All lost hikers found in Fish River Canyon

By yesterday afternoon, four tourists who were still missing in the Fish River Canyon had been found by search and rescue teams.

Wayne Handley, the chief warden of the //Karas park, told Namibian Sun one couple was found at Hikers Point and another at Sulphur Springs.

Originally it was believed that 10 tourists from two hiking groups had gone missing in the canyon over the weekend.

According to Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) spokesperson Nelson Ashipala, it was established yesterday that the one group of six tourists successfully made it out of the canyon.

They did not clock-out at the /Ai-/Ais Hot Springs Resort before continuing to their respective destinations and were believed to be missing, but were found safely in Cape Town.

The other group of four South Africans embarked on their journey on Saturday, Ashipala said.

“They sent out a distress call after reaching the first campsite. Our team rushed to the area where they indicated, but we did not find them there.”

Rescue and search teams from NWR and the tourism ministry had been working around the clock to find them, he added.

Ashipala explained that two teams were dispatched yesterday, one from the start of the hiking point and one from the end, to find the missing group.

Although the tourists still had time until 11 May to finish their hike in the canyon, they were concerned about the distress calls that were sent.

Hikers not well prepared

//Karas commissioner David Indongo told Namibian Sun that they were informed yesterday that 10 people from South Africa who went on a hike in the Fish River Canyon were believed to be missing, but that six of them were already in Cape Town.

He explained that the other four were spotted in groups of two and that one of the groups - after not feeling well - used a satellite phone to contact family in South Africa.

Handley said that after the hiker season opened in the canyon on 1 May, they have had to go in to assist hikers several times.

He said although the canyon this year has more water, it seems that after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, hikers are not as well prepared as usual.

Located in the south of Namibia, the Fish River Canyon is the largest in Africa. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 160 kilometres long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 metres deep.

Apart from a 2 km descent west of Hobas and some optional shortcuts, the hiking trail generally follows 88 km of the Fish River through to ǀAi-ǀAis and is usually completed within five days. Although there are a number of footpaths through the canyon, the trail is not fixed, allowing hikers to decide where and how long to hike.