Chongoni

Chongoni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of many visitors' top travel destinations in Malawi. It is known primarily for its rich history and pre-historic arrays of rock art. The area has revealed evidence of habitation since the early Stone Age and is located within a cluster of forested granite hills covering an area of 126.4 km2. Reaching heights of nearly 2,000 meters above sea level with the peaks of the Dedza mountains, the area has revealed evidence of habitation since the early Stone Age. This can be found in the caverns of places like Chentcherere and Namzeze, where it displays animist religious elements as well as old artworks from East Africa's once hunter-gatherer nomad people.

The far-flung reaches of Mphunzi Mountain form the westernmost extent of the UNESCO area, and they also contain some of the most impressive frescoes. The 127 sites of this area, located high up the plateau of central Malawi, have the richest concentration of rock art in Central Africa. They represent a comparatively rare tradition of farmer rock art, as well as paintings by BaTwa hunter-gatherers who lived in the area since the late Stone Age. Chewa agriculturalists, whose ancestors lived there since the late Iron Age, painted on rocks until well into the twentieth century. The rock art symbols, which are strongly associated with women, retain cultural significance among the Chewa, and the sites are actively associated with ceremonies and rituals.

• Locations: Central Region of Malawi