Twyfelfontein

is an area of west Namibia

with elephants and rock-art

the rock-art is amongst the finest is Africa

Twyfelfontein is a scenic area of Damaraland South which is particularly known for its fascinating geology and truly superb Bushman rock-art sites.

It is also a very strong location for tracking desert elephants and a wide range of other wildlife in the Huab River Valley.

The Twyfelfontein area is a popular stop on self-drive trips around the country and occasionally features in flying safaris and guided overland expeditions.

The most important feature of these desert landscapes around Twyfelfontein is the ephemeral Huab River.

The subterranean water in the riverbed provides a ribbon of greenery to sustain a good range of wildlife.

The most famous residents are the small herds of desert-adapted elephants that roam the valley.

Other notable animals include Angolan giraffes, oryx, ostriches, springboks, jackals, brown hyenas and the occasional pride of lions.

Twyfelfontein is also renowned for its superb Bushman rock-art, mainly viewed at the visitor centre around the eponymous natural spring.

But there are also some very remote and little- visited rock-art sites which are equally impressive.

This is also a great area for mountain hiking and walking safari.

And there is some mighty impressive geology, such as this petrified forest.

A handful of high quality lodges provide access to all these various activities.

Excitingly Twyfelfontein can also be accessed on guided safaris, using some very remote and scenic back tracks.

These guided trips usually bivouac in magical remote locations far from the lodge traffic.

It is also possible to include Twyfelfontein in flying safaris, with Damaraland Camp being the most upmarket option.

Twyfelfontein is a major feature of self-drive trips around the country, usually between Swakopmund and Etosha.

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Map

Twyfelfontein is a very popular area that tends to feature in a very high proportion of trips around Namibia, especially self-drive trips.

The usual stay duration is 2-4 nights.

Seasonality

The climate in Twyfelfontein is relatively stable and the area can be visited year round, although the most popular period is the long Apr-Dec dry season, since this offers the best chances of desert elephants.

Getting around

There are three main ways to get around Namibia and visit Twyfelfontein …

Self-drive

The first option is to self-drive, which is reasonably safe and easy to do. The upside is that it is by far the lowest cost way to get around. The downside is that, for safety reasons, you are obliged to stick to a relatively limited network of main roads locations.

The Twyfelfontein area is most commonly visited by self-drive. There are good dirt roads in and out, all well maintained and signposted. But be sure to know exactly where your lodge is, in our experience it’s the last few hundred metres that can end up causing the problem.

Flying safari

The second option is to travel around by light aircraft. This is both a great deal easier and enables you to access some wonderfully remote locations. The downside is that it’s much more expensive, as much as three times the price of self-drive.

The Twyfelfontein area is relatively rarely included in flying safaris, mainly because the more remote lodges further to the northwest tend to deliver a better experience. However, if you are particularly interested in rock-art, then this is the place.

Guided overland expedition

The third option is guided overland safari, which enables you to really explore the truly wild and wonderful parts of the country. The downsides are that this can be quite an arduous way to travel and can become quite costly.

Guided overland expeditions generally tend to focus on more remote areas to the northwest of here (Damaraland North, Kaokaland West and Skeleton Coast North areas). But if you undertake the long and relatively arduous backtrack route from Swakopmund via Brandberg to Twyfelfontein, bivouac camping along the way, then this area can suddenly feel much more remote.

Combinations

Many of the very best trips to Namibia combine two or three of these ways of travelling around.

Where to stay

The Twyfelfontein area contains several lodges of various levels of quality.
The most upmarket option is Damaraland Camp which, although it shares the same safari and rock-art areas as other lodges, is located on a large private concession and does feel removed from the hurly burly.

There are four good mid-range options, Mowani Mountain Lodge (the best architecture and good hiking), Camp Kipwe (cool design and convenient location), Doro Nawas Camp (best location for elephants) and Malasrus Tented Camp (cool design, less convenient location).