Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Statue of the Buddha in the main temple
Gadaladeniya Viharaya
McClellan Falls
McClellan Falls
Kraken Habitat
Skye Textile Mill
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Caru' cu Bere
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Aerial view of Pulau Tiga
The Original ‘Survivor’ Island Changed Television Forever
about 10 hours ago
Obscura Day Summer 2025: Roaming among Assateague's feral island ponies
about 13 hours ago
The main reading room of the Athenaeum.
Obscura Day Summer 2025: Literary Landmarks Across Providence
about 13 hours ago
The Campus Theatre in downtown Lewisburg.
Obscura Day Summer 2025: An Art Deco Theater in Pennsylvania
about 13 hours ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Zambia Solwezi Kifubwa Stream Rock Shelter

Kifubwa Stream Rock Shelter

Rare pigmented engravings cover the walls of this Stone Age shelter.

Solwezi, Zambia

Added By
Pat
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The rock shelter.   PatTheGreat / Atlas Obscura User
The rock shelter.   PatTheGreat / Atlas Obscura User
Path leading to the rock engravings.   PatTheGreat / Atlas Obscura User
Rock engravings and more modern graffiti.   PatTheGreat / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque at the site.   PatTheGreat / Atlas Obscura User
Rock engravings.   PatTheGreat / Atlas Obscura User
The rock shelter with engravings.   PatTheGreat / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A beautiful swath of nature hides a prehistoric secret. There, etched into a rock shelter, are the marks of the people who called this land home thousands of years ago.

The Kifubwa Stream Rock Shelters are located along a picturesque valley on the Kifubwa Stream. The most stunning feature of the rock shelters is a series of engravings underneath a series of rock overhangs.

These engravings consist almost entirely of geometric line markings and "U" motifs. They were made using the "incision technique," where the stone of the rock shelter was repeatedly rubbed or chipped away using harder stones. Unusual for Zambia, these engravings were combined with painting, as red pigment was used to color in the engravings.

The Kifubwa Stream Rock Shelters were first discovered by Western scholars in 1928. Excavations of the floor of the rock shelters revealed evidence of Late Stone Age hunter-gather occupation, carbon dated to between 6,000 and 6,500 years ago. A the time, it was the first site to show a clear connection between local rock engravings and Late Stone Age communities.

Related Tags

Rocks Rock Formations Art Petroglyphs Geology

Know Before You Go

The site is located approximately 3.7 miles (six kilometers) from the center of town, down a well-marked dirt road. It's open during daylight hours throughout the year, and a gatekeeper will collect the entry fee. Well-maintained stairs lead you to the rock shelter and engravings, and a few trails lead to picturesque overlooks. The site is easily accessible by taxi or private car.

Community Contributors

Added By

PatTheGreat

Published

February 21, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • "A Guide to Zambia's Heritage," published by the National Heritage Conservation Commission
  • "Zambia's Outstanding Natural, Cultural, & Historic Sites," by Nicholas M. Katanekwa
Kifubwa Stream Rock Shelter
Unnamed Road
Solwezi
Zambia
-12.223889, 26.401391
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Kamusongolwa Hill

Kasempa, Zambia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Zambia

Zambia

Africa

Places 31
Stories 4

Nearby Places

Kamusongolwa Hill

Kasempa, Zambia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Zambia

Zambia

Africa

Places 31
Stories 4

Related Places

  • Las Labradas

    San Ignacio, Mexico

    Las Labradas

    This gorgeous stretch of coastline is home to beautiful views and centuries-old rock art.

  • Newspaper Rock.

    Monticello, Utah

    Newspaper Rock

    One of the world’s largest collections of petroglyphs records 2,000 years of human activity.

  • Naturalistic rock art example.

    Kasama, Zambia

    Mwela Rock Art Paintings

    One of the largest concentrations of rock paintings in Southern Africa.

  • The Crocodile Rock.

    Millport, Scotland

    Crocodile Rock

    A bizarre stone beast lurks on the beach of a popular tourist island.

  • Crow Canyon Petroglyphs.

    New Mexico

    Crow Canyon Petroglyphs

    One of the American Southwest's most extensive collections of Navajo rock art.

  • Petroglyphs visible on Haleets Rock.

    Bainbridge Island, Washington

    Haleets Rock

    Mysterious ancient petroglyphs carved on a glacial boulder at the tip of Bainbridge Island.

  • A pictograph at Bear Gulch.

    Forest Grove, Montana

    Bear Gulch Pictographs

    A scenic ravine with an astounding collection of rock art created by the Indigenous people of the Great Plains.

  • Leo Petroglyph.

    Ray, Ohio

    Leo Petroglyph

    A slab of sandstone covered with mysterious 1,000-year-old rock carvings from a vanished North American culture.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.