Rock paintings
Red ochre.
Joachim Huber from Switzerland — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Joachim Huber — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Joachim Huber — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Joachim Huber — CC BY-SA 2.0
Rocky hills rising abruptly from the Kalahari sands in far north-west Botswana, listed by UNESCO as World Heritage in 2001 and nicknamed the Louvre of the Desert, because their rocks carry thousands of paintings made by the San and their ancestors over thousands of years. The paintings in red ochre and white cover cliffs and caves: elephants, giraffes, whales, antelope, mysterious geometric shapes and human figures. Local people regard the hills as sacred, calling the largest the Male, the second the Female and the smallest the Child. Guided trails link the hills past the best-known paintings, caves and rock shelters, and the top of the largest hill gives a wide view over the plains. The site has a small museum and a campsite, and guides from the nearby village accompany visitors. It is very remote, and the road needs a 4x4. The small fee differs between sources. Do not touch the rock art. October and November are very hot, rains fall from November to March, and wildlife viewing is best in the dry season.
Red ochre.
Male and Female.
From the top.
North-west Botswana, near Shakawe
Because its rocks hold thousands of ancient paintings made by the San and their ancestors over millennia.