Fish River Canyon

Why Fish River Canyon works

Fish River Canyon slices 160 kilometres through the arid plateau of southern Namibia, up to 27 kilometres wide and 550 metres deep in places, ranking as the second-largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon and by far the largest in Africa. The main viewpoint near Hobas delivers an immense, silent panorama at sunset, when the canyon walls turn deep red and the Fish River -- reduced to a thin, sinuous ribbon or a chain of pools depending on the season -- glints far below. For hikers, the five-day, 85-kilometre trail along the canyon floor between Hobas and Ai-Ais hot springs is one of southern Africa's classic multi-day treks: unguided, self-sufficient, and permitted only from May to mid-September when temperatures are survivable and the river low enough to cross on foot repeatedly. It demands a medical certificate, a minimum group of three, and genuine backcountry fitness, rewarding those who complete it with total solitude and a soak in the Ai-Ais thermal springs at the finish. Travellers who prefer not to hike can still take in quiver tree forests nearby at Quiver Tree Forest and Giant's Playground, both easy stops en route, where centuries-old Aloe dichotoma trees stand like something from another planet against the desert light.

Trip Snapshot

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