Fish River Canyon - by Ellen

Fish River Canyon was dizzyingly huge, each curve of the river opened up yet another fissure in the earth, exposing layer upon layer of ancient sedimentation. It is second only to the Grand Canyon, at 160km long and 600m deep - and growing all the time. I can’t imagine that the Grand Canyon would ever be that devoid of tourists; it felt almost as though you were discovering it alone, re-discovering long forgotten dust tracks that headed to the horizon – until yet another 4WD hurtled past. We saw a walking path snaking down the cliffs to the orange-brown river below; according to the map this was the first exit route out of the canyon for walkers who’d entered at the main camp, about 85km away. Eyes feasted on the view as stomachs dined on 2 minute noodles (the taste of which is markedly improved by location).