Hike Permit price

Booking your hike on this trail is an exciting adventure, but it comes with a few important steps to ensure your spot is secured.

You need to  pay a deposit within 48 hours to secure your booking. Once paid, you will receive a confirmation email.  The balance must be paid 60 days before your hike. 

A maximum of 30 hikers are allowed on the trail at a time which makes it  challenging to secure hiking permits so we recommend you try to book your hike 12 months in advance.

Hiking price

NAD 535 per person

Shuttle Prices
Ai-Ais to Hobas: N$400 pp
Hobas to the Fish River Canyon hike starting point: N$250 pp 

Please clarify and explain here if Ai Ais shuttle for 400 goes to the start of trail or do you need to then pay extra 250 for hobas to trailhead? 

National Park entry fees

Park entry fees are paid at the Parks office desk by the entrance at Hobas
Unfortunately there is no way of paying these in advance, there are credit card facilities at the office BUT they are not always working (connection issues) in that case you will have to pay in CASH - Namibian Dollar or South African Rand only no other currency accepted and no foreign currency exchange available in the park.   

Prices are in Namibian Dollars NAD (which is the same as the South African Rand ZAR) and are PER DAY - valid for a 24 hour period beginning at the time of entry into the National Park.
Children 0 to 8 years are free of charge

Foreign Visitors
Adults NAD 150 per adult per day
Children NAD 100 per child per day (9 to 16 yrs)

SADC Visitors
Adults NAD 100 per adult per day
Children NAD 50 per child per day (9 to 16 yrs)

Namibian Visitors 
Adults NAD 50 per adult per day
Children no charge(9 to 16 yrs)


Vehicles with 10 seats or less are NAD 50-00 per vehicle per day
Vehicles with 11-25 seats are NAD 100-00 per vehicle per day
Vehicles with 26-50 seats are NAD 400-00 per vehicle per day
Vehicles with 51+ seats are NAD 700-00 per vehicle per day
Fees subject to change without prior notice

Upon entering the National Park, every visitor has to show proof of identification, either in form of a passport, drivers license or ID.

Fees are valid for a 24 hour period beginning at the time of entry into the Park.
Park fees are payable for every day for people AND vehicles.
Minimium payable is 24 hours (no half day fees).
Fees are non refundable and not transferable.

Essential Information for hiking Fish River Canyon

Permits and prices

Hiking permit  N$535 per person.

National Park Fees 
Namibian Citizens: N$50 pp per day
SADC Nationals: N$100 pp per day
Foreign Nationals: N$150 pp per day
How to book

Booking the Fish River hike You can email (booking for link here) to book through Madbookings.com or the NWR office in Cape Town (email here).

Hiking route details

Depending on your fitness levels you can hike the Fish River Canyon in 4, 5, or 6 days. The normal practice is to take 5 days - 4 nights sleeping in the canyon with the 5th night at Ai Ais Resort.

Gear for the hike What do you need?

All your gear should be worn in and comfortable, you will need a backpack, water bottle, camping stove, camping pan, food, snacks, torch, sleeping mat, first aid, water filter/tablets, matches/lighter, cutlery, bowl, sleeping bag, hiking boots, socks, clothes, hat, sunglasses, towel, toilet paper, toothbrush, personal medication, camera/phone, spares and repairs, small shovel. That covers the basics!

What to Pack

Lightweight camping food, water, cooking gear, first aid, sleeping mat, clothing, torch, toiletries, water filtre/tablets.

How to pack

Pack light and pack smart, there is an art to packing a backpack to carry on a 5 day trail.

Food on the hike

Dried pre-prepared meals are the way to go, snacks and a couple of luxury items to keep nutirents and spirits up on the hike, dont take tins.

Fitness preperation

The Fish River Hike is not technically difficult but quite physically challenging so a good level of fitness and being accustomed to walking with a loaded backpack are essential. When did you last walk 18km?

Tips and tricks

Preperation is everything, pack smart not heavy, weather yourself before the hike, break in boots and backpack MONTHS before the hike, dont take new untested equipment, test trail meals in advance so you can take only your favourites!

Getting to Fish River Canyon

Fish River Canyon is in the South Of Namibia and can be accessed by road in a normal sedan car either from Windhoek or South Africa.

Where to stay

There are 5 places to stay close to the Fish River Canyon: Hobas, best for start of hike (chalets and camping). Ai Ais, where hike ends (rooms chalets and camping), Canyon Village for a little more comfort (rooms), Canyon Lodge for more luxury (chalets) and Canyon Roadhouse for some of the best food in the area (rooms and camping). Further away is Grunau (65km) which has a selection of places to stay.

When to Hike Fish River Canyon

The Fish River hike is only open from 1st May to 14th September each year.

Satellite phones

There is no cell phone reception in the Fish River canyon so some people may wish to take a Satellite phone for emergencies.

Insurance

Normal travel and household insurance does NOT cover ther Fish River Canyon Hike because it is considered too extreme should you need to be rescued it is nnormally via helicopter to the nearest hospital so very expensive. SATIB offer special insurance for this hike.