Another highlight in the region is the Fish River Canyon, one of Namibia's most spectacular geological phenomena
and, on the African continent, second in size only to the Blue Nile Gorge in Ethiopia. The canyon lies in the lower reaches of Namibia's longest river, the Fish, and took millions of
years to evolve to its present shape, a massive 161 km long and 27 km wide, with a varying depth of 550 m.
Bordering the canyon's eastern rim is the privately owned Gondwana Canon
Park, a 102 000 ha stretch of land that is managed as a nature park. In earlier times this land was used for sheep farming, but as it lies in a semi-desert area, it was soon proven to
be unsuitable for farming. Existing fences have been removed and water points established for the game. Following the good 1999/2000 rainy sea- son, the flora in the area has
recovered well. A substantial amount of the funding for this park (see section on Parks & Reserves) is generated from the 5% bed levy paid by visitors to the Canon Lodge and Canon
Roadhouse, two establishments that are good options when wanting accommodation near the canyon.
The Fish River Hiking Trail, often compared in terms of difficulty to the daunting
Otter Trail in South Africa, ranks amongst the Big Five hiking trails in the Southern African Region. The 85 km-long route, which most hikers complete in four to five days, starts at
the northern-most look- out point close to the Hobas campsite. Chain handholds are provided at the beginning of the trail and at the bottom is an enormous pool in which hikers can
cool off before continuing further. There are no overnight stops along the route, enabling hikers to determine their own pace and set up camp where they choose. The trail ends at the
Ai-Ais Hot Springs Resort, where hikers can relax in the soothing thermal waters of the spring around which the resort was developed. |
