The column wall
Sharp basalt in a dry gully.
Daniel Kraft — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olga Ernst — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lidine Mia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lidine Mia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Schnobby — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Organ Pipes are a rock formation in northern Namibia, near the small hill of Burnt Mountain west of the town of Khorixas. This group of regular basalt columns resembles the pipes of an organ, and it has become a well-known landmark and tourist stop in the Kunene Region. The columns formed about 150 million years ago, when liquid lava intruded into slate rock, and erosion later exposed them. Nearby Burnt Mountain rises about 200 m above its surroundings at the foot of a 12 km volcanic ridge. Its lava flow, some 80 million years old, shows red, brown, cream and purple colours that contrast at dusk with the older rock around it. You walk down into a short dry gully to find a wall of sharp-edged columns, their colours shifting between brown, red and yellow as the sun moves. At the base the columns break into step-like sections, and you can walk beside them and see their angular shape up close. The site is exposed and looks best in the morning or shortly before sunset. It lies about 4.9 km from Twyfelfontein and 27.7 km from the Petrified Forest in a straight line, so it fits easily into one tour. The road is gravel, so bring water and a hat. The columns are sharp and sometimes unstable, so do not climb them or take stones away. A small fee may be asked on site.
Sharp basalt in a dry gully.
Coloured lava at dusk close by.
Brown, red and yellow as the light moves.
Near Burnt Mountain, west of Khorixas, Namibia
Lava intruded into slate about 150 million years ago, and erosion exposed it.
About half an hour to an hour, as a short stop on a Damaraland tour.