Fish River Canyon · 20 km east of the canyon on the C37

Canyon Lodge

Gondwana Canyon Park, Namibia

Thirty stone-and-thatch chalets tucked between rounded granite boulders, a century-old farmhouse at the centre, and the Fish River Canyon less than twenty kilometres away. Bed and breakfast, with guided canyon drives leaving from the door.

The stay

Built into the boulders, twenty minutes from the edge

Canyon Lodge sits in a jumble of huge, rounded granite boulders just off the C37, and it was built to fit around them rather than the other way round. Each of the thirty chalets is made from local stone under a thatched roof, wedged into a natural gap between the rocks, so boulders form part of the walls and no two rooms are quite the same shape or size.

At the heart of it is an old farmhouse, more than a century old, which now holds reception, the restaurant and the bar. Around it are a green garden and a pond, a surprising splash of colour after the apricot sand and pale euphorbias of the drive in, and a pool for the hot afternoons.

This is the Gondwana lodge closest in spirit to the landscape: unpretentious, quiet and a good deal cooler inside than out, since thick stone walls and thatch do what air-conditioning only imitates. The canyon rim is less than twenty kilometres away, and the lodge is where Gondwana’s guided canyon drives start.

Canyon Lodge among the granite boulders

Stone and thatch chalets built between the boulders

Where you will sleep

Accommodation at Canyon Lodge

Thirty natural-stone chalets: twenty-eight twins and two family rooms. Because each one is built into the rocks, sizes and layouts vary.

Twin room at Canyon Lodge

Inside a twin chalet with natural rock walls

Stone chalet at Canyon Lodge

Chalet interior at Canyon Lodge

Stone and thatch chalets built between the boulders

Canyon Lodge among the granite boulders

Twin Chalet

Twenty-eight of the thirty chalets are twins, set against the granite with the natural rock worked into the room itself.
Two single beds under mosquito nets, an en-suite bathroom with shower, air-conditioning and heating, a tea and coffee station, a safe, a hairdryer, an umbrella and a veranda. In winter there is a hot water bottle for the cold desert nights.

Rates are bed and breakfast. No two chalets are identical, which is half the charm.

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Family room at Canyon Lodge

Inside a family room

Stone and thatch chalets built between the boulders

Garden and pool area at Canyon Lodge

Canyon Lodge among the granite boulders

Landscape of the Gondwana Canyon Park

Family Chalet

There are only two family chalets, each one open-plan with a double bed and two single beds — one space rather than separate bedrooms.
En-suite bathroom, air-conditioning and heating, mosquito nets, tea and coffee station, safe, hairdryer and a veranda. One of the two has a bath only, so if a shower matters to you, say so when you book.

Under 5s stay free and 6 to 13 year olds pay half the bed-and-breakfast rate. With just two, these go early.

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What to do

Why stay at Canyon Lodge?

The canyon looks its best in low light, and from here the morning and afternoon canyon drives leave straight from reception, so there is no need to drive yourself anywhere. The guide takes you to the two main lookout points and talks you through the geology on the way, with park fees, refreshments and a snack included. It is a good option if you have been behind the wheel for days.

It is also the natural base for the Fish River hiking trail. The lodge runs transfers to Hikers Point at the start of the trail and down to Ai-Ais at the end, and can collect fly-in guests from the Karios airstrip.

Canyon Lodge is one of three Gondwana stays in the Canyon Park. Canyon Village, with its Nama-style cottages, is the closest to the viewpoints, and Canyon Roadhouse, with its vintage cars and lively restaurant, is the more playful neighbour. Inside the park, Hobas sits at the gate, and Ai-Ais and its hot springs lie at the far, southern end of the canyon.

Before you book

Check-in is from 14:00, check-out by 10:00 — tell the lodge if gravel roads will make you late
Rates are bed and breakfast; dinner is served in the century-old farmhouse
Twin chalets have showers only; one of the two family chalets has a bath only
Chalets vary in size and layout, because each is built into the rocks
Children up to 5 stay free; ages 6–13 pay 50%
On site: a cold-water pool, garden and pond, curio shop, Wi-Fi, laundry and secure parking
Visa and Mastercard are accepted

Activities

Morning or afternoon canyon drive, about 3 hours to the two main lookout points, leaving around 08:00 or 16:00 — park fees, refreshments and a light snack included
Sunset nature drive, about 3 hours in the Gondwana Canyon Park — it does not go to the canyon
Sunrise hike: coffee and rusks at a viewpoint, then an hour’s walk back to the lodge
Morning walk, semi-guided, about 3 hours into the Canyon Park
Night walk after dinner to look for nocturnal desert creatures, about 45 minutes — book at the lodge
Escorted sunset walk, free, about an hour up the lodge’s ‘local’ mountain
Self-guided hiking from Canyon Village over a plateau and past Archway Rock, 2–3 hours, free
4x4 //Garas self-drive, 47 km of marked tracks with a trail map — be out before sunset

Getting there

Just off the C37 gravel road, about 20 km east of the Fish River Canyon, in the Karas Region
Transfers from the Karios airstrip for fly-in guests, and for hikers to Hikers Point and Ai-Ais (up to six per vehicle)
Go2 shuttle transfers run from Kalahari Anib Lodge to Canyon Lodge — ask us to add one
GPS: 27°39′48.0″S, 17°46′50.0″E (−27.66333, 17.78056) — open in Google Maps

Landscape of the Gondwana Canyon Park

Garden and pool area at Canyon Lodge

Photos

Canyon Lodge in pictures

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Video

Canyon Lodge on film

A look around the lodge and the boulder-strewn country near the Fish River Canyon.

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