Hobas Camp

The stay

Sleep at the gate, be at the rim for sunrise

Hobas sits at the eastern entrance to the Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, the gate that leads to the main viewpoints over the Fish River Canyon. The canyon here is about 160 km long and up to 550 metres deep, and the classic view that appears on every postcard is roughly ten kilometres down the road.

It is a small, simple Namibia Wildlife Resorts camp: six bush chalets, fourteen campsites under shade trees, a pool, a restaurant and bar, and a shop for the basics. Nobody comes here for luxury. They come because nowhere else puts you this close to the rim, inside the park, for the first and last light of the day.

It is also where the Fish River hiking trail begins. The trailhead is a few kilometres away, so most hikers spend their last night before the descent here, leave their cars in the secure parking, and take a transfer back from Ai-Ais at the end.

What to do

Why stay at Hobas?

Everything else in the area is outside the park. From Hobas you are already through the gate, about ten kilometres from the main viewpoint, so sunrise over the canyon is a short drive rather than an early start and a long one. Sunset works the same way in reverse.

For hikers it is the obvious base. The trail starts a few kilometres away, your vehicle can stay in the camp’s secure parking for the four or five days you are in the canyon, and transfers bring you back up from Ai-Ais at the end.

If you would rather have air-conditioning and a bit more comfort, the Gondwana lodges are a short drive outside the gate: Canyon Village, Canyon Lodge and Canyon Roadhouse. At the southern end of the trail is Ai-Ais and its hot springs.

Before you book

• Only six chalets and fourteen campsites — book early, especially from May to September
• Chalet rates include breakfast
• Chalets have a standing fan, not air-conditioning
• Generator power runs until 22:00
• Park entry fees are payable separately
• Secure parking for hikers’ vehicles

Things to do

• The main canyon viewpoint — about 10 km away, for sunrise or sunset over the canyon
• The Fish River hiking trail — about 85 km through the canyon to Ai-Ais, starting a few kilometres from camp
• Game viewing in the park
• Bird watching around camp
• The pool for the hot afternoons

Things to see

• The Fish River Canyon, the largest in Africa
• Hartmann’s mountain zebra
• Other wildlife and birds in the park
• Sunrise and sunset over the canyon

Facilities

• Restaurant and bar
• Swimming pool
• Shop for basic supplies
• Shared ablution blocks
• Secure parking

Getting there

• At the eastern entrance to the Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, Karas Region
• About 10 km from the main Fish River Canyon viewpoint
• Roughly 70 km north of Ai-Ais at the southern end of the canyon
• Transfers from Ai-Ais back to Hobas available for hikers