Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in the area - elephants, rhinos, giraffes and lions - and an engraving of a sea lion indicates
contact with the coast more than 100km away.
To date over 2500 engravings have been discovered, and Twyfelfontein became a na-
tional monument in 1952. Unfortunately, the site did not receive formal protection until
1986, when it was designated a natural reserve. In the interim, many petroglyphs were
damaged by vandals, and some were even removed altogether.
A significant amount of restoration work has taken place here in recent years, a wel-
come development that hasn't gone unnoticed by the international community. In 2007
Twyfelfontein was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site, the first such distinction in the
whole of Namibia.
Sights
Rock Engravings
(per person/car N$50/20; sunrise-sunset)
Most dating back at least 6000 years to the
early Stone Age, Twyfelfontein's rock engravings were probably the work of ancient San
hunters, and were made by cutting through the hard patina covering the local sandstone.
In time, this skin reformed over the engravings, protecting them from erosion. From col-
our differentiation and weathering, researchers have identified at least six distinct phases,
but some are clearly the work of copycat artists and are thought to date from the 19th cen-
tury. Guides are compulsory; note that tips are their only source of income.
ROCK ART
AROUND TWYFELFONTEIN
Burnt Mountain
Southeast of Twyfelfontein rises a barren 12km-long volcanic ridge, at the foot of which
lies the hill known as Burnt Mountain, an expanse of volcanic clinker that appears to have
been literally exposed to fire. Virtually nothing grows in this eerie panorama of desola-
tion. Burnt Mountain lies beside the D3254, 3km south of the Twyfelfontein turn-off.
HILL
Organ Pipes
Over the road from Burnt Mountain, you can follow an obvious path into a small gorge
that contains a 100m stretch of unusual 4m-high dolerite (coarse-grained basalt) columns
known as the Organ Pipes.
NATURAL SITE
