Mwela Rock Paintings

The granite hills east of Kasama carry one of the denser concentrations of rock art in Central Africa, with some 700 paintings in caves and overhangs spread across outcrops over a wide area: red schematic designs, circles, grids and animal figures attributed to hunter-gatherer painters, and later white paintings associated with farming communities and initiation. The oldest are put at up to about 2,000 years old, and the site has been a national monument since 1964. A guide is needed because the panels are scattered across the bush with no marking.

What you'll find

• The red schematic art - circles, grids and figures attributed to hunter-gatherer painters.
• The white paintings - later work linked to farming communities and initiation.
• The scale - some 700 paintings spread across granite outcrops over a wide area.
• The outcrops - the granite hills the art is painted on, walked between.

When to go

May to October is dry and the walking is easiest. Grass in the wet season makes the outcrops harder to move between. Morning light is better on most panels.

Practical notes

A guide is essential; the panels are unmarked and spread out. The walking is over rough granite in heat. Some panels are faint and weathered.

Nearby

Chishimba Falls is west, and Kasama is the base for both.

Key facts