One of the largest canyons in the world, Fish River Canyon is second only to the USA’s Grand Canyon. It is situated on the lower parts of the Fish River near the border of Namibia & South Africa.
Fish River Canyon Namibia

One of the largest canyons in the world, Fish River Canyon is second only to the USA’s Grand Canyon. It is situated on the lower parts of the Fish River near the border of Namibia & South Africa. It is 161 kms long, 27 kms wide and the ravine reaches a maximum depth of 550 meters. Part of its impact is that it is gashed into the surrounding plateau with startling abruptness. A road running for 25km along the eastern edge of the canyon leads to a series of viewing sites.

In early times Fish River Canyon was a haven for the local inhabitants as the area is extremely arid with virtually no rainfall and the river provided food and water for humans and animals alike.

Hiking through the canyon is a popular endurance test for the hardy. The hike starts from the main look-out point and ends at the hot springs resort of Ai-Ais, a distance of some 90 km. Open only between the beginning of May and the end of September (as the summer months are extremely hot, with December temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius), this trail through the great ravine takes up to five days to complete.

In the area you will also see a strange Namibian plant. The quiver tree or `Kokerboom’ is indigenous to the hot and dry southern part of Namibia. The plants are succulents and can reach a height of up to 9 meters. They have adapted to the extreme environmental conditions by storing water in their trunks. The tree blossoms for the first time after 20 to 30 years and can reach 300 years of age. As the trunk and branches can be easily hollowed out, they were used as quivers by the Bushmen (San people) who formerly roamed this area.

Not far west of Fish River Canyon is the Ai-Ais hot springs, one of Namibia’s famous hot springs resorts. Thermal water bubbles from the springs of Ai-Ais at a temperature of approx. 60°C and is very rich in sulphates and fluorides. In the Nama’s language, ‘Ai-Ais’ means ‘burning water’. The thermal bath immediately next to the spring is a popular recreation resort, especially during the winter.