Farm Otjitoroa-West

It is fair to say that the world's most beautiful artefacts have remained so because of their inaccessibility. This is certainly the case with the rock engravings at Farm Otjitoroa-West in Namibia, as they are rarely visited and therefore remain largely untouched. They were declared a national monument jointly with the rock engravings at Farm Kamanjab, Kamanjab, on May 1, 1967.

The Otjitoroa-West Farm borders the Iris Farm. Just 1.5km south of the border of these two farming establishments lies a rock bank carrying a host of rock engravings. The rock bank reaches 20m in height, and it harbours a number of water holes that retain water for long periods. The rocks are strewn with rock engravings of varying sizes, ranging from 2.5cm to 45cm, mainly depicting tracks of kudu, oryx, zebra, and springbok. Actual engravings of oryx, eland, giraffe, rhinoceros and bush pig are around 20cm to 40cm.

The site also once featured a rare engraving of a human face, which was illegally removed and is believed to have been smuggled out of the country—a tragic loss to Namibia's cultural heritage.

The Farm Otjitoroa-West is situated west of the road from Kalkfeld to Outjo, approximately halfway between these 2 towns. The farm is located in the Otjozondjupa Region, near the settlement of Kalkfeld.

As the rock engravings at Farm Otjitoroa-West are located on private farmland, visitors must make prior arrangements with the landowner before attempting to visit the site. Unlike some of Namibia's more accessible national monuments, this site does not have established public tourism infrastructure. Those wishing to view these remarkable engravings should plan well in advance and respect that access is at the discretion of the property owner. This limited accessibility has, in many ways, helped preserve the site from the vandalism and damage that has affected other rock art locations in Namibia.