Fish River Canyon in Namibia

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Fish River Canyon in Namibia

A panorama  of  the Main View Point of the Fish River Canyon in Namibia

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.

Fish River Canyon Bird's Eye View

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.

Fish River Canyon  Towards Wild Fig Bend

Fish River Canyon  Hiking trail ( Length 90 km )

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.

Satellite image of the canyon

Fish River Canyon and Huns mountains, Namibia

The Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail

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.

River Crossing  Hiker making a river crossing

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.

The trail  :  Trail Characteristics

Descent - Sulphur Springs

Deep Sand  Sandy beach

Difficult boulder section before Wild Fig Bend

Sulphur Springs - Three Sisters

River Stones  Typical section of stones around river crossings

Firmer Ground  Just after Vasbyt Bend

Three Sisters - Ai Ais

Widening Canyon  Fish River Canyon Causeway to Four Finger Rock

Trail end  Last stretch of the Fish River Canyon Hike

What is Fish River Canyon?

Fish River Canyon is a vast chasm, carved over millennia by the Fish River. Some of the rocks here are thought to be nearly a billion years old! It’s the largest canyon in Africa, stretching an impressive 160 km in length, up to 27 km wide, and plunging 550 metres at its deepest point.

The canyon takes its name from the Fish River that runs through it, Namibia’s longest river

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Fish River Canyon, Namibia

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

By sheer numbers, this Namibian ravine doesn't quite stack up against the more familiar Grand Canyon: At 100 miles long and 1,800 feet deep, Fish River Canyon is less than half the Arizona landmark's size. But as a master sculptor of scenery, the shallow and seasonal Fish River gives the mighty Colorado a run for its money. Along the Fish's banks, a 50-mile trail affords hikers incredible views for days (most tackle it in about five). And as further reward, the hot spring resort of ǀAi-ǀAis awaits at the trail's terminus.

The major attraction in the southern-most reaches of Namibia is the Fish River Canyon. One of the largest in the world, the canyon proper is about 550m at its deepest.

panorama-Fish-River-Canyon

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