Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Khorixas


Khorixas is without a shadow of a doubt the place name that visitors to Namibia struggle the most to pronounce! As a start try saying the 'Kh' as a 'c' while the 'x' is pronounced as a hard guttural 'g' (those familiar with Afrikaans should be able to manage this fairly well). Once you have got your tongue around the towns name there is probably not a whole not more to say about the place.


Before independence it was the capital of the Damaraland region - but with the reworking of the regions it became part of the Kunene region and all the towns administrative functions were moved to the town of Opuwo. The major tribal group here are the Damara people.

Khorixas is a useful stop for re-fueling your vehicle and the local shops have some basic supplies (although don't count on finding very much - apart from cold beer, everywhere in Namibia has cold beer!).


Although the town itself has little to offer the traveller, the area has a number of tourist attractions in the vicinity. This makes it an ideal base to explore the region and the town and surroundings offer a variety of accommodation options, ranging from campsites to luxury lodges.
Rare and unusual stone formations, ancient rock engravings and strange geological wonders, have for decades tempted geologists, travellers and the curious to the region.


Twyfelfontein, Brandberg, the Petrified Forest, the Organ Pipes and the Burnt Mountain can all be visited on a morning excursion, best started in the early morning to escape the hot afternoon sun.
Khorixas is named after the Khori bush.