The plains of Namibia’s Southern regions extend from the Namib Desert in the West to the Kalahari Desert in the east and are characterized by a rocky territory sown with quiver trees and low table mountains. Although this area is less visited by travellers, it offers several interesting attractions, among which one of the least visited geological wonders of the world; the impressive Fish River Canyon.
There are also a number of towns to be found in the South, including Rehoboth, Mariëntal, Keetmanshoop and Lüderitz. More information about these can be found under Cities of Namibia.
Although Namibia is primarily known for the Namib Desert and the red Dunes of the Sossusvlei, the Kalahari Desert covers a large part of the Southeast of the country. Due to the high rainfall in this area the Kalahari is actually not a real desert, but a semi-desert. The landscape consists of grasslands and low red dunes and is covered with trees and shrubs like acacia’s, quiver trees, shrubs and savannah bushlands. The Kalahari’s total surface is approximately 900.000 km2 and extends itself over the Namibian borders to South Africa and Botswana.
The real attraction of the Kalahari lies in its extraordinary silence and loneliness. It is an experience in itself to just sit on your porch for a while, listen to the silence and watch the empty landscape. In addition there are great numbers of game and other animals to be found and you can make wonderful game drives. Thanks to the variety in rainfall and dryness, the population of the Kalahari consists of a small and scattered group of people. The most well-known inhabitants of the Kalahari are the San or Bushmen, of whom only a few thousand remain on small pieces of inhospitable land. Often they are exploited ad cheap farm labour. There are a number of large farms in the area, varying in size from about 20.000 to 40.000 hectares in size, and primarily sheep and ostrich are bred here. But the Bushmen are a proud peoples who are keen to show you their lifestyle and knowledge of the desert. In some lodges you can make bush walks escorted by a Bushman guide, who will reveal some of the secrets and surviving skills that the Bushmen have used for centuries.
Zelda Guestfarm - Kalahari Farmhouse – Kalahari Anib Lodge – Bagatelle Kalahari Lodge - Suricate Kalahari Tented Camp – Zebra Kalahari Lodge
The Fish River Canyon, in the southernmost region of Namibia, is one of the largests canyons in the world. There’s quite a bit of discussion going on about whether it’s the second or third largest canyon, dependent on how the size of a canyon is actually measured. Regardless of its ranking, a visit to the canyon is a fantastic experience and definitely worth the detour!
The canyon was probably formed some 500 million years ago, not just due to water erosion, but also because the bottom of the valley collapsed because of movements of the earth’s crust. The canyon is part of a nature conservation area, for which the entrance is at Hobas Campsite. From here it’s about 10 km to the Main Viewpoint from where you will have a breath taking view over the canyon. Especially in the mornings you will have a clear view. At the Main Viewpoint you will find a picknick spot with tables, several barbeque area’s and toilets.
It’s not allowed to hike down into the canyon, unless you are taking part in the Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail. This hiking trail lasts 5 days is about 86 km. You can only do the hike between 1 May and 15 September and you will need to pre-book it at NWR (Namibia Wildlife Resorts). East of the Fish River Canyon is the Gondwana Cañon Park. For a long time this dry land (Rainfall less than 100 mm per year) was used for herding sheep. With the establishment of the Gondwana Cañon Park in 1996, a start was made to return the lands to nature. The original flora and fauna are slowly returning. Kudu, Oryx, springbuck and ostrich are now present in healthy populations that can move freely and sufficient watersources have been made available.
Canon Lodge - Canon Roadhouse & Camp - Ai-Ais Camp - Vogelstrausskluft Lodge - Fish River Lodge
