Khorixas: Woodcarving and Surrounding Landscape

Khorixas is a service base for independent travelers before they continue to the more remote northern parts of this region. If you are looking for hotels in Khorixas, you can consider the town as a destination before continuing your journey. Woodcarving is a specific cultural theme in the area; the Petrified Forest is nearby. Other cultural and nature themes are part of the broader Kunene destination.

Woodcarving in Khorixas

Stephen Mufunda is a woodcarver based in Khorixas. He offers seasonal woodcarving workshops there, led by him. This connects a locally based person with a specific craft offering. The seasonal schedule is important when planning your interests: the workshops do not take place year-round.

The Petrified Forest nearby

The Petrified Forest is located near Khorixas in a dry riverbed between Khorixas and Twyfelfontein. It is a large collection of fossilized tree trunks. In the broader Kunene destination, the Petrified Forest was declared a national monument on March 1, 1950; it is currently operated as a tourist site under the supervision of the National Heritage Council of Namibia. Check the current access arrangements before visiting.

In terms of theme, the Petrified Forest focuses on fossilized tree trunks, while Twyfelfontein focuses on rock engravings. This distinguishes the landscape theme nearby from the cultural heritage theme in Twyfelfontein.

Cultural heritage and guided activities in the broader Kunene region

The core area of Twyfelfontein, or /Ui-//aes, was declared a national monument in 1948 and is protected under Namibia’s National Heritage Act of 2004. Most of the rock engravings are estimated to be more than 6,000 years old; there are approximately 2,500 different rock engravings in Twyfelfontein. The age estimate refers to most of the engravings, while the figure of about 2,500 indicates the approximate number of different rock engravings. A visitor center in Twyfelfontein welcomes guests. Check the visitor center’s current opening hours before your visit.

In the broader Kunene region, guided activities vary in focus. If you want to see Twyfelfontein’s rock engravings, you can join a guided tour into the Huab River Valley; desert-adapted elephants may be spotted along the way. Travelers can take guided hikes on the Grootberg Plateau. Lodge guides can explain the local flora, the rock formations of the Etendeka Mountains, and the wildlife. The Huab tour thus connects with an interest in the engravings, while Grootberg focuses on a hike and nature themes.

The history of the broader Kunene region also includes the Palmwag, Etendeka, and Hobatere concessions. Before Namibia’s independence in 1990, traditional authorities designated these concessions as conservation areas where farming was prohibited.

Discover more destinations: Kamanjab, Ehomba, Kalkbron, Opuwo, Purros, Konob Pos, Ozongaka, Otjinhungwa.

For the broader travel overview: Kunene.