Fish River Canyon

The incorporation of the Ai-Ais Hot springs Resort, Fishriver Canyon and Huns Mountains in 1989, into one conservation area of 346 117 ha, led to the establishment of the Fishriver Canyon Park.

The main attraction is its isolated and otherworldly landscape and wealth of interesting xerophytes plants such as the "halfmens" or elephant's trunk. Eroded over many millennia, the Fishriver 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 with its full length being 160km - 27km wide and a depth of 550m.

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 presence of leopard and mountain zebra is indicated by tracks left at waterholes.

The 90km Fishriver Canyon hiking trail is regarded as one of the major challenges of Southern Africa and takes about 4-5 days to complete. Accommodation is available at Ai-Ais Hot Spring Resort and at Hobas campsite.

Foto: Harald Süpfle Lizenz: Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic