Fish River Canyon, Namibia – is apparantly, the next biggest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon.

It’s also called Visriviercanyon.  The Fish River Canyon is about 30 kilometres wide at its widest point, 160 kilometres long and up to 550 metres deep.

The Namibian government proudly claims it’s the next biggest canyon after the Grand Canyon, but that’s irrelevant – I think it’s still an impressive piece of erosion. I’ve included a photo below:

The Fish River Canyon carves a meandering brown gorge through the Namib Desert; however a slight trickle of token water does dribble at the bottom – a real novelty for water-short Namibia.

When I visited, countless eroded corrugated fingers of dirt descend into the canyon whilst the Namibian sun altered the fingers’ hues and shadows every few minutes.

However, I was most impressed by the following advisory sign placed at the entry point for overzealous hikers at the Fish River Canyon.

Based on this useful advisory sign, I assumed the major cause of hiker death in the Fish River Canyon was explosive diarrhoea caused by Escherichia coli poisoning, rather than the more adventurous-sounding broken limbs caused by mauling lions, or even worse, jock rash.

But, you wouldn’t want to spoil this place anyway.  It’s simply amazing.  Check it out if you’re ever around South West Africa.

Just so you don’t leave yourself behind, I’d suggest investing in a map like the National Geographic Adventure Map Fish River Canyon & Richtersveld.

Other things to do in Namibia – have a drink at the Gin and Tonic Bar, smell the second biggest collection of Seal Urine and Poo in the world, and spot the Sand Sign.

These are all fantastic things to do after visiting the Fish River Canyon.