| Damaraland - Rock Art, Brandberg tips and photos posted by real travelers and Namibia locals. • 20 Photos
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In Damaraland, not far from Twyfelfontein, you can visit a Petrified Forest. This is an entire forest of massive tree trunks that have turned into stone. The tree trunks are scattered over a large area; some are pretty small but others are huge – up to 34 metres long and 6 metres in circumference. They are estimated to be about 260 million years old. Altogether about 50 individual trees can be seen, some half buried on the rock or soil, others lying on the surface. There are also many small stones which, on close inspection, turn out to be petrified wood too. This is also a good place to see the amazing welwitschia mirabilis plants.
There’s no admission charge, perhaps surprisingly, but hiring a guide is compulsory and of course you must tip them – they rely on these tips as their income. However, as we discovered, they can be quite creative in maximising that income:
Our guide told us about his life looking after elderly relatives on a farm a couple of miles away. He pointed out the farm and the rough walk he had to take to and from the house several times a day. As we walked and talked he carved a Malakani nut - you'll be offered these everywhere you go, but this one was very well done, with a number of animals and my name, so we agreed to buy it in addition to giving him a good tip. When we returned to the car park he took us aside to pay for the nut, away from the view of the official souvenir stall. And the spot he chose to complete the transaction was ...
... beside his very good car. So much for the long daily walks in the hot sun! But it made a good story, and as I said, it was a beautifully carved nut, which still hangs in my kitchen to remind me of Namibia.
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 by Gili_SLeave a Comment
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 Fossil forest Namibia by mad4travel
The trees are about 250 million years old and were deposited in the area by the flood which came down from areas further north. The fact that trunks do not have any branches or roots suggest that these trees grew somewhere else and were carried to its present location by rivers or floods.
The trunks were deposited in silica rich environment and were excluded from contact with oxygen which prevented decay. During the course of time molecules of silica penetrated the wood and replaced wood molecules.
At present around 50 trunks can be seen on the site with the longest being more that 30 meters long
The site was declared a national monument in 1950 but suffered the same damaging attacks of souvenir hunters. Now it is strictly prohibited to remove or damage even small pieces of petrified wood!
You can hire a guide who will lead you on a short walk and tell you about the trees. The surrounding scenery is pretty good too. Leave a Comment
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 Rock art at Twyfelfontein by mad4travel
The name was given to this place by David Levin, a sheep farmer, who moved there in 1947. There is a shelter where paintings of human figures can be seen.
Twyfelfontein was proclaimed a national monument in 1952 but unfortunately some of the rock art had been damaged or removed by then
There is no certainty on the reasons why the rock art was made. Some people believe that it were the pictured reminders of some events. Another purpose was representation of religious believes, ceremonies or even a trance experiences. It could also be a way of communication.
There is an interesting "eco visitor centre" and small exhibition about the desert and the rock art is seen on a guided circular walk lasting about 45 mins. There is a little bit of boulder hopping and stair climbing to do so be wary if you are not fleet of foot. Leave a Comment
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Damaraland is part of the Kaokoveld, the most sparsely populated area of Namibia - and this in a country that is already one of the countries with the least inhabitants compared to size; just 2 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Southern Damaraland has many attractions, and the landscape is totally different from the rest of Namibia, with interesting geological formations. The main attractions in this area are the Brandberg Mountain, the highest one in Namibia, the Twyfelfontein rock art, and geological formations such as the Organ Pipes%, Burnt Mountain%, Vingerclip.
While the whole of the Kaokoveld is an area that could be devoted several days of exploration, if you are short of time (like we were), it is an interesting way to get from the Swakopmund Region to Etosha ... provided you stop for at least 1 night. Leave a Comment
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 Rock art at Twyfelfontein by toonsarah |
 Brandberg - Namibia by Vita500
It's the highest elevation for hundreds of kilometers around. Leave a Comment Directions: West of Otjiwarongo and North-East of Swakopmund.
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 Desert Elefants,
Damaraland by Myndo
They are special to normal elefants since they do need very less water and walk sometimes over 70 km a day to get it (normal elefants like in Etosha make only around 10km a day)
Also they do not destroy trees like normal elephants do. They will eat from them, but not too much, so they can come back later.
Not many people do see them. But you have a good chance, if you stay in the Aba Huab Rest Camp. (see tip Aba Huab Campsite ) They have a watering hole there, the elephants sometimes visit.
And they make an imposant view. Let me tell you this. Leave a Comment
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 Ancient Rock Art by Waxbag
Open sunrise to sunset
Tour of the engravings provide although not very insightful
Cost is about $1 US or $10 Rand per person and vehicle
Located about 200 km north of Swakopmund as the crow flies west of C35 Leave a Comment
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