South Africa is renowned for its ancient Bushman paintings. The paintings can be seen in many parts of South Africa with a concentration in the Drakensburg Mountains. Bushmen, or San, were supposedly the first modern human inhabitants in Southern Africa. Unfortunately only a few survive today and live in the desert regions of the country. Their rock art tell stories about their ancient lives, emphasizing particularly on the animals around them and hunting.

Over 20 000 individual rock paintings have been discovered at 500 different overhang and cave sites between Bushman’s Neck and Royal National Park. This ancient rock art is threatened because of erosion and vandalism therefore some of the most well known paintings are under protection is South Africa’s parks.

The Bushman paintings are perhaps one of South Africa’s most treasured cultural possessions.