Damaraland Holidays

Damaraland is unlike anywhere else in Namibia, home to table-topped peaks carved with ancient petroglyphs and dry river beds where desert elephants roam. Explore Damaraland’s highlights, starting with its collection of ancient rock art in Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As Africa’s most extensive rock art collection, you can see over 2,500 animal shapes and geometric designs carved over thousands of years by Namibia’s native bushmen.

As you drive through Damaraland, your guide will point out its signature landmarks; geological formations carved by wind and sand over centuries. There’s a set of impressive dolerite pillars nick-named the organ pipes, a petrified forest of trees frozen in sediment over 200 million years ago and the Matterhorn-shaped volcanic peak, Spitzkoppe. Namibia’s highest mountain, Brandberg, is gorgeous at sunrise and sunset, when it appears to glow, earning itself the title Fire Mountain.

You may see Namibia’s desert elephants, who live in dry riverbeds such as the Huab, Hoarusib and Uniab. These ephemeral rivers flood during rains and are lined with vegetation like ana trees, a vital food source for elephants. Classed as endangered, only an estimated 150 desert elephants are now left in the wild. If you’re lucky enough to spot the elephants your guide will point out the unique adaptations that allow them to survive in the desert, including larger feet to stop them from sinking into the sand.

Learn about Damara culture at this fascinating living museum. Namibia is home to some of the world’s oldest communities, including the San, Ovambo, Herero and Damara people. These hunter-gatherer bushmen have roamed the country for centuries and are an essential part of Namibia’s heritage. What’s unique about the Damara people is that their culture was almost completely obliterated by colonisation but has been brought back to life by this living museum.

The museum was created in 2010 by Hansbernhard Naobes, with help from Namibia’s Living Culture Foundation. The plan was to reconstruct this forgotten culture and provide employment for the modern-day Damara community. It’s set just 10km from Twyfelfontein, an area famed for its ancient rock carvings, so the museum is an ideal stop on a Damaraland itinerary.

During your visit, you’ll tour a traditional Damara village which has a blacksmith for making tools and weapons and a tannery for clothing. See how women make jewellery and learn how to make a fire. The bushwalk is a highlight; you’ll help forage for edible and medicinal plants and watch how men set up the traps and snares for hunting. Join in with songs, dance and traditional games – it’s a unique cultural experience you’ll never forget.