Hobas is the gateway to the Fish River Canyon, the second-largest canyon in the world, and it is a small camp with a gate, a campsite shaded by trees and a swimming pool that seems miraculous in this landscape. The canyon itself is a huge scar in the earth, about 160 kilometres long, up to twenty-seven kilometres wide in places, and around 550 metres deep at its lowest point. It was carved by the Fish River over hundreds of millions of years, and by tectonic movement that cracked the plateau. From the rim, the river winds in great horseshoe bends at the bottom, a green-brown thread among the pale rock walls.
The roads that lead here are mostly gravel in the final stretch, and conditions vary. A well-graded stretch can be a pleasure, with wide bends and good visibility, while a corrugated, loose one takes concentration and a lighter hand on the throttle. Dust is part of the day, and so is the heat, which can pass forty degrees in summer. Ride early, and do not push your luck on loose gravel with a loaded bike. The view at the main lookout is a short ride beyond the gate, and it is worth more than any photograph.
To the south, in the canyon's lower reaches, lies Ai-Ais, a hot spring resort where the water rises at a temperature that was long considered healing. The Nama people knew of it long before the Germans arrived, and the name means something like burning water. The famous hiking trail along the canyon floor is open only in the cooler months, roughly May to September, and it is a serious undertaking that requires a permit and fitness.
The sure places to fill up are Grünau and Keetmanshoop on the main road, so arrive with a full tank and a small reserve. The campsite and the shop offer basic supplies and cold drinks, but check what is open before you rely on it. Baboons and rock hyraxes watch you from the rocks, and at sunset the canyon walls glow in layers of orange and red, with a silence that you have to experience to believe.