In the flat barren landscape of the western Kalahari, some 50km west of the village of Sepupa on the banks of Panhandle, the sheer quartzite cliff-faces of the four Tsodilo Hills rise majestically above the surrounding savannah. The four hills form a line and are referred to by the San people as "The Male" - the largest hill which reaches a height of 410 metres above the surrounding plain; "The Female" - a smaller hill, about 300m, but has an overall area of almost three times that of The Male; and the next in size of 40m is referred to as "The Child" and lies about 2km away from The Female.

Beyond these three is a much smaller unnamed knoll, located 2.2km northwest of The Child, which legend has it was The Male Hill's first wife who was discarded when he met and married the taller Female Hill.
The enigmatic and spiritual quality of the hills was noted by the famous author Sir Laurens van der Post in his book "The Lost World of the Kalahari" It was here that Sir Laurens's cameras inexplicably jammed, his tape recorders ceased functioning and his party was attacked by swarms of bees three mornings running. When he learned from his guide that two of his party had disturbed the Tsodilo spirits by ignoring long-established protocol and killing a warthog and a steenbok while approaching the sacred hills, van der Post buried a note of apology beneath the panel of paintings that now bears his name and it was apparently accepted.

Tsodilo is a place of special significance to the San who have been living here for thousands of years. They believe the hills are a resting place for the spirits of the deceased and that their various gods live in caverns within the Female Hill, from where they rule the world. The most sacred place is near the top of the Male Hill; legend has it that the first spirit knelt here to pray after creating the world. This was when the rocks were still soft and the San believe you can still see the impression of his knees in the gray rock. It is believed that these gods will cause misfortune if anyone hunts or causes death near the hills. The Harnbukushu, who also live in the area, believe the hills are where God lowered man to earth.