After the Grand Canyon in the USA, the Fish River Canyon has been named the second biggest canyon globally. The Canyon is part of the Ais-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, which is state-run. Fish River Canyon Tour offers amazing tours around one of the biggest canyons in the world.
The Formation Of The Canyon Of Fish Channel
Around a billion years ago, the history of some of the oldest rocks in Namibia (gneiss) was carved by the Fish River. About 650 million years ago, a might mountain chain eroded down to a large plain flooded by the ocean. And, around 350 million years ago, the Fish River Canyon’s biological development began. Along the old tectonic faults, a large graben was created. The large ancient valley of the Fish River was formed. The upper limits of the canyon are the limits of the graben, which are more than 20 km apart today. The riverbed was also 300 meters higher than it is today since the formation of the Graben structure 300 million years ago. The ice further deepened the Graben with the so-called Gondwana-Glaciation. The ice in the canyon today is unimaginable.
The gradient of the Fish River increased with the separation of the continent of Gondwana around 120 million years ago and the uplifting of the African continent, causing it to erode ever further into the rock. Today, the canyon’s deepest point is 549 metres long. We’ve seen it all at Fish River Canyon Tour.
In the south of Namibia, the Fish River Canyon is the second biggest in the world and the biggest in Africa, 27 km wide at locations, and about 160 km long in total up to 550 m in depth. Fish River canyon tours should be on everyone’s bucket list of stuff to do in this lifetime. It is a natural marvel that Southern Africa can not be overlooked while visiting. The hot springs resort of Ai-Ais is another big attraction of the region located at the southern end of the Fish River Canyon.
Not only is the Fish River Canyon naturally stunning, but it is also historically important because it offers keys to the landscape’s ancient geology. When it comes to Fish River Canyon tours and adventure travel in Namibia, our expertise and experience is unmatched within the industry and will ensure that your time is not just unforgettable, but also well educated.
Rare Nature All Round
The Richtersveld is a rocky desert located in South Africa’s north-west corner. It has the world’s largest diversity of succulent plants (4,849 varieties, of whom 1,940 are endemic), as well as spooky coastal mists, alluvial gems, and genuinely indigenous communities.
The cold and rugged Atlantic Ocean is to its west, while the remarkable Orange Flow, South Africa’s largest flow, winds around its northern frontier.
The kokerboom, or quiver flower, and the halfmen boom, or’ half-person tree,’ are two of the most interesting plants contained in the Richtersveld. The San people used them as quivers for their bows, calling the tree. Green succulent “leaves” sprout from the top of several root-like branches on the kokerboom, which are hollow.
Activities include camping, 4×4 trails, birdwatching, mountain biking, and donkey-cart trips on the Richtersveld Path. The Richtersveld would all be enchanting for musicians, seafood enthusiasts, geologists, photographers, and those involved in indigenous history, diamond mining, and desert living.
Not only the rare and diverse park but also a range of typical Nama settlements scattered along its edge are crossed by the Richtersveld Road. Here, for 1,000 years, time appears to have remained still.
Take Some Time Out In The Year And Tour With Fish River Canyon Tour
You will have a constant feeling of being far from something familiar while moving deep into the Richtersveld. With all the unusual trees, deserts, and rock art, you may also feel as though you are on the movie set of Indiana Jones. When selecting your next trip, the natural attractions will send you goosebumps-make sure to add the Richtersveld to your itinerary.
A rocky, remote, and in places hauntingly breathtaking ‘mountain desert’ located in a great circle of the Orange River is the Richtersveld National Park. It is one of the most significant protected areas in the world, not just for the radically unusual ecosystems, but also for its role as the first contractual park in South Africa, an agreement that brings together SANParks and the local population in a groundbreaking co-management framework.
This is a place of deep canyons, jagged mountain ranges, ecosystems made vibrant by the peculiar colors of the rocks and soils, plants like the mysterious kokerboom or quiver tree and the much stranger halfmens, of exceedingly uncommon succulents, and the large, languid stretches and white water rapids of the great Orange River in the north.
“Tucked away on the Atlantic coast in the far northwest corner of South Africa, the northern and eastern boundaries of the Richtersveld are described by the Orange River’s” broad curve “(also known as the Gariep, which in the Nama language means” Huge River). The western perimeter sits on the barren coasts of the Atlantic, flanked by the Benguela Current’s frozen waters. Its southern boundary loosely matches the coastal road connecting Port Nolloth to Steinkopf, which is around 60 kilometers north of Springbok, the nearest major town.
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