Tsodilo Hills: Louvre of the Desert

Tsodilo Hills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, is a captivating destination in northwestern Botswana, often called the "Louvre of the Desert" due to its remarkable collection of rock art. Rising from the Kalahari scrub bush, these quartzite formations have been inhabited for over 100,000 years, holding immense cultural and spiritual significance for the San and Hambukushu people. The hills comprise four main formations: the Male Hill, the highest point in Botswana at 1,400 meters AMSL; the Female Hill; the Child Hill; and an unnamed knoll. The San believe the hills are a resting place for ancestral spirits, and their rock art serves as a connection to their ancestors and a repository of their cultural history. The hills are believed to be the site of the first Creation. Exploring the hills reveals thousands of rock paintings, created over generations, depicting animals, human figures, and geometric designs. The red paintings are attributed to the San people, while the white paintings are associated with Bantu peoples. The Rhino Trail, Lion Trail, and Cliff Trail offer ideal routes to view the landscape and rock paintings. The Tsodilo Museum provides information on the paintings and the cultural significance of the hills. Archaeological research estimates that Tsodilo has been inhabited for the past 100,000 years, making this one of the world's oldest historical sites. Pottery, iron, glass beads, shell beads, carved bone, and stone tools dating back over 90,000 years have been discovered. The Early Iron Age Site at Tsodilo, called Divuyu, dates back to between 700 and 900 AD.