Uis


Uis Namibia Gateway to the Brandberg and Damaraland

Aerial view of Uis and the Old Mine

Tourist Information Centre

Your first views of Uis will be of the large white mine dumps. From commencement of mining in 1924 to the closure of the mine in 1990 some 35,000 tons of high grade Tin Ore Concentrate was produced. The open pit mining operation at Uis was notable as it had the reputation of being the largest Hard Rock Tin Mine in the world. The closure of the mine in 1990 dealt a financial below to the area, but the year also witnessed the country's independence and Namibia became more accessible to foreign visitors.

Erongo Region

21º22'S - 14º85'E

Population 2,000

The natural beauty of the nearby Brandberg along with it's wealth of world famous Bushmen

rock paintings, including the famous White Lady of Brandberg mural, attract researchers and tourists alike. There are in excess of 45,000 Bushmen Rock Paintings figures of animals, glyphs and man to be found on the mountain. You will find the staff at the local tourist office friendly and informative. There are good B&Bs and camp sites at Uis. Shopping is limited, but the town has a small supermarket where you can stock up. Fuel, tires and repair facilities are available.

You'll find a good selection of accommodation in Uis, and the Tourist Info Office is worth a visit.

Bushman Shaman

Early Morning at the Brandberg

Local Area Attractions

The White Lady of Brandberg: A National Heritage Site. Guided tours only. It takes a 45 minute hike to reach the Maack Shelter where the mural is situated. This painting remained the most controversial piece of Bushman Rock Art for several decades, and was erroneously named The White Lady Of Brandberg. The mural is a fascinating piece of ancient art giving us an insight to Bushman culture over 2000 years ago. Time budget 2-3hr ►►

Twyfelfontein is a large Sandstone rock face with a shelf on, which can be found an unusual group of rock-formations etched by the desert winds. Twyfelfontein is also the location of the largest single display of Bushman Rock Engravings in the world. Over 2,500 depictions of animals, humans and strange and mystical glyphs on 200 rock slabs plus rock paintings. It is a National Heritage site and is subject to Guided Tours only. Time budget 1-2 hr ►►

The Burnt Mountain: Unusual Geological phenomena. In prehistoric times organic material accumulated on the bottom of a lake bed. This was later covered by sedimentary deposits and buried. During the Break-up of Gondwana hot magma pushed upwards and when coming into contact with the organic material baked it. The remaining rock is quite colourful in certain sunlight conditions. Time budget 30min ►►

Organ Pipes: Unusual Geological feature similar to the Giant's causeway in Northern Ireland. About 125 million years ago when Gondwana was dividing into Africa and South America the earth's crust in this region was subjected to a great up-thrusting of molten rock which formed into polygon shaped pipes owing to surrounding constrictions. Time budget 30 minutes. ►►

Henties Bay	Khorixas	Omaruru	Swakopmund	Usakos	Windhoek
112 / 70	131 / 81	127 / 79	187 / 116	132 / 82	372 / 231

Namibia Towns:
Aus | Gobabis | Grootfontein | Grunau | Henties-Bay | Kamanjab | Karibib | Karasburg | Katima Mulilo | Keetmanshoop Khorixas | Luderitz | Maltahohe | Mariental | Noordoewer | Okahandja | Omaruru | Ondangwa | Oshakati | Otavi Otjiwarongo | Outjo | Rehoboth | Ruacana | Rundu | Solitaire | Swakopmund | Terrace-Bay | Tsumeb | Uis | Usakos | Walvis-Bay | Windhoek