Manyana Rock Paintings

On a rock face at Manyana are paintings in red ochre, made by San or Khoikhoi artists between about 1100 and 1700, showing giraffe, eland and human figures, among the more accessible rock art in southeastern Botswana. Nearby stands a large fig tree that local tradition connects with David Livingstone, who worked in this area in the 1840s. The site is fenced and protected as a national monument and is reached on a short walk from the village, usually with a guide from the community who will also point out the paintings that are easy to walk past.

History

The paintings are believed to have been made by Khoikhoi or San people between about 1100 and 1700 AD, possibly by traditional healers as part of religious rites, and they show animals, plants and abstract shapes. Rock paintings are scarce in south-eastern Botswana, and Manyana's are the only ones there to have been excavated; the site is now fenced and protected as a National Monument (Wikipedia, Manyana Rock Paintings).

What to look for

• The ochre paintings - giraffe, eland and human figures on the rock face.
• The cliff - the sandstone wall the paintings are on, at the edge of the village.
• The fig tree - a large tree associated by tradition with Livingstone.
• The village setting - the site sitting directly beside a working village.

When to go

April to September is the most comfortable. Morning light on the painted face is the best. Summer afternoons are hot with no shade at the rock.

Before you go

The paintings are faded and some panels are damaged by graffiti. There is no formal protection or interpretation. Finding the site and the panels needs a village guide.

Nearby

Kolobeng mission is north, and Gaborone is northeast.

Key facts