Fish River Canyon
The Fish River Canyon (Afrikaans: Visrivier Canyon or Visrivier Kuil, German: Fischfluss Canyon), is located in the south of Namibia. It is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 160 kilometres (100 mi) long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep.
| Fish River Canyon - Fischfluss Canyon | |
|---|---|
Panorama from Main View Point | |
Map of Namibia | |
| Coordinates | 27.589293°S 17.597587°E |
| Area | 5,900 km2 (2,300 sq mi) |
| Governing body | Ministry of Environment and Tourism |
The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia. It cuts deep into the plateau which today is dry, stony and sparsely covered with hardy drought-resistant plants. The river flows intermittently, usually flooding in late summer; the rest of the year it becomes a chain of long narrow pools. The hot springs resort of ǀAi-ǀAis is situated at the lower end of the Fish River Canyon.
Public view points can be visited near Hobas, a camp site 70 km north of ǀAi-ǀAis. This part of the canyon is part of the ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, while the remainder is privately owned.