Namibia Fish River Canyon Trek

Overview

The Fish River Canyon hike is Africa's classic self-reliant trek: about 85 kilometres in four to five days along the floor of a gorge that measures 160 kilometres end to end, beneath 550-metre walls of banded Precambrian gneiss that glow orange and purple at each end of the day. From the chain-assisted descent at Hobas the route is simply the river: boulder-hopping, sand-slogging, swimming the odd pool and sleeping on sandbars under a Milky Way undimmed by any town. Klipspringer bounce along the walls; leopards leave prints whose owners you will never see. The rules are strict because the canyon is a heat trap: hiking is permitted only from May to mid-September, permits (book through NWR months ahead) require a doctor's fitness certificate issued within 40 days, and groups must number at least three. There is no path, no signal and no exit between Hobas and the hot-spring resort at Ai-Ais, where the finish is a long soak and a cold beer. Budget around 700 pounds with permits, hut nights either side and transfers from Windhoek.

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Prefilled for 1 May 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.