Damara community, demonstrating traditional fire-making, medicine, jewelry, singing and dancing, and…
- Petrified Forest – Fossilized ancient trees, buried by floods some 280 million years ago, are scattered across the ground, reaching up to 30 m long, and welwi…
- Brandberg White Lady – Namibia's most famous rock paintings, in a rock shelter in the Tsisab Gorge of the Brandberg, where the 'White Lady' figure and herds of an…
- Brandberg Mountain – Namibia's highest peak (Königstein, 2,573 m), a huge granite dome rising from the plains, glowing red as if on fire at sunset.
- Vingerklip – An isolated conglomerate rock pillar about 35 m tall in the Ugab valley, surrounded by layered flat-topped terraces; a classic photo stop o…
- Doros Crater – An ancient volcanic intrusion south of Twyfelfontein, whose ring-shaped walls enclose a basin; a destination for 4x4 off-road and geology e…
- Palmwag Concession – The largest private wildlife concession in the northwest, where desert black rhinos, desert elephants, mountain zebras and giraffes live am…
- Grootberg Pass – A winding stretch of the C40 road over the Grootberg plateau; from the cliff top you can look down on the layered basalt terraces of the Kl…
- Messum Crater – A ring-shaped basin of an ancient volcanic complex about 20 km across, vast and desolate, with welwitschia plants and rock paintings nearby…
Where to eat
- Twyfelfontein Country Lodge Restaurant – A lodge restaurant about 3 km from the rock engravings, with an open-plan thatched hall beneath red cliffs; it is the o…
Itineraries
- Namibia Classic Self-Drive Loop – A counter-clockwise loop covering dunes, the coast, rock petroglyphs, and Etosha, bringing together the best of Namibia…
- Kaokoland Himba & Kunene 4x4 Route – Drive north by 4x4 through Damaraland, Sesfontein, and Epupa Falls, ending with a traverse of Etosha from the west gate.