Fish River Canyon

Eroded over many millennia, the Fish River Canyon is the second largest natural gorge in Africa. Set in a harsh, stony plain with drought-resistant succulents such as the quiver tree, this spectacular natural phenomenon is 160km long, 27km wide and 550m deep. As the river flows intermittently, there is always water in certain of the pools, which contain small and largemouth yellow fish, sharp tooth catfish, Mozambique Tilapia and common carp. Baboon, rock dassie, ground squirrel and klipspringer are often seen in the canyon, while the exciting presence of leopard and mountain zebra is indicated by tracks left at waterholes. The 90km Fish River Canyon hiking trail is regarded as one of the major challenges of Southern Africa and takes about 4-5 days to complete. The trail starts at a look out point close to the Hobas campsite and ends at the Ai-Ais Hot Spring Resort, where hikers can relax in the soothing thermal waters of a natural hot spring.