Khorixas is not a place most people plan to see, but it is where the dry heart of Damaraland has its administrative office, a straggle of low buildings, shops and a petrol station on the gravel and tar roads of Kunene. The town, with about twelve thousand people, was laid out in the 1970s as the capital of the old Damaraland homeland, and while it lacks the charm of a colonial town, it serves a vast area and is a lively place, full of minibus taxis, market stalls and people who have come from distant farms to buy supplies.
Its importance for travellers is the sights close by. About sixty kilometres to the west lies Twyfelfontein, a valley of red sandstone with some of the largest concentrations of rock engravings in Africa, carved by hunter-gatherers thousands of years ago and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Closer to town, a petrified forest holds the remains of huge tree trunks, turned to stone about 280 million years ago, and swept here by floods before being buried. Nearby, the Burnt Mountain glows in the late sun, and the Organ Pipes, a cliff of dolerite columns, stand in a dry gorge.
On two wheels, the roads here are a mix of tar and gravel, running through open, dry country of scattered mopane and acacia, flat-topped hills and low ridges. The tar roads are long and straight, and gravel to the west toward Palmwag crosses dry riverbeds and stony plains, with opportunities to see desert-adapted wildlife such as oryx, springbok and, with luck, elephant and giraffe. Heat is strong, wind blows dust across the track, and rains in summer can cause flash floods. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to ride.
As a regional centre, Khorixas has fuel stations, a bank with an ATM, supermarkets, and a few guesthouses and campsites, and it is the last dependable stop before the remote country to the west. Fill the tank, buy water and food, and carry spare supplies for the road ahead. The people are friendly, and a chat at a petrol station often yields useful news about road conditions. Plan to be off the road by dusk, because animals wander freely and visibility is poor.