Damaraland tours

What you see

Twyfelfontein

This is a rock art site of more than 2,000 engravings, some about 6,000 years old, made by early hunter-gatherers and later herders. In 2007 it became Namibia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A local guide walks you along a marked path and explains the animals and symbols carved into the rock.

Organ Pipes

A cliff of dark stone columns, some formed about 120 million years ago. It sits close to Twyfelfontein and takes a short walk.

Burnt Mountain and the Petrified Forest

The Burnt Mountain glows red and brown in the evening light. At the Petrified Forest, ancient tree trunks lie turned to stone in the sand. Your guide shows you what they are and how they got there.

Desert-adapted elephants

These are African bush elephants that live in very dry country. They are not a separate species, but they walk long distances along dry river beds in search of water and food. Our 10 day tour includes an early-morning search for them in the river valleys with your guide. They move over huge areas, so finding them is never certain, and we can't promise a sighting.

A community visit

The tour includes time with a local community in Damaraland, through a vetted partner. Your quote names the partner and the day. Photographs are taken only by agreement.

Best time to visit

Damaraland is open all year. Days are hot, and nights are cool in winter. Dry months (about May to October) are comfortable for walking at the sites. Rain in summer can bring green to the valleys and also affect tracks. See Namibia weather and best time to visit.

How long to stay

One night is enough for the main sites. Two nights gives time for the elephant search and a slower pace.

Where you sleep

Our 10 day tour uses Doro Nawas or Aba-Huab (mid-range), and Camp Kipwe or Grootberg Lodge (luxury). Lodge names depend on availability and are confirmed in your quote.

Weather in Damaraland

Damaraland is dry. The nearby town of Khorixas averages about 220 millimetres of rain a year, with the driest months from June to September, and rain in some years falls far below that. Days are hot for much of the year, nights are cool in winter, and the sun is strong at the rock art site, where there is little shade.

What to bring

• Sturdy closed shoes. The paths at Twyfelfontein cross rock and loose stones.
• A hat, sunglasses, sun cream and water.
• A warm layer for early-morning drives in winter.
• Binoculars and a camera with a zoom lens for the river valleys.

A day in Damaraland, step by step

On our 10 day tour you reach Damaraland from Swakopmund on Day 6 and visit Twyfelfontein, the Organ Pipes and the Petrified Forest. On Day 7 you set out early with your guide to search the river valleys for elephants before the drive to Etosha. Distances are long, so the sites are spread over the day with breaks.

Visiting the rock art with respect

The engravings are fragile. Stay on the marked path, do not touch the rock, and follow your local guide's instructions. This is one of Namibia's most important heritage sites, and what you leave untouched is what the next visitor sees.

How desert-adapted elephants live

These are African bush elephants that have learned to live where rain is scarce. They walk long distances between seasonal river systems and often follow dry river beds, where they dig into the sand with their feet and trunks to reach water below the surface. Their legs and trunks are longer than those of elephants in wetter areas. Food and water are far apart, so herds cover large areas. That is why a sighting is never certain, and why your guide reads tracks and local news from the lodges and rangers before choosing where to look.

Visit Damaraland with White Dove Tours

• Namibia Unveiled, 10 day tour. Twyfelfontein, Organ Pipes, the Petrified Forest and an elephant search. View the tour
• A tour built for you. Interested mostly in rock art and culture? Plan your tour