Hiking Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world is quite exciting, isn’t it? This hike was on our bucket list for a couple of years and finally, we did it! Some guidebooks say this is the toughest hike in Africa. I’m not sure about it we haven’t done many hikes in Africa a couple of routes in South Africa including the famous Otter Trail and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. If you like hiking Fish River Canyon is definitely the hike to add to your bucket list.
Even if you’re not planning to hike it the canyon is still worth visiting; it’s one of the most beautiful places to visit in Namibia. It is definitely worth including in your Namibia road trip itinerary.
This post is a step-by-step hiking guide; Fish River Canyon route map, budget, booking details, accommodation options, shuttle, packing list, and more.
Table of Contents
How long is the Fish River Canyon hiking trail?
The total distance of the trail is 86 km, the river itself is longer but due to many shortcuts, your walking distance is about 14 km less. You’ll need 4 to 5 days to complete the trail.
Fish River Canyon hike route overview
- Distance – 86 km
- Number of days – 4-5
- Best time – May to mid-September
- Starting point – Hobas
- Finishing point – Ai-Ais Hot Springs
How difficult is the Fish River Canyon hike?
The hike is very different from most of the hikes we’ve done. The trail is not very easy to walk; sand, rocks, river crossing, etc.
The weather; it gets very hot during the day and very cold at night so you need both sun protection and warm clothing/sleeping bag.
Sun, you walk in the sun all day you get a bit of shade here and there early in the morning and late evening but the most part of the day there is nowhere to hide.
The best time for hiking Fish River Canyon
Overall for hiking winter months are the best time to visit Namibia. The canyon is open for hiking between the 1st of May and the 15th of September. Outside this period hikers are not allowed in the canyon due to extreme temperatures. We did the Fish River Canyon hike at the beginning of May and it still was very hot during the day. If you want to get more comfortable temperatures it’s better to do the hike in June – July. The nights in the canyon are quite chilly even in the summer. In June – July night temperatures go down to 5°C and even below. It’s highly recommended to bring warm clothes for sleeping and a good sleeping bag.
The cost of the hike
- The hike itself costs NAD500/US$35 per person.
- Park entrance fee – NAD160/US$11 per person.
- Shuttle Ai-Ais – Hobas NAD300/US$20 pp.
Total: NAD960/US$67 pp.
The Namibian Dollar (NAD$) is equal to the South African Rand (ZAR). The current exchange rate in USD you can find here.
How to book the Fish River Canyon hike?
Booking is compulsory. First, you phone one of the numbers provided to inquire about availability. In Windhoek, Namibia (+264 61) 285 7333 or e-mail: reservations@nwr.com.na. In Cape Town (+27 21) 422 3761 or e-mail: ct.bookings@nwr.com.na. If any suitable for your dates are available you can book them over the phone. After that, you have 48 hours to pay a deposit (10%) to confirm your booking. Then you send an email with a confirmation of the payment. The total amount must be paid 30 days prior to the starting day of the hike.
Attention! According to the rules you have to be a minimum of 3 persons to make a reservation. You can always book for three and show up only two with some excuse that your hiking buddy got sick and try to hook up with other hikers at the start after you can walk on your own.
How long beforehand do you have to book the hike?
We booked at the beginning of April for the second week in May, when we phoned there were still 4 or 5 days with 5 or so spots in May open so it’s possible to book just a month before. But if you have specific dates we’d suggest booking the hike two or three months beforehand. Only 30 people per day are allowed to start the hike. A French couple we met hiking booked it just 5 days before and they still could get a spot.
You can start training for the hike a couple of months in advance to make sure it won’t be too tough. If you live in Cape Town or nearby there are many amazing hiking trails in the city that you can do over weekends. Start with walking with a day pack and after a couple of routes add more weight and try to walk with a heavier backpack similar to the one that you’re planning to take on the Fish River Canyon hike. The toughest part of the route is a steep and long ascent to the bottom of the canyon on the first day. You can walk down one of the Table Mountain hiking trails (Platteklip Gorge, Kasteelspootr, or Skeleton Gorge) to see how you’re doing walking down with a backpack.
Medical certificate for hiking
It’s very important to bring a medical certificate proving you don’t have any health problems. The certificate must be not older than 40 days. A form will be sent to you after you make a payment for the hike.
This form must be filled in by a doctor. We don’t know what can happen if you arrive without it probably you won’t be allowed to walk. At Hobas the first thing they asked us was our certificates. They didn’t really look through just took them and put them in a folder. Every year there are people rescued by helicopter or park rangers (from the emergency exit) because they can’t continue the hike. We met a man who spent 2 days waiting for the rangers to get to him he got a heat stroke and couldn’t walk anymore.
Travel insurance for hiking Fish River Canyon
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How to get to Fish River Canyon?
The canyon is situated near the border between Namibia and South Africa, about 200 km north of Noordoewer border control. We drove from Cape Town to Ai-Ais, 800 km, in one day with a couple of short stops for lunch and snacks. It took us about 9 hours. If you have more time on the way from Cape Town to Namibia you can spend a couple of days on the West Coast especially if you do the trip in August – September when you can see wildflowers in Namaqualand. Another holiday option is to combine the hike with a Cape Town to Namibia road trip.
If you’re coming from Windhoek, Ai-Ais is 700 km south of the capital, an 8-hours drive.
Crossing the border between South Africa and Namibia
The border control Vioolsdrift/Noordoewer is open 24 hours though we’ve heard they might not allow you to go through after the sunset so make sure to arrive before the dark. The border crossing process is quick, it takes about 20-30 minutes. After all formal procedures and passport stamps, they search your car and let you through.
To enter Namibia with your car you will need:
- valid passports for all passengers
- Valid driver’s license
- car registration papers
- If your car is still being financed, bring a letter of authority from the bank (must include dates of travel) with the vehicle license papers. They might not ask for it but it’s better to have it with you.
- ZA sticker on your car, you can buy it at any outdoor store or some petrol stations
- a filled form that you get at the border, bring a black pen with you to fill it
- NAD$ 320 fee that you pay to enter Namibia with your car. It can be paid in South African Rand.
After the border control, there are two petrol stations, both accept cards, a small shop, and a Wimpy. You can fill your cat at Ai-Ais but they accept only cash.
Where to stay before and after the hike?
Basically, you have two options; staying at Hobas Campsite or Ai-Ais Hot Springs. Most people including ourselves stay at Ai-Ais for a good reason the campsite there is nicer; a green grassy area with trees for shadow, many toilets and showers, electric stoves for cooking, and of course the highlight is the hot springs. You can’t imagine how nice it is after the hike to relax in the hot springs!
Ai-Ais campsite facilities
- Hot shower – Yes
- Flushing toilets – Yes
- Electricity – Yes
- Outlets – Yes
- Running water – Yes
- Wi-fi – No
- Braai facilities – Yes
- Drinking water – Yes
- Other – electric stoves, covered area for cooking, indoor pools.
If you’re planning a road trip through Namibia and like camping check out our post on the best campsites in Namibia. We visited many campsites during our 2-month trip across the country.
Where to leave your car?
You can park your car for free either at Ai-Ais (hot springs) or at Hobas (starting point). Both places look equally safe which one to choose is up to you. We left our car at Ai-Ais and took a shuttle to Hobas in the morning before the hike. That worked out really well. When we finally arrived at Ai-Ais on the last day our car with all the stuff was here. Believe me, you’ll be tired after 4-5 days of walking and won’t feel like driving for an hour to Hobas to get your car. Our French friends parked their car at Hobas and had to wait for the shuttle till 5pm.
How to get from Ai-Ais to Hobas?
The trail starts at Hobas, you have two options; to take a shuttle before the hike or after the hike depending on where you leave your car. There is always a shuttle going to Hobas in the morning at any time after 6am. You don’t need to book it beforehand we arranged it when arrived at Ai-Ais. The shuttle can take 11 passengers at once. The price per person depends on the number of people in the car.
Drinking water on the trail
Water is always available since you walk along the river but it’s recommended to take some purifying pills or water filters. You don’t want to get sick or have stomach problems in the canyon. We always use our LifeStraw Water Bottles when hiking. Their membrane microfilter system removes 99,9% of bacteria and parasites. One filter can be used to clean 4000l of water. It’s very easy to use you can drink from a bottle or directly from a water source. You can buy LifeStraw through Take A Lot or at Cape Union Mart.
Another option is to use chlorine pills but you have to wait for about 30 minutes before it’s ready to drink and it tastes like swimming pool water, not the best option considering you drink a lot on the hike.
The Fish River Canyon hike – our complete 4-day itinerary
Day 1. The starting point (Hobas) – Palm Sulphur Springs, 5 hours
We started the trek at 10am. The descent to the bottom of the canyon took us a bit less than 1 hour. It was quite steep but not as tough as we thought. Once at the bottom in 2km you reach the river and for the next 4-5 days, you’ll just follow it. We walked about 20km on the first day it took us more or less 7 hours including a lunch break. If you want to take it easy you can camp right after the descent, at the river, there is a nice sandy beach.
This day we didn’t see any signs showing the distance or directions but it’s impossible to get lost you just follow the river. There are no ups and downs on the route but you walk on sand and rocks all the time so it’s not very fast walking. You can camp anywhere you want, just find a nice sandy spot next to the river. We camped somewhere between the first emergency exit and Palm sulfur springs.
Day 2. Palm Sulphur Springs – Three Sisters, 6 hours
We started at 8.30 and walked for about an hour before we reached the Hot springs. Actually, if you are a good walker and start your first hiking day early enough you can make it all the way and camp here the first night. The hot spring is, in fact, a stream that goes into the river, and the water in there is very hot you have to mix it with cold river water. We spent about 40min. swimming and chilling here it was really nice.
On the second day, the trail goes through difficult terrain; sand, and rocks so you make slow progress plus we made two long swimming/resting stops. By 4pm we were quite tired and my feet were destroyed so we decided to camp on a small beach next to the river. We had a fantastic night sky and the full moon didn’t even need our headlamps. In my opinion, the canyon at night time is the best! This day again we didn’t see any signs or distance marks.
Day 3. Three Sisters – Von Trotha’s Grave, 6 hours
An early start at 7.30 or so and maybe the longest hiking day for us, we walked for 8 hours but in a way, it was our own fault we missed one shortcut. The third day is the main shortcut day on the hike. There are three significant shortcuts; we missed the first one where you climb over the mountain, the second one at 50km was easy to spot from far there is a big word “Shortcut” written on the rocks, the third one comes right after that when you reach the river. For the terrain, the third day was probably the most difficult as well as some river crossing, rock jumping, and sand walking.
By 4pm we all were quite tired and my feet were quite destroyed. We found a nice spot on the beach not far from the emergency exit and camped there. This night was the coldest of the three we spent in the canyon, it was freezing! We all woke up a couple of times during the night to put on more and more clothes. By the next morning, I and Campbell were wearing everything we had in our backpacks. But the sleeping bags that we took with us were very thin for 11C min. So if you have warmer sleeping bags at least for 5C or lower you’ll be ok.
Day 4. Von Trotha’s Grave – Ai-Ais, 5 hours
The scenery on the last day was the least impressive, the canyon reduces significantly it reminds a rocky valley more than a canyon. Due to a very cold night, we all woke up quite early at 5am packing didn’t take long, and in 30min. we were ready to roll. It was the easiest and the shortest day for us; in the first part you walk on a 4×4 trail, then some sand and rocks, and finally a nice easy path all the way to Ai-Ais. We arrived there at 1pm and were absolutely happy to take off our shoes and get a cold Ginger beer for me and some beers for the guys.
After 4 days in dust, heat, and cold tired and with blisters we were absolutely happy to relax in the hot springs and to eat some steaks! Our mission was completed! We walked it in 4 days without any particular reason but I’d recommend doing it in 5 days you’ll have more time to enjoy, rest, take photos, swim, etc.
What to pack for the Fish River Canyon hike?
Don’t pack too much the more you pack the more you carry!
Shoes
Our main issue on the hike was shoes, both I and Campbell were wearing hiking boots and both had terrible blisters all over our feet and we had hiked in them quite a lot before. In fact, I couldn’t walk in my boots on the second day and put on sneakers. Our French friends that we met had exactly the same problem and a girl ended up walking in her flip-flops with thick socks. Our third hiker was wearing trail running shoes and had no issues at all, they were very comfortable for walking on sand and jumping over rocks. We tend to blame the heat it was very hot in the boots and they were full of sand all the time.
Clothes
We’d recommend wearing long pants and a long sleeve shirt it’s the best protection from the sun and you’ll be hot and sweating anyway even if you walk naked.
A hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are all must-haves, the Namibian sun is extremely strong.
Comfortable clothes (e.g. fleece, pants, flip flops) to change, always nice to sleep in clean clothes.
A towel, there will be a possibility for “showering” in the river every day, one day you even get hot sulfur springs.
Underwear, socks, how many pairs to take up to you.
Hiking gear
Most people don’t carry a tent neither did we. It adds 2-4kg to your luggage which is a lot, it’s definitely warmer to sleep in a tent but a proper sleeping bag solves this problem. Moreover, the night sky in the canyon is fantastic it’s nice to fall asleep under it.
A mattress, we had self-inflatable small mattresses and were very happy with them but if you take foam rolled up one you’ll be ok you camp on sand so it’s already soft enough.
A sleeping bag, take a good one, we had our summer bag for 11C min and one night were freezing in them we had to put on all our clothes to last till morning. And we hiked in May if you do in In June/July it’ll be even colder. We’d say take a sleeping bag that can go to 0C.
Hiking poles, we never use them but many people do for me they make the most sense for steep downs and river crossings, here you’ll have both so it’s up to you to take them or not, they aren’t really heavy.
A water bottle with a filter or purification pills
A headlamp/torch.
A route map, you can buy it at Ai-Ais or Hobas. If you hike Fish River Canyon for the first time it’s a must-have.
Cooking gear
Stove, we have a small portable gas stove that we always take hiking, it’s good enough to boil water and cook pasta or oats. Gas depends on how many you are and how much cooking you want to do but we’d say take 500ml it’ll last for 4-5 days for sure.
Pots, we had a set of two; one for food and one for boiling water if you can manage with one only a bit more uncomfortable. Swiss knife, we love this thing for many functions; opens cans, cuts, slices, etc.
Cutlery, take plastic or bamboo forks and spoons. Cups, we had two very light plastic cups. Lighter/matches for your stove, no fire allowed in the canyon.
Food
It’s up to you what and how much food to take on the hike depending on your diet, preferences, etc. Here is our food list;
- Breakfast – instant flavored oat sachets (3 for two people), coffee.
- Snack – energy bar/nut mix.
- Lunch – biltong/droewors (we always take it when hiking), crackers. Don’t cut biltong it might get moldy in the heat rather bring a big piece and cut it as you eat.
- Dinner – a can of tuna, 250g of pasta, and one tomato sauce sachet (for two people).
First-aid kit
You can make your own first-aid kit or buy a preassembled one at any outdoor shop.
- Platers
- Bandages
- Hand sanitizer
- Soap
- Pills: Ibuprofen and an antidiarrheal
- Scissors
- Antiseptic wipes
The pretty half of Stingy Nomads, responsible for all our land adventures (hiking, climbing, walking the Camino) and following them write-ups. Alya loves walking since she was a child, she prefers to walk 1000 km with a backpack rather than to do a 10 000 km road trip (actually any road trip). Alya is a big fan of Latin America, the Spanish language, and dancing. Every time we go away she desperately misses our dog Chile.
Warren
Wednesday 17th of July 2024
Is it possible to hike this alone? I'm a solo hiker and would prefer to hike alone, even if it means paying for multiple people.
Are there checks in place at the start/end to make sure people are hiking in groups? I am aware of the risks of hiking alone
Andy
Monday 22nd of July 2024
@Warren, Many years ago I did the Fish River Canyon alone. I didn't book anything upfront, just arrived and showed my medical certificate. I was allowed to do the hike but was told I should join another group. This is what I did upon the start of the hike, there was another group starting at the same time. Soon after starting I was on my own for the rest of the hike. Not sure this will still be allowed these days...
Stingy Nomads
Wednesday 17th of July 2024
Hello Warren, the rules state that you have to be 3 people. This is confirmed when all members of your group signs in at the start of the hike. There were no checks along the way. If you are alone you can possibly pay for 3 and try to hook up with another group before the hike for the sign up. We do not know anyone that has done this.
James Hunt
Tuesday 18th of June 2024
Well done. I will follow your news letter.
Maretha
Wednesday 8th of November 2023
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated
Bertus Cloete
Monday 14th of August 2023
Hi Where canI book a guided hike? I am only 1 person and would need to join a group if possible.
Bertus Cloete
Tuesday 15th of August 2023
@Stingy Nomads, thanks for the feedback
Stingy Nomads
Tuesday 15th of August 2023
Hello Bertus. You could ask in FB groups maybe somebody else is looking for a hiking partner. We have never used any company and can't recommend one. Gook luck
Roberto
Tuesday 1st of August 2023
Thanks for this guild ! Are carriers available for this hike. Maximum I can carry on a long hike like this is about 9 Kg.
Stingy Nomads
Wednesday 2nd of August 2023
Hello Roberto. Do you mean porters on the Fish River hike? If so, no there are no porters unless you do a guided tour and pay extra for it. You can try to pack very light bring dehydrated meals, a thin sleeping mat, a lightweight sleeping bag, and only a few clothing items to make your backpack under 9 kg. Cheers