Campsites
At the moment there are 55 camp­sites, each with a braai area, tap and power point; but there should be more when the renovations are complete. The four ablution blocks are clean and neat, but they’re quite small (some have only one shower), so expect queues during busy periods. There are also a couple of camp kitchens, with ovens, hotplates and sinks.
Cost? N$100 per person per night plus N$100 per stand. Maximum eight people per stand.

Hotel
Choose between a mountain-facing double room and one facing the river. All the rooms back onto the indoor spa. The river-view rooms have outdoor showers in enclosed courtyards.
Cost? Mountain view N$500; river view N$650 per person sharing. Rates include breakfast.

Self-catering
There are seven huge self-catering “family” units. Each one sleeps four and has a lounge, kitchen, stoep and outdoor Jacuzzi. If you’d like to braai (of course you’d like to braai) management will arrange a portable one for you.
Cost? N$800 per person sharing, including breakfast in the restaurant.

Restaurant and bar
Sip a Tafel lager at sunset and watch the colour fade from the mountains. The spacious restaurant has a limited but reasonably priced menu. You can’t go wrong with an ostrich kebab (N$70) or game steak (N$75). The toasted chicken mayo sandwich (N$35) was nothing to write home about, though.

Spa treatments
If you find yourself unable to walk at the end of the Fish River Canyon hike, book yourself in for an hour-long deep-tissue massage (N$250) at the new spa.

Shop
There is a small shop next to the office that stocks basic supplies, like canned beans and tomato sauce, as well as ice (N$15) and firewood (N$25). You can also get a carved wooden zebra for your Australian cousin for N$45.

Fuel
Diesel, leaded and unleaded fuel are available at the standard Namibian rate. Garage cards aren’t accepted – it’s best to pay in cash.

Cellphone reception
There is good cellphone reception at the resort, but nothing in the surrounding area.

Money
Rands and Namibian dollars are accepted – the exchange rate is 1:1.

Crossing the border
South Africans don’t need a visa to enter Namibia, but make sure your passport is valid for at least six months from the date of your departure. There is a N$180 “cross-border charge permit” for your vehicle. Make sure to pack the original papers or certified copies. And if you’re driving your Dad’s bakkie, you’ll need a letter from him giving you permission to do so.

How to book
Visit www.nwr.com.na or call the reservations office in Windhoek 00264 61 285 7200 or Cape Town 021 422 3761.

Keep it local
Until 31 July 2010, NWR is offering SADC citizens a 25 % discount on all its facilities. Make sure to mention it when you book – you’ll need to provide proof, like an ID or passport. SADC pensioners qualify for a further 10 % discount. 

Stare into the Canyon
The Fish River Canyon is the second-biggest canyon in the world, after America’s Grand Canyon, and was formed more than 130 million years ago when the mega-continent Gondwana­land began to splinter into pieces. The main view site, 10 km from the government-run campsite at Hobas, is extremely basic. There are rickety picnic tables and a flimsy fence that does little to stop you from walking right to the edge. But the meagre facilities merely emphasise the feeling of true wilderness. Photographs can’t do justice to the size of the canyon walls, in places 500 m high, scalloped by aeons of wind, rain and geological turmoil. It’s a cliché, but you really have to see it to appreciate it.

How far is it?
From /Ai-/Ais, it’s a 70 km drive along a good dirt road to Hobas. The last 10 km section from Hobas to the view site is a bit bumpier, but you’ll easily manage in a sedan. Time your visit to coincide with sunrise or sunset – at midday the sun leaches the colour from the canyon and casts dark shadows. Although the gate at Hobas officially opens at sunrise and closes at sunset, the officials are relatively lenient, so be friendly and ask permission if you want to take photographs after hours, at dawn or dusk.
And watch your step while you’re fiddling with your tripod – it’s a long, long way to the bottom…

How to get there: From /Ai-/Ais, follow the C10 for 22 km, then turn left onto the C37 at the Hobas sign. After about 45 km, look out for another Hobas sign, pointing left. From there it’s about 3 km to the gate, and another 10 km to the view site.

Cost: N$60 per person for SADC citizens (take your ID or passport along as proof); N$10 per vehicle. N$80 per person for international visitors.