Greater Fish River Canyon Ride

With a combination of dramatic canyon landscapes, spacious desert plains and the mighty Orange River, this ride offers the opportunity to experience both inaccessible Namibia and real wilderness areas, while riding without limitations. The Fish River Canyon area is world renowned as one of Africa’s most magnificent sites; it is also the second largest canyon in the world. Riding begins in the upper Fish River canyon, before Nama Karoo plains invite you for endless canters, only to be stopped by the Orange/Gariep River, which forms the southern border of Namibia. Distances covered daily will vary between 20 and 50 kilometres.

This ride crosses over two private parks; Gondwana Park and Aussenkehr Park and together covering an area of about 237,000 ha, dedicated to conservation and tourism. These Parks fall within the Nama Karoo Desert biome and are on the fringe of the transitional area between Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo, the Orange River basin at Aussenkehr being the most arid part of the Nama Karoo biome. Aussenkehr Park is also home to a small Namib Ferral Horse population, descended from seventeen horses of the original wild horse population at Garub in the Namib Desert, relocated during the 1992 drought.

Itinerary

Day 1: You will be met at Windhoek International Airport and transferred to a guest house/lodge in Windhoek for dinner bed and breakfast. Meet a Namibia Horse Safari representative and be briefed on the ride.

Day 2: After breakfast the group transfer leaves early, for the transfer to the Mule station our overnight stop. Meet your guides, crew, and horses and if time permits go on a short trial ride to familiarize horses with riders. That evening at Mule Station, pack bare necessities for the next 2 nights into a small bag. Roads are inaccessible for the larger safari vehicles that meet up with us again on Day 5.

Day 3: The morning ride follows the 4x4 track to a place called Koelkrans (cool cliff) next to the Fish River where we take the welcome opportunity for a swim. In the afternoon we ride back out of the canyon to one of the most spectacular camp sites, called Horse Shoe Camp.

Day 4: From the edge of the canyon, down zebra paths, along rocky tributaries down to the Fish River. Ride along the river to a lunch spot at Sandy Beach, the last opportunity to swim in the Fish River. We make our way up and over the mountain on a steep track, to the unexpected oasis of Canyon Outpost in the Gaap River.

Day 5: A long, fast exhilarating day’s ride across the black limestone plateau during the morning and then through endless savannah into an area strewn with granite boulders and dotted with charismatic Quiver trees, to arrive at Mountain Camp. Enjoy the luxury of en-suite bathrooms, beds with linen and a very special evening at Mountain Camp.

Day 6: We visit the Main Viewpoint overlooking the Fish River Canyon before lunch, back at Mountain Camp. Winding through milk bushes across the plains to Kanebis, you will most probably spot some game along the way and enjoy the evening stories around the open campfire.

Day 7: Ever changing scenery awaits us, a ‘Smarties box’ of geological formations and depending on rainfall, this day could deliver good game viewing. Camping against a rock wall at Fourie se Gat (a hole dug by Mr. Fourie) and enjoy an unforgettable sunset.

Day 8: Enthusiastic riders can ride along a dirt road through granite outcrops. Alternately, travel by motor vehicle to Ais-Ais hot springs along this same road, to spend the morning relaxing in warm water while your horse runs loose to the lunch spot at Mnt. Elena. The topography unfolds into wide-open plains and the afternoon ride will cross some of the best riding plains in the world, to our camp in the dry Gamkab River.

Day 9: Riding over endless plains we can roam freely in a vast environment, to isolated sand dunes in Aussenkehr Nature Park, then on again to a camp surrounded by stacked boulders, which could only have been the work of giants.

Day 10: The last ride. Stunning contrasts again; ride from the wide-open plains, where we could encounter the Wild Horses, into the very narrow Kings Throne canyon and on to a viewpoint, surprisingly revealing the Orange/Gariep River flanked by vineyards in an otherwise barren landscape. Another canter and some strolling through the vineyards to finally untack at Norotshama River Resort, on the banks of the Orange River.

Day 11: Depart on a 7/8-hour road transfer for Cape Town.

Itinerary routes and accommodation are subject to change, due to circumstances unforeseen and beyond our control.

Many guests extend their Namibia experience from this point with an add-on itinerary.
They roam the sparsely vegetated plains of the Namib Desert in small groups: the Wild Horses. Over the decades they have conquered the desert as their habitat. They come to drink from the trough at Garub, some 20 km west of Aus. From a hide you can watch the horses and take pictures. Guided canoe safaris on the Orange River. Cape Town offers a large variety of day trips and things to see and do including Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope and the vineyards of Stellenbosch. We’d be happy to make any enquiries and bookings on your behalf.

For groups to fly in and out of Cape Town if preferred but this means a longer road transfer to the start point of the ride, and the above price does not include the first night accommodation etc in Cape Town but starts with the pick up from a guest house in Cape Town on the first morning of the itinerary with the road transfer to the overnight stop on the Orange river enroute to the start point of the ride.

• Riding, accommodation and meals
• Drinks (except in lodges and restaurants)
• Ground transfers from Windhoek airport and to Cape Town airport on dates of arrival and departure, and road transfer to start/ end point of ride

• Single supplement (will not be charged if you are prepared to share guest house accommodations)
• Personal drinks and refreshments at all lodges and restaurants, petrol stations etc.
• Additional horse/s for riders over 85 kg in riding gear. Fit riders over 85kg please enquire re surcharges for additional horse/s according to your weight.
• Accommodation not listed on the itinerary. Please enquire.
• Additional activities and packages. Please see itinerary recommendations.
• Safari staff gratuities. (we recommended pounds 8 - 10 per day per guest)

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