Rock Art in Twyfelfontein and Brandberg

Brandberg and the White Lady

The Brandberg Mountain is 2,573 metres above sea level making it Namibia’s highest point. It derives its name from the glowing colours it reflects during sunsets. The main attraction is the White Lady, one of more than 45,000 rock painting in the area. A 40 minute hike will take you to what is widely agreed to be a bushman painting at least 2000 years of age. In 1955 it was described as a white lady by Henri Breuil, who assumed a connection to paintings he saw in Greece. Hellenistic influences have been excluded in its origin but the name stuck. This  is somewhat misleading as the painting is a picture of a male hunter.

Twyfelfontein

The Twyfelfontein area has more than 2,500 engravings and rock paintings, making it one of the prime locations for African rock art. It also became a UNESCO World heritage Site in 2007. The engravings are up to 6000 years old and depict animals, footprints and more abstract images that have not yet been explained. The most famous among them are the Dancing Kudu and the Lion Man.

If you are in the Twyfelfontein area also keep a lookout for the Burnt Mountain and the Organ pipes, which are columns of dolorite well worth seeing.