In the southern part of Namibia is one of the main natural attractions of Namibia – the Fish River Canyon. located in the park of the same name. The Fish River is a right tributary of the Orange River. This is a seasonal river, the bed of which dries up during the dry season. Fish River Canyon is 160 km long, 127 km wide and 550 m deep. It is the deepest canyon in the Southern Hemisphere. Only 80 km of the canyon are accessible to tourists: the part between the Ai-Ais resort and the city of Hobas. Khobas is the starting point for traveling through the canyon and the main observation point of the canyon. From here begins the automobile road, which runs along the eastern edge of the canyon and has a length of 25 km, and a hiking trail, 80 km long. The Fish River Canyon hiking trail is considered one of the most beautiful in southern Africa. Complete journey it takes 4 to 5 days. The hiking trail ends at the thermal resort of Ai-Ais . Ai-Ais is translated from the Nama language as “very hot” or “hot water”, and in fact the temperature of the water of local sources is +60 degrees. The springs are rich in fluorides, sulfates and chlorides and help in the treatment of rheumatism and diseases of the nervous system. According to Top-mba-universities, the resort has several indoor and one outdoor pools with different water temperatures. Due to the summer heat and the risk of flooding, Ai Ais is closed to the public from late October to early March.
To the south, along the border with South Africa, the majestic Orange River flows. The Orange River does not dry up, which is rare for Namibia. Its valley is home to the Karoo vegetation, one of the richest plant communities on the planet. There are also many birds along the banks of the river. Tourists are offered trips along the river by canoe.
Northeast of Fish River Canyon Park is the largest city in the southern part of the country – Keetmanshoop. The city grew out of a small settlement founded by the Rhine Christian Mission in 1860 and was named after the German merchant Johan Keetmann, who financed the Rhine Mission. Buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries have been preserved in Keetmanshoop: the railway station, the Royal Post Office and the Church of the Rhine Mission, which now houses the museum.
17 km northeast of Keetmanshoop is a unique forest of quiver trees, varieties of aloe. The trees are about 300 years old and reach a height of 5 m. Quiver trees bloom in June-July with large yellow flowers. The forest belongs to a private farm. Not far from here is an interesting monument of geology – “Playground of the Giants”. Here you can see a heap of basalt blocks in the form of pyramids about 180 million years old.
50 km southwest of Keetmasshoop, on a reservoir formed as a result of the construction of a dam in 1972 on the seasonal River Loven, there is a recreational zone Nauth. Naut is Namibia ‘s third largest dam , and provides drinking water to the town of Keetmanshoop. The local reservoir is a real bird paradise and a great place to relax.
Another dam Hardap (the largest in Namibia) – located north of Keetmanshoop near the city of Mariental. The dam was built in 1963 on the Fish River. On the banks of the reservoir formed during the construction of the dam in 1964, on an area of 250 square meters. km, Hardap Park was created, which is now home to Hartman’s mountain zebras, various species of antelopes, black rhinos, ostriches and birds such as white and pink pelicans, flamingos, African whooper eagle, osprey, cormorant and pink heron. There are campsites on the banks of the reservoir. Here you can go fishing, hiking or boating.
In the vicinity of the city of Mariental, it is also worth visiting the cities of Gibeon, which has been known since ancient times for meteor showers (fragments of local meteorites can be seen in museums around the world and in the Windhoek Geological Museum), and Brukkaros, which has an extinct volcano of the same name with a height of 1590 m, with a crater with a diameter of more than 2 km.
200 km west of Marienthal is the Duwisib Castle, built of red sandstone in 1908 by the German baron von Wolf. Of greatest interest in the castle are the collections of furniture brought from Europe and weapons from the 18th and 19th centuries.
In the eastern part of this region, parallel lines of the red dunes of the Kalahari Desert extend.. Bushmen tribes live here and a variety of animals live. Most often, tourists go here to visit the traditional villages of the Bushmen, where you can get acquainted with their culture and watch how they hunt.
Very interesting trips to the coastal city of Lüderitz , which is located 335 km west of Keetmanshoop. In 1908, diamonds were found in the vicinity of Lüderitz, after which a “diamond rush” began in the region. However, soon after the discovery of new larger diamond deposits, the center of the “diamond rush” moved to the south of Orangemund. Today Lüderitz is Africa’s largest center for lobster fishing and oyster farming.
Lüderitz famous for its seafood restaurants and German colonial architecture. Be sure to take a walk along the promenade where the yacht club is located, go on boat trips to the quiet lagoons and to the coastal cliffs and islands inhabited by seals, flamingos and penguins, swim at Agate Beach and Gross Bay, or ride a jeep along the coastal dunes.
The areas extending south of Lüderitz, which are owned by the Namibian diamond companies, are forbidden to tourists. From Lüderitz, excursions are arranged only to nearby ghost towns, preserved from the time of the “diamond rush”. The most popular of them is the city of Kolmanskop.. The city was built at the beginning of the 20th century near the diamond mines to provide workers with housing and the necessary infrastructure. But 40 years later, new larger diamond deposits were discovered and Kolmanskop quickly became empty. Tourists arriving in the most famous ghost town of Namibia, the following picture opens up: many abandoned buildings stand in the middle of the sands, there is not a soul on the streets, and only the rumble of the wind is occasionally heard. In addition to the buildings that have survived to this day, Kolmanskop has a museum on the history of the “diamond rush”, which operates a souvenir shop where you can buy diamonds, though not larger than 1 carat.
