Like everyone else in the world I had been under the impression that Fish River Canyon was the 2nd largest canyon in the world. It was only when doing further research into the trip that I kept coming across this comment that this was not the case. Nowhere did I find out where Fish River did rate on the canyon scale. I think that somewhere this is a clever ploy by Namibians to keep Americans going to the Grand Canyon.

This is not a hike that you necessarily have to organize 6 months in advance. 3 of us planned the trip within a matter of hours (the couple of hours before we left) and between us had everything and more. Each of us had R700 and this was enough for diesel and all.

You need at least 3 people (no more than 40) to make the hike and each person has to have a doctors note to state that the individual is medically fit for the hike. Children under 14 are not permitted. Due to excessive floods, the trail is only open between 1st May and 30th September.

About the Hike

Maps and information on flora and fauna are available in Hobas and Ai-Ais. We looked at our map for the first time around midday on day 2 after already finding our way, noticing plants and being woken up by singing birds.

The hike is mapped at being 90kms, this is following the water. With short cuts it can be as little as 80kms. You are actually going down hill for the duration of the hike, this is ever so slight but might help with your personal motivational psychology. See if you can convince your fellow hikers to ignore the short cuts!

You can set your own pace for the hike as there is no urgency to reach a designated camping site – you can camp where you like. The hike can be anything from 3 to 6 days.

Daytime temperatures range between 20 and 30 and can reach 40 around midday. Nights are mild but won't entice you to get out of your sleeping bag. It takes a while for the canyon to warm up in the morning.

There is no set route or path although it is fairly obvious where to hike. There is nothing in the canyon in the way of amenities. You can camp where you like. Sandy spots are good but can be annoying if there is a breeze early in the morning when your mouth is at a relaxed open state. Sheltered spots under rocks and cliffs have the potential of a rude and painful awakening with further land slides. Fires are permitted and firewood is plentiful. Rather than find a camping spot then go hunting for fire wood you should camp near the fire wood. There are points where drift wood has been piled up. The addition of a strike easy fire lighter (striked) to a pile of dry wood works a treat.

We adopted the general method of starting to look for a suitable camping spot when the sun disappeared over the furthest horizon, this leaves a good amount of day light to do all those stressful afternoon tasks like parking off. There is no point looking for a scenic place to park off. If you don't like the view, look the other way and get a new one.

Quite a challenging thing to do is to find a spot of shade for the hour of midday. This is something that should be done to avoid the possibility of sun stroke and sun burn and gives an excellent chance for lunch and a swim.

People that have previously done the hike might tell you about a hut on around day 3 or 4 that sells food and cold beer. When you see this hut it is not a mirage. It really is there. Unfortunately though there is nothing other than the hut any more so don’t rush when you see it. Don’t tell your hiking companions though….. It obviously didn't survive on passing trade, more evidence to suggest that hikers don't drink enough.

On completion of the hike you arrive at Ai-Ais. If you have had your vehicle driven down from Hobas the keys will be behind reception. Don't try to sneak in as it seems that if you have completed the hike all facilities are for free, you can use the showers, the outdoor pool, the camping areas and on. Only the indoor spa and beer must be paid for.

Information provided on this website is as we found it at the time, we won't be responsible for the accuracy. We urge you to check everyting thoroughly.