Damaraland Things to Do Tips by Myndo

Twyfelfountain which means something like unsure fountain is the place of a giant "open air museum".

Here on the red Sandstone you can find more than 2500 rock carvings. (Petroglyphs).
Scientists are still quarreling about how old they are. They vary from several hundred to several thousand years.

Most of the carvings (and paintings) show animals. They are easy to recognize. But there are also signs that would show one how to find water here.

The Area is a National Monument and you have to have a guide to visit it. The guide you will find right at the parking space. Most of them do their job very good, so donīt forget to tip them.
Come early since most guides will be occupied in the afternoon, then you have to wait until one is free.

Bring good shoes, you will have to walk/climb to see the more interesting Plates.

p.s. can you see the elfant on wheels?

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Directions: Damaraland, west of Khorixas
D2612 will bring you there

Damaraland has quite a lot of wild desert elefants.

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 all, so they can come back.

Not many people do see them. But you have a good chance, if you stay in the Aba Huab Rest Camp. (see tip) They have a watering hole there, the elephants sometimes visit.

And they make an imposant view. Let me tell you this.

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Address: Damaraland

These fossilated Trees are about 280 Million years old.
like at the one in Amerika you can still see, that they were actually trees, they have the year-rings and sometimes the bark is visible. But they are from stone -achate I think.
Nobody knows where they come from, the most common theorie is, that a huge floodwave took them with it from way north.

It is a national monument, so do not take any souvenirs with you, here.
You will need a guide to come with you (and watch that you donīt take anything). They can be quite persistent. The guide costs around 20N$ but he will not tell you much about what you see.

What I found interesting is, that the famous Welwitchia (see: Welwitchia-drive from Swakopmund) grows here also. That is not written in the Travel books. And you can see them more easy than on the drive...

The picture shows the plant Welwitchia mirabilis with a petrified tree.

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Directions: Between Twyfelfountain and Khorixas at the D2620/C39

I am sure my with-travelers doubted my choose of road. Going off the (seldom enough) tarred road right onto a side-road of gravel that is parted by gates you have to open by hand.
The gates belong to the farms and they are closed so the cattle can not get out. But you are allowed to drive through -just keep closing the gates again.

After several km the land drops and you come to a wonderful view over the Ugab-Terraces. (see picture)
An old river -the Ugab- has left these stone-pillars standing in the landscape - as in Amerika, the Monument Valley.

The most popular one is Vingerklip. 44m diameters and 35m high. It stands like a finger -hence the name.

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Directions: From Khorixas to Outjo: go off C39 onto D2743.
It is a bypass, you can go back to C39 later.