FISH RIVER CANYON
The Fish River Canyon (Afrikaans: Visrivier Canyon or Visrivier Kuil, German: Fischfluss Canyon), is located in the south of Namibia. It is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 160 kilometres (100 mi) long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep.
The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia. It cuts deep into the plateau which today is dry, stony and sparsely covered with hardy drought-resistant plants. The river flows intermittently, usually flooding in late summer; the rest of the year it becomes a chain of long narrow pools. The hot springs resort of ǀAi-ǀAis is situated at the lower end of the Fish River Canyon.
Public view points can be visited near Hobas, a camp site 70 km north of ǀAi-ǀAis. This part of the canyon is part of the ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, while the remainder is privately owned.
Geology
The Fish River canyon consists of an upper canyon, where river erosion was inhibited by hard gneiss bedrocks, and a lower canyon formed after erosion had finally worn through the solid metamorphic rocks. Both parts have been declared a national monument in 1962.
Upstream, the river runs through horizontal dolomite strata; these metamorphic rocks forms part of the canyon. About 650 million years ago (Mya), plate movement had formed a north-south graben, or lowered area, along which the ancient Fish River could flow and eventually erode a flat plain to create today's upper canyon. Glaciation at around 300 Mya, part of the Dyka glaciation during the Karoo Ice Age, further deepened the canyon. About 60 Mya, South America and Africa separated (due to continental drift) and Africa rose significantly; the consequentially increased gradient of the Fish River enabled it to erode the lower canyon into the hard gneisses, forming the current deeply twisting, meandering system of the lower canyon. With the separation of the continent Gondwana about 120 million years ago and the uplifting of the African continent the gradient of the Fish River increased - allowing it to erode even deeper into the rock. Today the deepest point of the canyon is 549 metres deep.
The Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail
| Length | 90 km |
|---|---|
| Location | Fish River Canyon |
| Trailheads | Hobas / ǀAi-ǀAis |
| Use | Hiking / Trail running |
| Elevation gain/loss | 620 m (Loss) |
| Highest point | 840 m |
| Lowest point | 220 m |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Season | Winter in Southern Hemisphere |
| Months | 1 May - 16 Sep |
| Sights | Spectacular scenery, wildlife |
| Hazards | Steep descent, boulders, rocks, deep sand, slippery river crossings, baboons, snakes, scorpions |
The Fish River Canyon hiking trail is one of the more popular hiking trails in Southern Africa. The immense scale and rugged terrain has drawn many visitors from all over the world to experience hiking or trail running the canyon.
Apart from the 2 kilometre descent west of Hobas and some optional short cuts, the trail generally follows 88 kilometres of the Fish River through to ǀAi-ǀAis and is usually completed within 5 days. Although there are a number of footpaths through the canyon, the trail is not fixed - leaving the hiker to decide where and how long to hike.
There are no amenities on the trail and hikers have to carry all their needs with them. Open fires are not allowed on the trail.
In times of inclement weather, some shelter in a run-down building can be found at the Causeway (27.829°S 17.571°E) but otherwise sleeping is outdoors.
The weather is usually mild and typical temperatures vary between 5 °C and 30 °C with little humidity. Extreme weather, such as flash floods, stormy winds and rain occasionally play havoc during the hiking season.
Permits
Due to flooding and extremely hot summer temperatures reaching 48 °C during the day and 30 °C at night, permits are only issued between 1 May and 15 September.
Prior to arriving at Hobas a hiking permit must be obtained from Namibia Wildlife Resorts for groups not smaller than 3 and not larger than 30. All hikers must be older than 12 years and a certificate of fitness, completed by a medical doctor, must be presented at the offices of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism at Hobas.
In recent years the trail has become popular, particularly during school holidays and long weekends; therefore permits should be requested well in advance. Bookings for the following year's season open 1 May.
Trailhead campgrounds
Hobas (27.619°S 17.715°E) houses the Ministry of Environment and Tourism offices as well as Namibia Wildlife Resorts offices and a little shop for curiosities and basic necessities. Camping underneath Camelthorn trees with ablution blocks is available for hikers who plan to overnight at Hobas.
The trail ends at ǀAi-ǀAis where a resort with hotel rooms, chalets and camping grounds can be found.
A shuttle service runs approximately every three hours between ǀAi-ǀAis and Hobas. It should be booked in advance through the offices of Namibia Wildlife Resorts at ǀAi-ǀAis.
