Kondoa Irangi Art Paintings
The Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings are found in Kondoa Irangi village, between the Singida and Irangi Hills, and other rock paintings can be found in Kolo village in Dodoma. The rock paintings in central Tanzania are a series of ancient paintings on rock shelter walls.
The photographs portray both hunter-gatherer and agro-pastoralist cultures, illustrating how lives have changed over the last two thousand years. In the Kondoa region, there are over 450 rock art locations. Because of its impressive collection of rock art, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. The locations lie on the steep eastern slopes of the Masai escarpment, which runs along the Great Rift Valley’s eastern boundary. These locations are utilized for rituals.
Location of the Kondoa Irangi Art Site
The rock art sites of Kondoa Irangi are located on the slopes of the Irangi hills, near the little community of Kolo, some 3 kilometers from Kondoa town on the Dodoma Arusha route.
How were the Kondoa Art Paintings Drawn?
Local cultures used a mixture of animal fats, red tree sap, and ash to create the rock murals thousands of years ago. The ones that have survived are all situated on sheltering rock faces, where overhanging boulders have offered rain protection for ages. Each site included a large number of individual paintings, which were typically 4m broad by 2m high.
The paintings ranged in size from a handful of inches to several feet. The Kondoa Irangi Tour takes you to a number of caves and shelters that are decorated with paintings of elongated humans, animals, hunting scenes, and abstract marks.
The majority of the paintings have been determined to be over 2,000 years old, and they resemble those seen in Eastern and Southern Africa.
2 days Kondoa Irangi Tour Itinerary
Below is a 2-day tour of the ancient Kondoa Irangi rock art painting site within the Irangi Hills located in the Kondoa region of Tanzania.
Day 1: Tour of Kondoa Irangi.
For the journey to the Kondoa Irangi rock art sites, pick up from your hotel or resident house in Dodoma. Arrive at Kondoa for a little break and lunch before checking into the resort. In the afternoon, go on a walking excursion to view the mystical well in the Reserved Natural Forest. This trip will teach you about the history of the area as well as local beliefs about the forest. Explore the holy spots and appreciate the forest’s bird viewing and plants. Proceed to a customary gathering spot under a Baobab tree, where meetings were conducted prior to the colonial control of Germany. Explore the grandeur of the Kondoa River on your trip down.
The trip will take you to the local market and people’s homes, as well as to local bars and small commercial centers. After that, return to Kondoa town for the night.
Day 2: Tour of the Kondoa Irangi rock paintings
After breakfast, travel to Kolo for a full-day visit of the Kondoa Irangi Rock paintings. Drive to Mongomi Hill, where you will park your car and begin your adventure. There are three sites on the Mongoni hill: B1, B2, and B3. The ancient rock art depicts scenes from tribe life, such as ritual, dance, and hunting, and is said to be over 10000 years old.
Picnic lunch/hot lunch and transportation to Pahi location for more rock painting activities. At this site, you will see black and white paintings, symbolic art created by early livestock keepers and farmers. Drive back to Kondoa in the late afternoon for supper and an overnight stay, or continue to Dodoma.
