Directory

Damaraland

What To See and Do

Boasting gorgeous mountainous wilderness and the most unique wildlife in the world, Damaraland's prehistoric water courses with open plains and grassland, massive granite koppies and distant mountains create a landscape of beauty. The Messum Crater is an astonishing sight, created millions of years ago, the rim is 14 Miles across and holds evidence of Namibia's earliest inhabitants. It showcases amazing rock formations as well as ancient flora like the Welwitschia.

Vingerklip is a striking finger of rock that rises vertically out of the plains while around it the lava-formed flat-tops wouldn't look out of place in Arizona. 100 million years ago some strange lava-induced chemical reactions created the incredible Burnt Mountain. At sunrise and sunset the mountain transforms from a dull grey to a hundred fiery reds. Also 100 million years old, a series of dolerite pipes form The Organ Pipes. As the name suggests the formation looks like giant organ pipes. The Petrified Forest was formed by a great flood over 200 million years ago. The trees were swept away and, once relocated, were covered by sand and uncovered for us to view millions of years later.

Twyfelfontein holds the most impressive collection of petroglyphs in Africa. Without an exact age, archaeological evidence indicates they are around 7,000 years old! Set among the red sandstone boulders and hills, the estimated 2,500 ancient rock paintings and engravings feature animals, tracks and abstract symbols.

In the North the famous Desert-adapted Elephants traverse this vast dry land in search of water and the world's only naturally occurring population of Black Rhino roam with the endemic Black-faced Impala, Damara dik-dik and Hartmann's mountain zebra. Several species of bird including Ruppell's korhaan, Herero chat, Monteiro's hornbill, Bare-cheeked babbler, Carp's tit and Hartlaub's francolin also inhabit the area. In the South, the region supports a variety of animals from Lion to Springbok, Eland and Cheetah, Leopard, Hyena, Kudu and many more. The area boasts 33 recorded raptors, these include the Egyptian Vulture, Cuckoo Hawks and Peregrine Falcons - The world's fastest animal!