Hiking the Fish River Canyon

The first time I set my eye on the canyon I knew I wanted to come back and hike it. Coming back from South Africa wasn't even that hard. Though my initial attempts were to join a South African group leaving for the canyon from Cape Town I was fortunate to go there with Maria and Spiros with whom and thanks to whom I actually did a big Namibian tour :-)
The second largest canyon in the world after Grand Canyon, the Fish River Canyon is about 160km long and its width ranges from very narrow to about 27km. The canyon walls drop as much as 600m down in some spots. It is desert country and the actual Fish River looks benign, often more like stagnant water. It seems incredible to think that this peaceful river could force the rock into submission and carve its majestic path the way it did.
It's been a very good rainy season this year and the river now at least was a continuous stream rather than a series of isolated pools as it apparently is in other years or later in the season.

The hike through the canyon takes you on a stretch of 90km downstream from the park entrance at Hobas. It is yet another classic and famous trek, one of its kind in the world. Considering that you would expect the area to be more spoilt but it surprises you wonderfully. Apart from the sign posted at the trailhead there are no signs or markers on the trail. In the end it's common sense: you need to follow the river and the sketchy map gives you an idea of where you are based on the bends you follow. There are also a couple of shortcuts which, at that point in time, are more than welcomed.
There is little vegetation down there: a few trees and some cactus but a lot more thornbush than expected in the larger canyon sections. There is also a suprisingly high number of flowers, I found: yellow ones forming lovely islands on the sandy beaches, white trumpet flowers, tiny pink or yellow flowers barely visible on the dry dusty soil. And the blue flowers of some brushes and so many more that we probably missed. In the desert, I find, you need an eye for detail and you'll be amazed at what you'll discover.
In the morning we were greeted by the twittering of birds but at night the scenery lit by the moon was so bright you could see the contours of the rocks and walls and you could walk around without any other lightsource. It looked surreal and the total silence only added to that feeling of isolation and remoteness. You could hear your heartbeats and your breath.You could listen to your thoughts...

Hiking the canyon is about enjoying wilderness and remoteness, about taking in the silence at night, gazing at the stars, contemplating the red canyon walls glow at sunset, leaving footprints on sand only to be wiped away by the next wind, sitting on sand around a small campfire on a secluded beach, marvelling at the scenery, spotting wildlife, discovering the tiny plants and flowers surviving the desert and feeding your soul with beauty and peacefulness.

Starting the hike in the early morning hours we were lucky to spot lots of wildlife on the plateau on the way to the trailhead: mountain zebras, springboks, ostriches and even a couple of klipspringers. "Where was all this wildlife a month or so ago when we were here with the TdA?" we asked ourselves. To be honest we asked ourselves this question several times as we spotted so much wildlife on our way to here and later.

The hike starts with a steep descent, a bit of a scramble at the top eased considerably by the presence of some fixed chains. Once you negociate the descent in about 1 hour you hit the canyon bottom and from here it's all flat and easy. Or so you think.

The terrain is far more challenging than expected and it alternates all the time between lovely sandy beaches, banks of river stones and areas full of boulders strewn over sand. In soft sand the walking is not easy and rather slow. On the river stones you hop from one to another trying to stay balanced at all times, even if the stone under your foot seems ready to roll away. On the big boulders you may hop or scramble or walk around.
The river varies, too, in depth and width. In the shallow areas the surface is dotted by the rocks peeking out. At sunset or sunrise, when the water shimmers golden reflecting the glowing canyon walls the image is almost surreal. And then there are deeper stretches and huge pools where you can enjoy a refreshing swim. Dolerite boulders form natural dykes in several spots. Sometimes the shore is a huge slab platform gently falling into the water.

The sandy beaches are lovely and secluded and you may get the feeling of being the first human stepping there. The only indicator of the human presence other than the very rare encounter with other hikers are the footprints persisted in sand in some areas. There are more animal tracks at times than human footprints and we were lucky enough to spot their authors as well a few times: beautiful wild horses and loud but unspoiled baboons.

To make your hike easier, or shorter, it is best to stay on the inner side of the bends. This actually comes down to crossing the river whenever appropriate. And sometimes it's just the terrain forcing you to cross, when the shore becomes too steep or the huge boulders are unsurpassable. Overall we negociated 36 river crossings. Sounds like a lot but it was a lot of fun. The water was fresh and clear and it never was deeper than knee-high where we crossed. Our Keens proved once again of invaluable help as we waded through the water without problems with the cameras dangling around our necks. Actually, since the first river crossing on our first day I didn't even bother putting on my heavy boots again :-) A 5-day hike in sandals only, isn't that awesome, too! Not to mention the mandatory dip - or swim! - in the water which I could not miss!

Dwarfed by the scenery, yet enlightened by the experience, we emerged from the canyon on day 5 tired and stinky yet positive and happy, anxious to discover more of the natural wonders Namibia had in stock.