Namibie | Damaraland | woestijnolifant
It would be shame to miss Damaraland during your holiday in Namibia, if only because of the chance to view the capricious rock formations and the amazing way in which the flora and fauna survive in such adverse conditions. Here you will find plants that thrive only on the mist from the ocean and see how the ‘desert elephant' has evolved to have a longer nose and legs. This region is also famed for the rock drawings at Twyfelfontein and the ‘Petrified Forest'.
As soon as you cross Huab River you will see a mountain range ahead with flattened mountain tops and grass plains at a very high altitude. It's a perfect environment for spotting animals of prey and it has the highest population of black rhinos in the world. There is a good chance, therefore, that you will get to see this endangered animal in the wild.
Tourists come to visit the Twyfelfontein World Heritage site to see the 2000 or more San Bushmen rock drawings. These drawings, depicting giraffe, oryx and other animals, reveal how this area was once much more fertile than it is now. This is due entirely to the Twyfelfontein itself, which translates rather aptly - given its infrequent flow - as 'hesitant fountain'. The south-west, bordering on Skeleton Coast, is much more rugged. This is why it is advisable to be driven or to go by aircraft, if only to take advantage of the stunning views that can be enjoyed from the air. In the Petrified Forest there are trees trunks that are 250 million years old. Other places of interests in this area include Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes, which are volcanic rocks that as a result of erosions resemble organ pipes.
You can view a number of dinosaur footprints at a farm close to the remote town of Kalkfield. These are estimated to be between 150 and 185 million years old and have been declared as a national monument.
