Pre-historic Petrified Footprints in Namibia

The unique climate of Namibia has frozen time in a few places around the country. A unique process and petrified footprints of animals and even dinosaurs for millions of years. One of the easiest places to see one of these sites is on a day trip from Swakopmund on ATV.

Here you can find evidence of rhinos and other species that have long left the area frozen in clay and mud turned to stone. Here you’ll also see footprints of people as well, more on the tour here. If you want to see dinosaur footprints you’ll need to make the trip up to Otjihaenamaparero Farm in northern Namibia. Here there are several examples of dinosaur prints (a ceratosaurus to be specific) frozen forever in 200-million-year-old sandstone. If you make the trip you can also stay at the farm campsite.

Venture outside of Swakopmund city limits and into the coastal dune belt that lies just beyond its borders on this incredible living desert tour from one of Namibia’s most popular tourist destinations. Your guide points out wildlife and natural highlights of this scenic landscape as your travel past towering sand dunes that are home to Palmato Geckos, lizards, and other small animals. This nature tour includes a thrilling dune drive and is ideal for first-time visitors and families.

Otjihaenamaparero Farm in northern Namibia.

There exposed in the Etjo sandstone are 200-million-year-old dinosaur footprints that you can walk alongside. These types of fossils, such as footprints, burrows, and feeding marks are also known as “trace fossils” or “ichnofossils.” There are two sets of tracks, and the first set that you come upon are the smaller coelophysis rhodesiensis (formerly called Syntarsus) tracks ( a 10-foot-long pack hunter) that run for about 12 meters. The second set, a short distance away, is of ceratosaurus (a 20-foot-long hunter with a large nose-horn on its skull). There are two tracks that cross each other, one which runs about 30 meters and the other about 40 meters.