Visit in July 2022.

This place is rather remote and gets very few visitors. 

The rock art of Chongoni is of international importance because it has large and well-preserved rock paintings sites belonging to rare African rock art traditions: by Chewa farmers and by the hunter gathering BaTwa Pygmies. The Chongoni area contains some of the finest examples of Pygmy, rock arts in Africa and more than half of all of central Africa’s farmer rock art. Chongoni has one of the world’s greatest concentrations of rock art known to have been made by women.

They have discovered 127 different panels, but they believe there are more. At the time we visited, only one site was open for public, the Mphunzi site. We picked up a guide at the Dedza pottery and lodge. He drove with us out to the site, about 45 minutes’ drive mostly on a bad dirt road, but a scenic ride through rural villages. 

The site consists of 7 panels. We first hiked up to panel 7, one km uphill. This is the youngest site with white paintings about 500 - 2000 years old.  The images symbolize rituals with animal’s masks. Many images are clearly visible, but others are faded. These paintings were made by the Chewa agriculturalist. Amongst the white figures, there was one figure in black color, which is quite rare.  These people are stilling living in the area and rituals/ceremonies are still taking place in the rock shelters.

This shelter also seems to be used by hyenas. We spotted several fresh tracks! The view from the mountainside is fantastic, well worth the effort getting up here.  Then we went all way down again, as the rest of the panels are closer to the parking. 

The rest of the panels are with red paintings and presumably up to 10 000 years old made by the BaTwa Pygmies.

The panels look like “a mess”, but when our guide explained it, it all made more sense. They used the panels more as “information” like marks of capture of animals, and fertility divination. They were made by women. For fertility, people still go to make offerings when they have fertility concerns. Many of the images are unfortunately faded

There are no signs, not a clearly marked trail and no information panels. The panels close by the parking are not easy to locate either, so you will need a guide. 

Not many people find their way out here. When we signed the visitor book there were only 3 other visitors signing in the past two months!  

The rock art is not the greatest, although they might appear quite simple and not as artistic as for instance Kondoa, they tell a story from the past. 

An extra point for the remoteness and the beautiful surroundings.