Day 10 was a very long day as we made up for the prior day visiting Twyfelfontein and the Living Museum of the Damara in the morning and the Otjikandero Himba Orphan Village in the afternoon.
Twyfelfontein is a site of over 2,500 ancient rock engravings estimated to be over 6,000 years old depicting an extraordinary diversity of wild animals – rhino, elephant, giraffe, oryx, ostrich, flamingo, zebra and many more and in 2007 approved as Namibia's first World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
Local guides lead tours around the major sites (you have the choice between an easy tour which I did as so not in mood climbing up hills with temps of 30 degrees or a "fitness" tour which involved climbing up hills - seeing pictures from the others it was the right choice as they did not see much more exciting gravings) and there’s a small interpretive centre.
It was certainly interesting though I must say I liked the paintings I saw in the Drakensberge last year a lot more.
Local guides lead tours around the major sites (you have the choice between an easy tour which I did as so not in mood climbing up hills with temps of 30 degrees or a "fitness" tour which involved climbing up hills - seeing pictures from the others it was the right choice as they did not see much more exciting gravings) and there’s a small interpretive centre.
It was certainly interesting though I must say I liked the paintings I saw in the Drakensberge last year a lot more.
After this we visited the Living Museum of the Damara.
This museum is described as a "traditional Damara project that gives you the possibility to experience the traditional Damara culture in this form exists nowhere else in Namibia or in the world. Here the visitors have the unique opportunity to get to know the fascinating traditional culture of the Damara, thus contributing to the preservation of the culture as well as to a regular income for the Damara community that built the museum."
Well, while it is certainly good to support them the actual museum is a bit boring. I had been to other museum that kind of and they were a lot more interesting and with people working not seeming to largely bored.
The Otjikandero Himba Orphan Village was different, yes it felt touristy as well but somehow felt less invading. It might have been because of the dozens of little children running around your feet catching your attention.
The project was set up about 20 years ago.
These days the chief of the local Himba tribe, his wives and several volunteering women look after plenty orphaned children from Kaokoland which other chiefs sent to assist and provide care for the children during a certain period.
A guide gave us an intro into day to day life of the Himba, explaining about their culture and little things as hygiene we been shown by a Himba woman a smoke bath (women do not use water to clean, only men apparently), we also learned about the jewelery and hairstyles and how the hairstyles e.g. change while the children mature and grow up.
After such a day staying at the fancy Etosha Safari Lodge certainly felt a bit exorbitant though once watching another sunset I couldn't help but indulge it all.
The project was set up about 20 years ago.
These days the chief of the local Himba tribe, his wives and several volunteering women look after plenty orphaned children from Kaokoland which other chiefs sent to assist and provide care for the children during a certain period.
A guide gave us an intro into day to day life of the Himba, explaining about their culture and little things as hygiene we been shown by a Himba woman a smoke bath (women do not use water to clean, only men apparently), we also learned about the jewelery and hairstyles and how the hairstyles e.g. change while the children mature and grow up.
After such a day staying at the fancy Etosha Safari Lodge certainly felt a bit exorbitant though once watching another sunset I couldn't help but indulge it all.
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| Etosha Safari Lodge- my beautiful room |
