Fish River Canyon area accommodation
Prices are indicative guides per person and may vary by season, room type, occupancy and meal plan. Contact Madbookings for current rates and availability.
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Canyons Edge
Visitors Guide
Travel Planner
Which Fish River Canyon accommodation is right for you?
Camping For hikers and self-sufficient travellers — Hobas at the rim end, Ai-Ais at the hot springs, and the Roadhouse on the way in.
Classic For comfortable rooms and chalets within easy reach of the main viewpoints.
Luxury For the most comfortable stay in the area, with the best of the canyon scenery on the doorstep.
There are not a lot of places to stay in and around the Fish River Canyon, so book early in hiking season. Hobas is the closest to the main viewpoints and the start of the hike; Ai-Ais sits at the southern end where the hike finishes, and has the hot springs.
Fish River Canyon Accommodation Guide — quality accommodation for holiday travel, with options including hotels, lodges, guest houses, camping, bed and breakfast and self catering. Whatever you are after, we will help you find the right place.
What you will see
Fish River Canyon
The Fish River Canyon is Africa's largest canyon and the second largest in the world after the Grand Canyon — roughly 160 km long, up to 27 km wide, and 550 metres deep at its deepest. The scale is hard to take in from photographs; you stand at the edge and the far side simply keeps going.
Most visitors come for the viewpoints along the rim near Hobas, which are at their best in the low light of early morning and late afternoon when the layers of rock separate out in shadow. Sunset from the main viewpoint is the classic stop.
At the southern end, Ai-Ais sits where the hike finishes, with hot springs coming out of the ground at around 60°C and fed into indoor and outdoor pools.
Visitors guide
Planning your visit
Most people see the canyon in a day: drive to the viewpoints near Hobas, walk the rim, and stay a night either side. Hikers need considerably more planning, and the hike is only open for part of the year.
The hike
The Fish River hike is 86 km and takes about five days. It can only be walked during the cooler winter months, roughly May to September, when the river is not flowing through the canyon. A permit is required, hikers must be in good physical health and a medical certificate is normally asked for, and groups of a minimum size are required. Book well ahead — places are limited and the season is short.
Day visits
The main viewpoints are reached from Hobas on good gravel road, and an ordinary car handles it. There is no descent into the canyon for day visitors other than the start of the hiking route, which is not open to walk down casually.
When to go
Winter, from May to September, is by far the most comfortable, and is the only time the hike runs. Summer here is genuinely severe — temperatures well above 40°C are normal — so if you are visiting then, keep to early mornings and carry far more water than you think you need.
Getting there
The canyon is in the far south of Namibia, most often visited on the way between Windhoek or Sossusvlei and the South African border at Noordoewer, or in combination with Lüderitz and Kolmanskop. Fuel and supplies are limited, so fill up in Keetmanshoop or Grunau.