DAMARALAND
Filling stations
Khorixas and Kamanjab both have two filling stations. There are also fuel pumps at Palmwag, which are open every day from 7 am to 7 pm. At Palmwag you have to pay cash at the Palmwag Lodge reception office.
Groceries
Most of the lodges and campsites listed here have a small shop selling ice and firewood. For groceries, stop in Kamanjab or Khorixas.
Kamanjab has a Sentra and a MultiSave; Khorixas has a MultiSave. In Kamanjab you can also buy basic supplies at the North West Garage next to the MultiSave and meat from the butchery called Impala Meat Market in Gemsbok Street.
You’ll pass smaller settlements next to the road like Erwee and Condor, where you’ll always find someone selling cooldrinks, bread and airtime. There’s a shop selling ice and beer at the turn-off to Twyfelfontein on the C39.
In Namibia you don’t have to look for a liquor store – supermarkets are allowed to sell alcohol.
Damara Living Museum
This is the only place in Namibia where you can see how the Damara people live traditionally: Learn how beads are made from bone and how to start a fire without using any matches. Entrance costs R80 per person. For an extra R70, you can walk in the veld with a Damara guide who will show you how to harvest medicinal plants and how to set traditional hunting traps.
Contact: 00 264 81 650 8634; lcfn.info/damara
Twyfelfontein
The Twyfelfontein World Heritage Site has one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world. An hour-long guided tour costs R50 per person.
Contact: 00 264 61 244 375
Organ Pipes
These vertical dolerite formations look like the pipes of a church organ. Visit in the middle of the day if you can, when there isn’t too much shade in the gorge and you can take better photos. Pay the entrance fee (R50 per person) at the reception office at Twyfelfontein.
Burnt Mountain
Millions of years ago, the shale on this hill – made up of decomposed organic material – came into contact with magma and ignited. The heat scorched the underlying rock so badly that it’s still black today.
The rocks are also rich in iron and manganese, which gives them a purple sheen in the sun. Pay the entrance fee (R50 per person) at the reception office at Twyfelfontein.
Get lost in the Huab
After I saw elephant spoor, I decided to look for the animals in the Huab River and got hopelessly lost. The hills petered out and I found an open field of grass next to the riverbed. Thankfully I regained my sense of direction at the confluence of the Huab and Aba-Huab rivers, near De Riet. I didn’t see any elephants, but the drive was an adventure in itself. Make sure your vehicle is fit for driving in thick sand.
Petrified Forest
How does a forest become petrified? Many years ago, trees washed downriver and came to rest here, where they were covered in sand. The sand prevented the plant tissue from decomposing and the trees eventually turned to rock. The sand, which became sandstone as time passed, subsequently eroded and all that remains is the petrified forest.
There are quite a few such “forests” next to the C39. This one is an official site and the biggest of the lot. There are also welwitschias in the area. Entrance fee R50 per person; opening times 8 am to 5 pm. Contact: 00 264 81 148 9704
Grootberg Pass
Not all the passes in northern Namibia are as tough as Van Zyl’s Pass. For one of the best views in Damaraland, drive the tamer Grootberg Pass. Epic!
Vingerklip
The original “Finger of God” between Keetmanshoop and Mariental toppled over in 1988. Since then, tourists have been coming to this similar rock formation, which is 35 m high.
Vingerklip is on the property of Vingerklip Lodge, about 62 km east of Khorixas. The flat-topped Ugab Terraces on the same property are also a scenic sight.
Contact: 00 264 67 290 319