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Revision as of 09:29, 13 September 2009
The Fish River Canyon is located in Namibia. It is the second largest canyon in the world and the largest in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 100 miles (160 km) long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 metres deep.
General
The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia, but its flow now is a puny trickle compared with the immense volume of water that poured down its length in ages past. It cuts deep into the plateau which is today dry, stony and sparsely covered with hardy drought-resistant plants such as succulents.
The river flows intermittently, usually flooding in late summer; and when it ceases to flow it becomes a chain of long narrow pools on the sandy rock-strewn floor of the chasm. At the lower end of the Fish River Canyon, the hot springs resort of Ai-Ais provides an oasis in the desolate rocky wastes.
Nature Reserve
Public view points are near Hobas, a camp site 70 km north of Ai-Ais. This part of the canyon is part of the Ai-Ais / Richterveld Transfrontier National Park (Peace Park).
There is an aspect of this canyon which makes it quite different from the Grand Canyon in the USA: the fact that about 90km of this canyon is privately owned and in private nature parks (such as the Canyon Nature Park or Vogelstrausskluft) — so other places of interest and viewpoints are on private land on both sides of the canyon.
Geology
Upstream the river runs through horizontal dolomite strata. These strata formed part of the canyon about 650 million years ago when plate movement cracked the earth, the first process in the formation of the Fish River Canyon.
Lower down, a granite complex system is exposed to form a characteristic river bed that results in forms like Fingerspitze. In this area, a fault runs north-south, which accounts for the gorge-like channel and the presence of hot sulphurous springs.
Vegetation
Namibia's national tree, the Aloe dichotoma or Quiver Tree is mostly found in the south of the country. There are beautiful examples of these in the Fish River Canyon. The trees can reach an age of about 300 years, and flowering occurs during wintertime from May to July.
Other plants include various species of succulents, such as the very poisonous Melkbos. All plants are well adapted to the semi-desert environment and can survive severe droughts of up to 5 years.
Animal life
In the canyon there are several species of mammals, such as wild horses, Mountain Zebra (Hartman zebra), Kudu, Klipspringer, Leopard, Steenbok, Baboon and Springbok. The most common rodents include mice, rats, dassies, and dassie rats.
Bird life includes Pelicans, Black Eagles, Fish Eagles, Kingfishers, Lovebirds, Wild Ostrich and various species of waterfowl and wading birds, such as Herons.
Reptiles and insects are in abundance and you may come across huge Leguan lizards; snakes (such as Cape Cobra, Black Spitting Cobra, Puff adder and Horned adder) as well as Geckos. Various locusts, butterflies and moths are also present. In the natural pools of the Fish River are found an abundance of fish, such as Barbled catfish and Yellow fish.
Climate
The Fish River Canyon area has a typical semi-desert climate. During the hot summer months (October - March) temperatures can rise to 48°C during the day and cool to about 30°C at night. Relief from the heat comes in short spells with occasional thunderstorms. The average annual rainfall in the canyon area is 100mm. During the short winters, temperatures can go below zero at night, but quickly pick up during the day to a moderate 20 to 28°C.
Activities
The Fish River Hiking Trail starts at Hobas and ends 85 kilometres (53 miles) further south at Ai Ais. No facilities are available and hikers sleep outdoors for the entire trip which usually takes 3 to 5 days to complete.
The trail starts with a strenuous descent of approximately 500 meters down loose scree, which can take anything from 1 to 2 hours to complete. Thereafter the route follows the river bed (except for a few short cuts). Foot care is extremely important on this hike as the terrain consists of rocks, boulders, sand and a number of river crossings.
Due to high summer temperatures which frequently exceed 45°C, the hike is only open in winter. The season starts 15 April and ends 15 September (winter time in the Southern Hemisphere).
See also
External links
