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Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings, Twyfelfontein, Namibia

Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings

Archaeological Site
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Archaeological Site  ·  Twyfelfontein, Namibia 20.5956°S   14.3726°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings

Time needed
Two hoursWith the visitor centre
Best time
At openingLow sun on the engravings
Cost
TicketedGuide included in entry
Effort
Rocky climbsSteep above the spring
Season
Daily, 8am to 5pmSummer highs 34 to 36°C
Access
Not step-freeUnsuited to pushchairs

Pick your loop at reception. The Lion Man route leads to a lion engraved with five toes on each paw, a sign that it shows a shaman; the Dancing Kudu route leads to a pregnant kudu cow.

Visiting

Each guided loop begins with the walk up to the spring, past a ruined farmhouse, then climbs among sandstone blocks to steel platforms in front of the main panels. The Dancing Kudu loop takes about an hour and the Lion Man loop about 80 minutes, and both have a shaded rest stop with a toilet.

Giraffe appear on panel after panel, engraved without hooves so their legs taper to thin lines. Look for a seal and flamingos too, though the ocean is about 100 km away. On the Dancing Kudu loop, the way back passes animals painted in red ochre under an overhanging rock.

Carry water, a hat and closed shoes, because the valley is exposed and nothing is sold beyond the centre. Read the displays there before you set out: they explain the beliefs behind the images.

Know before you goBring cash for the entry, since card payment cannot be counted on as of October 2026, and draw it in Khorixas, the nearest town with ATMs. Do not touch the engravings, and a tip for your guide at the end of the tour is welcome.

Nearby

Twyfelfontein, and further afield

Town guide

Twyfelfontein

More than two thousand engravings are cut into the sandstone slabs of a valley here, and the site became Namibia's first World Heritage…

Brandberg
Landmark · 65 km away

Brandberg

A granite massif pushed up through the plain carries Königstein, the highest point in the country at 2,573 metres, and holds thousands of…

Town · 66 km away

Khorixas

Administrative centre for this part of Damaraland, carrying fuel, a supermarket and little reason to stop beyond them. What interest there…