When I was looking for cool things to do in South Namibia I came across the Fish River Canyon. This 160 kilometer long canyon intrigued me with the pictures I found online and when I decided to look where to stay I found Fish River Lodge. The Fish River Lodge reviews showed me it was one of the best places to stay in Fish River Canyon.
Like always I did not do that much research about it and just reserved two nights in Fish River Lodge to check out if it was really as cool as I thought it would be. I was already traveling in South Namibia and just came from the Oana Flora & Fauna conservation camp. This Namibia Wildlife Conservation Project far away from the modern world somewhere in Southeast Namibia was an incredible adventure. Read about it in the link above.
Spending a day or 2 in the capital of Namibia? Check out my list with the 19 Best Things To Do in Windhoek.
Getting to the Fish River Lodge looked easy on the map, but turned out to be a real challenge. Since there is hardly any public transport in Namibia I decided to make my way to Fish River Canyon hitchhiking. On route I found out it was more than 350 km, but there was no other option! Good luck Tom! :)
Location of Fish River Canyon
The location of the Fish River Lodge is absolutely sublime, but at the same time it is also a kind of pain in the ass to get there. As you may have seen on my video in my article about hitchhiking in Namibia it was a real adventure to get here. If you decide to stay in Fish River Lodge you will definitely have to have your own transportation. From the main road it is another 102 kilometer on a gravel road! The last 20 kilometers are difficult to drive and the advised speed limit is the 20 km/h. That says enough, right? From the main road you can best take the D463 (gravel road) between Seeheim and Goageb. This last stretch of more than 100 kilometer will take around 2 hours.
But no worries thousands of guest have been here before you and mostly all of them enjoyed it!
I think the remote location of the lodge is at the same time probably also the best features of this place. The fact that the lodge has its own airstrip makes clear that you are literally in the middle of nowhere. The feeling of staying at Fish River Lodge is like being away from the rest of the world. The lodge is situated on the top of Fish River Canyon only a couple meters away from the rim and views are to die for!
Rooms Fish River Lodge
All the rooms of the Fish River Lodge are literally on the rim of the canyon. The patios/balconies all look out over Fish River Canyon, and drinking a cup of tea in the afternoon here makes you speechless. Trust me! I do wish though that the patios would have a little more privacy, which could easily be realized by putting up some nice bamboo fences. I was working out a little on my patio and guests that walked passed looked a little concerning at me. Lol!
Rooms are bright and from the bed you have the same endless views as you have from the patio because of the massive windows and glass doors. The interior of the room was a bit rustic in a minimalistic style with concrete floors and steel frames. Though the white decoration gave it a homey feeling. A cool feature is the outdoor shower and the water pressure is really good, unlike the indoor shower which really lacks water pressure. Views from the outdoor shower where again excellent!
Food
When you book a room at Fish River Lodge it also comes with a buffet breakfast and a set menu dinner. Lunch is not included and at your own expense. The most nearby restaurant is more than 100 kilometers away so you are forced to have lunch at the lodge as well. But don’t worry prices are very moderate: salads, burgers and pasta for $7 - $12. The breakfast is simple but good. There are 6 different set breakfast menus guests can choose from and the buffet contains cereals, coffee, tea, yoghurt, milk and some cold cuts. It also has a couple healthy options such as nuts and fresh cut fruits but that is about it. To me it was perfect though as eating healthy is one of the reasons I stay fit while traveling. At Fish River Lodge that was an easy task.
Breakfast is served in the amazingly airy and bright main lobby with views over the pool and the canyon. There is no better way to wake up and stare into the endless views of Fish River Canyon. Dinner is also served here and the 3-course set menu contained soup, game meat with fresh vegetables and dessert. There are also options for vegetarians.
WiFi
Due to its remote location there is basically no internet connection available at Fish River Lodge. The lodge offers free internet vouchers to its guests of 150 MB valid for 2 days, but since it is a satellite connection do not expect much from it! When I tried it often did not even connect to WhatsApp unfortunately. Since there is no phone signal either expect to be disconnected!
But that gives you all the time to enjoy the lodge and the canyon, right? If you want to switch off for a little bit this is the best place to stay in Fish River Canyon.
There is only a Wi-Fi signal available at the main lobby and around the pool, in the rooms there is no signal.
Activities and hiking around
Fish River Lodges offers a wide array of activities like a helicopter ride, guided hikes, viewpoints and much more. The staff was extremely surprised I did not sign up for any of the activities as three different staff members came to ask me about any additional activities I wanted to sign up. I almost wanted to tell them have a look at my article: How I Make Money Travel Blogging to make them understand that my life is already one big adventure! Simply enjoying a place and relaxing is something I really value and catching up with work in a place with such a spectacular view is what I came for.
Eventually I could not resist strapping on my Nikes and going for a little adventure. It was a drop off in the distance that I wanted to check out and get a different view of Fish River Lodge. The walk around the rim of the canyon took only about 30 minutes and was totally worth it.
Review Fish River Lodge
This place is all about the location! I have never stayed at a cooler canyon lodge before. From the bed you have a view of at least 10 km all the way to the mountains on the other side. Waking up like that was a great experience. The rooms are not high-end luxury and a bit minimalistic, but you won’t spend that much time inside anyway. The staff is very friendly but service levels in Namibia are not top-notch. Or may be I am a little spoiled hanging out in Asia most of the time. Breakfast is simple but nice, dinner is good and included in the room rate. And last but not least a really cool feature is the infinity pool looking out over the canyon!
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For me Fish River Lodge is all about the spectacular view! Simply impressive.
Click here for more ideas for traveling in Namibia in this 1-week itinerary including Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei and Skeleton Coast.