Village · Kunene, Namibia
Kamanjab
A small, fast-growing village in southern Kunene where the C40 and C35 meet, with fuel, a Spar and an ATM, about 70 km from Etosha's Galton Gate and close to a hill covered in old rock engravings.
Short answer
Kamanjab is in Kunene, Namibia. This page lists 6 places to stay and 1 sight. The nearest park with an entry fee on this site is Etosha National Park, about 118 km away, where international adults pay from N$280.
- Malaria
- Kamanjab is in Kunene, one of the regions where the CDC says malaria is transmitted and recommends preventive tablets (atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine or tafenoquine).
- Places to stay
- 6
- Sights
- 1
- Park fee nearby: Etosha National Park
- US$17 €15 · N$280about 118 km away
In and around Kamanjab
7 places listedWhere to stay in Kamanjab 6
- 19.62°S 14.85°EGuest houseMelissa's Guest Housemelissasguesthouse.com
- 19.63°S 14.85°EGuest houseSakaite Self Catering GuesthouseKamanjab
- 19.62°S 14.84°EGuest houseAnn's Lodge & Camping
- 19.63°S 14.82°ECampsiteKamanjab Restcamp
- 19.57°S 14.84°EHotelKaoko Bush Lodge
Sights 1
Rock Engravings at Peet Alberts KoppieAttraction · Kamanjab
Kamanjab is a crossroads village on the plateau of southern Kunene, where the C40 from Outjo meets the C35 running north to Ruacana. The Otjiherero name, Okamanja, means place of big stones, and the granite koppies around it explain why. Most travellers use it as an overnight stop or base between Etosha’s western gate and Damaraland, or to fill up before heading north. It is growing fast: the 2023 census counted 3,915 people, almost three times the 1,323 of 2011.
Getting there
From Outjo the C40 is tarred all the way to Kamanjab, and the C35 north towards Ruacana is tarred too. West of town the C40 turns to gravel and climbs Grootberg Pass at 1,629 m on the way to Palmwag. The pass can be rough, rain makes it worse, and a 4x4 is the sensible choice. Grootberg Lodge, up on the Grootberg plateau, is 97 km from Kamanjab. Galton Gate, Etosha’s south-western entrance, is about 70 km away. Kamanjab also has an airfield.
When to go
The dry months are easier. In the rainy season gravel roads across Kunene can break up, and whole areas can be cut off for a while. If you are using Galton Gate, remember that Etosha’s gates and camps open at sunrise and close at sunset, and Olifantsrus campsite is 70 km inside.
What to do
Kamanjab itself is a stopover, not a sight. The one thing to walk up is Peet Alberts Koppie, about 4 km out on the Outjo road, where more than 1,500 rock engravings cover the granite. Giraffe dominate, one of them 3.3 m long, and there are rhino, elephant, ostrich and human footprints alongside circles and grids that researchers link to Khoekhoe herders. Oppi Koppi offers visits to a Himba homestead 2 km out on the Ruacana road, in your own car with a local guide, and Kamanjab Rest Camp, 3 km west, has self-guided trails through a private game area with giraffe and zebra. Birders head for Hobatere to the north-west, among the top spots for birds found almost only on the Namibian escarpment, such as the white-tailed shrike and Herero chat.
Good to know
Kamanjab has a Spar, an ATM and a filling station, and travellers stock up here before Etosha’s west or the long roads north. Fill the tank: in Etosha, fuel is sold at Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni, and Okaukuejo is 130 km beyond Olifantsrus. Further north in Kaokoland only Opuwo has a petrol station. Kunene is one of the regions where the CDC recommends malaria tablets, and Namibia’s health ministry still counts it among its ten malaria regions, so see a travel clinic before you go. At the engravings there is a resonant gong rock; if you try it, use your hand, never another stone, which damages it.
History and culture
Kamanjab is a crossroads village in southern Kunene that has grown from its first shop, opened in 1930, into the fastest-growing urban place in the region. Its real age shows on the granite koppies around it, where San hunter-gatherers and later Khoekhoe herders left more than 1,500 engravings, and the farmland in between carries the history of colonial war, settler farms and independence.
- Later Stone Age
Hunter-gatherers, the San (also called Bushmen), pecked hundreds of animals into the granite of Peet Alberts Koppie, above all giraffe, and left stone tools scattered across the hill. Khoekhoe herders, who moved into Namibia with their livestock 2,000 to 2,500 years ago, added the circles, wavy lines, grids and stars engraved on the same rocks. source
- 1884
German chancellor Otto von Bismarck claimed the territory, which became German South West Africa. source
- December 1897 to March 1898
Topnaar and Swartbooi Nama, joined by some Ovaherero under Chief Kambata, rose against German rule in the Fransfontein, Otjitambi, Kamanjab and Grootberg areas. Hendrik Witbooi, the Nama leader from the south, fought on the German side. source
- 1904 to 1908
After the Herero and then the Nama rose against German rule, the German Empire waged a war of extermination against them. Around 80,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama died, many in concentration camps. Germany acknowledged it as genocide in 2015. source
- 1915
During the First World War South Africa invaded and occupied German South West Africa. It went on to rule the territory under white minority and later apartheid government until independence. source
- 1930
The first shop opened at Kamanjab, then counted as part of the Kaokoveld. source
- 1968
The road between Kamanjab and Fransfontein was finished as one of the territory's first two engineered, all-weather, high-standard gravel roads, the other being Omaruru to Wilhelmstal. Both were designed and built by the roads engineer Klaus Dierks. source
- 1990
Namibia became independent on 21 March 1990, after more than a century of German and then South African rule, and moved from apartheid to democratic government. source
- Languages
- Across Kunene, the 2023 census found Otjiherero to be the main home language in 37.7% of households and Khoekhoegowab, the Damara and Nama language, in 27.3%. Then come Otjihimba (8.1%), Oshikwanyama (5.3%), Oludhimba (4.8%) and Afrikaans (2.9%). English, the official language, is spoken at home in 1.7%. source
- People
- Kunene is home to the Himba, a branch of the Herero, as well as Damara and Nama people. source
- Local politics
- Kamanjab has a five-seat village council, and control has changed hands. SWAPO won it in 2015, while in 2020 the opposition United Democratic Front came first, with the seats split between UDF, SWAPO and the Popular Democratic Movement. source
For German visitors: German colonial troops fought the Nama and Herero rising of 1897 and 1898 in the country around Kamanjab and Grootberg. The German war cemetery at Outjo, the next town east on the C40, also remembers that rising. source
For German visitors: Klaus Dierks, born in Berlin-Dahlem in 1936, worked for more than 30 years as a roads engineer in Namibia and was Deputy Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications from 1990 to 1995. He also wrote the Chronology of Namibian History, the source for several dates on this page. source
Main sights in Kamanjab
2- Rock Engravings at Peet Alberts Koppie
Between 1,200 and 1,500 rock engravings, mostly of wild animals with some circles and stars, at the top of a hill near the village. It has been a national monument since 1 May 1967. The hill is named after a former owner of the farm, Peet (Piet) Alberts, a Dorslandtrekker (Thirstland trekker).
Wikipedia (German): Felsgravuren Piet Alberts Koppie, citing the National Heritage Council of Namibia - Himba homestead visit
Oppi Koppi Restcamp offers visits to a Himba homestead about 2 km out of Kamanjab on the Ruacana road, in your own vehicle with a local guide. Ask before taking any photograph.
Oppi Koppi Restcamp (activities)
Did you know?
- The Otjiherero name for Kamanjab is Okamanja, which means place of big stones. source
- One giraffe engraved on Peet Alberts Koppie is 3.3 m long, similar in size to the well-known engraved giraffe at Beitbridge in Zimbabwe. source
- Peet Alberts Koppie has a gong rock, a granite slab broken in two that rings like an anvil when struck. Seven small hollows show where it has been hit. source
- Kamanjab grew by 195.9% between 2011 and 2023, the fastest of the four urban places in Kunene. Outjo, Opuwo and Khorixas all grew more slowly. source
- The Kamanjab constituency covers 17,131 km² and had 11,349 people at the 2023 census, about 0.7 people per square kilometre. source
- The village is growing fast enough that its constituency councillor, Nico Somaeb, told NBC News that Kamanjab should no longer be called a village and was ready to be upgraded to a town. source
Checked 7 October 2026.
Wildlife you might see
10- likelyWhite-tailed shrikeDry woodland with big trees in the Hobatere area north-west of Kamanjab. It is the commonest of the escarpment's near-endemic birds there. All yearsource
- possibleGiraffeIn the private game area around Kamanjab Rest Camp, 3 km west of the village. All yearsource
- possibleZebraIn the private game area around Kamanjab Rest Camp. All yearsource
- possibleCarp's titDry woodland around Hobatere and further east. All yearsource
- possibleMonteiro's hornbillDry woodland with large trees around Hobatere, and more of them further east where there is more rain. All yearsource
- possibleHerero chatRocky hillsides in the Hobatere area. All yearsource
- possibleRockrunnerRocky hillsides in the Hobatere area. All yearsource
- possibleRüppell's parrotRiver valleys with big trees around Hobatere. It is nowhere common, and the factsheet (last assessed in 2001) says it was being illegally trapped for the bird trade. All yearsource
- possibleBare-cheeked babblerMopane woodland along riverbeds, in groups of about six. All yearsource
- rareHartlaub's spurfowlKoppies and inselbergs across the region. One of the rarest of the escarpment endemics. All yearsource
Likelihood is for a normal visit of two or three days, from the sources linked. Nothing is guaranteed in the wild.
Hikes and walks
3- Peet Alberts Koppie rock engravings
The engravings, more than 1,500 of them and mostly giraffe, are spread on and around a granite koppie of about 1,281 m. The ground is broken up by narrow gullies, so wear proper shoes.
Rock Art Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand - Kamanjab Rest Camp trails
Well-kept trails through the camp's private game area lead to a sundowner viewpoint. Giraffe and zebra roam here, so keep your distance.
Permit: Self-guided and free for guests of the rest camp
ATI Holidays (Kamanjab Rest Camp) - Oppi Koppi walking trail
A short walking trail at the rest camp, 300 m from the centre of Kamanjab.
Oppi Koppi Restcamp (activities)
Staying safe in Kamanjab
- Malaria
- Kamanjab is in Kunene, one of the regions where the CDC says malaria is transmitted and recommends preventive tablets (atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine or tafenoquine). See a travel clinic before you go and cover up at dusk. source
- Grootberg Pass
- West of Kamanjab the C40 is gravel and climbs Grootberg Pass at 1,629 m on the way to Palmwag. The road over the pass can be in poor condition and a 4x4 is recommended. source
- Rainy season roads
- The tarred roads in Kunene are the C35 from Kamanjab north to Ruacana, the C39, the C40 from Outjo to Kamanjab, the C41 and the C138. Most other roads are corrugated gravel, and D roads may need a 4x4. In the rainy season whole areas can be cut off, so check conditions locally before setting out. source
- Fuel into western Etosha
- Inside Etosha the three main camps, Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni, have petrol stations. If you come in from Kamanjab through Galton Gate in the west, fill up in the village first, because the main camps are a long drive away. source
Tips from travellers
- Stock up in Kamanjab. A traveller on a South African 4x4 forum lists a Spar, an ATM and fuel here, which makes it the place to buy food and fill up after leaving Etosha by the west or before heading north. one source
- Galton Gate is about 70 km from Kamanjab, which makes the village a sensible overnight stop before entering Etosha from the west. one source
- At Peet Alberts Koppie there is a natural gong rock that rings when struck. Use your hand or a cloth-wrapped stone, never a bare rock, which damages it and removes old surface layers that could be dated. official
- Further north in Kaokoland only Opuwo has a petrol station, so if you are going on from Kamanjab towards Opuwo, leave with a full tank. several sources
Checked 7 October 2026. Conditions change, so confirm with the park or venue before you go.
Quick answers
What are the best hikes in Kamanjab?
Peet Alberts Koppie rock engravings, Kamanjab Rest Camp trails and Oppi Koppi walking trail. See the hikes section for times, difficulty and permits.
Guides for Kamanjab
Map of Kamanjab
See every place on this map as a list