Nyero Rock Paintings

Nyero is a set of granite shelters and overhangs near Kumi carrying paintings in white and red pigment, mostly geometric: concentric circles, ovals, canoe shapes and finger dots, attributed to hunter-gatherer peoples and thought to date from at least the first millennium. Six panels are recorded across the site, reached by short walks and a scramble. The rock art of eastern Uganda is on the World Heritage tentative list and Nyero is its best-known example.

Highlights

• The concentric circles - the dominant geometric motif across the panels.
• The six panels - the recorded painted shelters spread across the outcrop.
• The granite shelters - the overhangs and boulders the paintings are made on.
• The pigments - white and red painted directly onto the rock face.

When to go

June to September and December to March are driest. Morning and late afternoon light is best for the panels. Guides are provided at the site.

Things to know

The paintings are faint and take a guide and good light to make out. Some panels involve a scramble over rock. Vandalism and weathering have damaged parts of the site.

Nearby

Kumi is nearby, and Mount Elgon is southeast.