Vingerklip to Twyfelfontein, Namibia

3 - 5 Nov 07

Rock Art at Doubtful Fountain

After our morning walk and breakfast, the manager of Vingerklip Lodge drove us to the airstrip after breakfast. While we loaded up the plane, he checked out the runway for game, and told us about a herd of springbok near the middle of it. While taxiing to the departure end of the runway, we had to rev up the engine several times to chase them all to the same side of the runway. The golden rule of bush flying is ‘Don’t EVER take off or land through a split herd'.

Twyfelfontein (doubtful spring) at the head of the Aba Huab Valley, is one of the most extensive rock-art galleries on the continent. The European settler D. Levin who lived there in the 1940s called it Twyfelfontein since its daily output of one cubic metre of water was insufficient for survival. Somehow they manage to provide water for all the tourists that visit the area today, although we were asked not to squander the precious commodity.
The main lodge building, embedded in red rock, was an architectural wonder. On the other hand, the rooms were a disappointment after Palmwag and Vingerklip, and the general setting was less stunning. Too many buses and 4WDs drove up in front of the lodge so there wasn’t the quiet, secluded feeling we’d enjoyed elsewhere in Damaraland. The swimming pool boasted a waterfall, but the water was a bit murky and the steps were slimy – a telltale sign that the water hadn’t been treated properly.
Nevertheless, we spent a couple of pleasant days there visiting the ancient rock-art and going on an early morning walk.
The first night we went stargazing the southern sky with Siggi, a bearded Austrian who has been happily living in Namibia for the last 40 years. He drove us to the airstrip away from the lights of the lodge with one of the big old 4WD Unimogs which the lodge was operating. We saw Jupiter with its moons, the Andromeda galaxy and many other interesting objects.