Travel Guide Tsodilo Hills

The Tsodilo Hills, a few dozen kilometers west of the Panhandle, are a mandatory excursion for any discovery of the region. A minimum of half a day is required, but a few days can easily be spent here if you enjoy hiking or are interested in the San culture. As the traditional way of life of the San is being lost, this region is attracting more and more travelers, eager to learn about such a fascinating culture. Botswana is seeking to promote cultural tourism and neighboring Namibia is doing the same in the surrounding area, particularly in the Kaudom Game Reserve The site covers a total of 700 km², about 50 km from the Okavango River as the crow flies. It is composed of four hills that have been declared a national monument. The whole area is fenced to ensure the preservation of the natural setting of the hills. The highest, Male Hill, rises 400 meters above the plain and is, at 1,395 meters, the highest peak in the country. Female Hill is by far the largest, with several 300 m peaks. Child Hill and Grand-Child Hill are the least visited. Classified in 2001 as a World Heritage Site, this archaeological site is one of the most mysterious in Southern Africa. On the ancestral hillsides, more than 4,500 rock paintings have been executed by man, probably by the San people. They are not precisely dated, but may date back to 30,000 B.C., and traces of human presence date back to 60,000 B.C. A real melting pot of myths and legends, but also of controversies... To whom, indeed, to attribute the origin of these drawings, which hardly resemble the paintings that we find in the neighboring countries? For the time being, there are few scientific explanations. For the San !Kung, people living north of Ghanzi and west of the delta, it is in the heart of these hills that the first man was born. According to the belief, they would always shelter the tomb of the gods, as well as a cave inhabited by a monstrous snake carrying horns of kudu. Among other San, it is said that the paintings are the work of the gods or of fervent servants guided by the divine hand. The Hambukushu are convinced that their ancestors were put there directly by the god Nyambe. According to some scientists, they are more like dinosaur tracks, while for some researchers, they can only be traces, certainly curious, of erosion. It will be very interesting to visit the place with a passionate guide and with the fact of the last discoveries. Carriers of legends, but also of testimonies, they are the vestige of a complex past which remains to be elucidated. With their skeletons of fish and semi-aquatic antelopes, their various ancient inhabited sites and representations of wild and domestic animals, the Tsodilo Hills will fascinate lovers of archaeology, history and geography.