Nowhere in Botswana has a stronger sense of the past than the Tsodilo Hills. Situated in the Kalahari Basin to the west of the Okavango River these outcrops of quartzite schist rise abruptly from an ocean of desert. Like Australia´s Ayer´s Rock, the hills are imbued with myth, legend and spiritual significance associated with the tribes who inhabited the area. A legacy of over 3,500 rock paintings dating from 800-1,300 AD has been found. Ancestors of the ´San´ - an ancient people, who believed that the hills were the site of the first creation, executed the earliest paintings.

A number of circuits or trails through the hills lead past walls of rock containing panels of paintings. Of these, the most famous is the Van der Post Panel - named in honour of Sir Laurens van de Post who brought international attention to the hills through his book ´ Lost World of the Kalahari ´. It was during his exploration of the hills that Van der Post and his party suffered a series of misfortunes including being attacked by a swarm of bees on three successive mornings. When he learnt from his local guide that the party had upset the Gods by killing wildlife, in an attempt to appease the Gods, Van der Post is said to have buried a note of apology beneath the panel bearing his name. The Utopian society so revered by Van der Post and immortalised in the film ´ The Gods Must Be Crazy,´ has long since disappeared but their artwork remains as a testimony to it.

Just minutes after joining the off-road track through Khalahari Sandvelt we began to question the sanity of our decision to drive alone to such a remote and isolated location. By the time we´d voiced our concerns we decided we faced more danger by attempting a retreat and anyway we´d gone too far to turn back. For the better part of three hours we ploughed along a deeply rutted track of lose sand that swung unnervingly towards and between trees so closely set that passage through without damage to our vehicle or ourselves was a miracle. Teeth-clenching tension was intensified by speed - we couldn´t afford to lose momentum for fear of being bogged down. However, the Gods must have been with us when - feeling both physically and mentally shaken but mildly heroic - we realised we were on terra firma and approaching the Mbukushu village on the outskirts of the hills.

Symbolically named for their size and appearance Male, Female and Child Hill, the main outcrops lie roughly in line on a north-south axis. We had located the airstrip and were following the perimetre on a track leading to the site. From our southern approach the conical outline of Male Hill, neatly framing the thatched roof of the entrance gate, came into view first. Just visible in its shadow was the prostrate form of the lower and more irregular in structure, Female Hill. Renowned for its creative forces, it is said to harbour the most impressive paintings.

By now it was mid-afternoon and we had a few hours of daylight to explore the more accessible sections of the Female Hill. Tsodilo, derived from the Mbukushu word sorile, meaning sheer, accurately describes the rock faces on which the artwork is found. Panels of smooth rock of varying pastel shades seem to have been purpose-made for both the artists to do their work and for visitors to view the results.´ Makoba Woods´ carved onto a plaque nailed to a tree in a wooded enclave was the only evidence that we had arrived at our overnight camp. There were no other visitors. Once the engine was turned off and the ticking of cooling metal subsided a liquid silence enveloped us. The rustling of dried grass made us both look round - a klipspringer, balanced like an overweight ballerina on delicate tiptoes, eyed us nervously before taking off.

Armed with reason over apprehension, cameras and a map with a plan of the prime locations of the artwork we set off to explore a section of this extraordinary and extensive open-air gallery. Within minutes we were standing gazing at a wall of red ochre images – giraffes, antelopes and rhinos were easily recognisable and predominated both on this panel and others encountered on the western trail. The unexpected appearance a kudu provided a photo opportunity linking the present with the past. The male kudu, armed with formidable horns, is one of the few creatures depicted in early paintings still to be seen in the hills. The artistic bushman used the twisted horns of the kudu to adorn the head of a painting of a serpent. Legend has it that the serpent lives in a well found in a natural hollow in a rock-grotto in the north-eastern side of the Female Hill. The well has held water for as long as anyone can remember. The bushmen believed that if you threw a stone into the water to warn the serpent of your approach it would not harm you.

In spite of being in the region for no more than 200 years the Mbushuku, too, believe that the Female Hill is the site of the first creation of their tribe. They claim that a set of footprints discovered on the summit, thought by some as the prints left by dinosaur, are in fact prints left by cattle when their god, Nyambe, lowered the tribe and their cattle onto the hill. Overall it is believed that most of the paintings had religious or spiritual significance and it is this that gives the hills a vibrant sense of the living past.

In evening´s uneasy silence, shadows lengthened and fell upon the rock walls and the sense of isolation increased. Thirsty and plagued by insistent flies we made our way back. I reassured myself that we´d done nothing to upset the Gods. Flies, not bees, were attacking us. Nevertheless, convinced that we were not alone, I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder. That night - a full moon, howling dogs and my imagination kept me from all but fitful sleep. Splendid isolation, I decided, is not without its drawbacks.