Best time to hike the Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail
Best: June–August. Also good: May and September.
The Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail is 69 km long, in 5 stages. Below is the average weather for every month at about 304 m, the middle height of the trail (207–804 m), from 10 years of daily data (2015–2024).
Weather month by month
| Month | High °C | Low °C | Rain mm | Rain days | Daylight h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 20° | 36 | 3 | 13.7 |
| February | 40° | 20° | 16 | 2 | 13.1 |
| March | 39° | 19° | 13 | 2 | 12.3 |
| April | 36° | 17° | 10 | 1 | 11.5 |
| May | 32° | 14° | 1 | 0 | 10.8 |
| June | 28° | 11° | 2 | 0 | 10.4 |
| July | 27° | 9° | 2 | 0 | 10.5 |
| August | 29° | 10° | 3 | 0 | 11.1 |
| September | 33° | 12° | 14 | 1 | 12.0 |
| October | 37° | 16° | 4 | 1 | 12.8 |
| November | 39° | 17° | 5 | 1 | 13.5 |
| December | 40° | 18° | 4 | 1 | 13.9 |
Higher up it is colder: about 6 °C less for every 1,000 m of height. The highest point of the trail is 804 m.
Season notes from our guide
The trail is open only from 1 May to 15 September. Outside the season the canyon floor reaches 45 °C or more and summer rains bring floods. In season, afternoons in the sun are often above 30 °C and can reach 40 °C, while nights can drop below 5 °C in June and July. May and September are usually warmer than midwinter; June to August are cooler but have the shortest days.
The opening depends on the water level. In 2025 NWR postponed the start before opening on 1 May. In 2026 heavy rain filled the Naute and Neckartal dams: the season opened on 15 May, closed on 21 June when dam water was released and 96 hikers had to be flown or walked out, and reopened on 17 July. On 16 October 2026 the trail is closed until the 2027 season. Always check the NWR news page before you travel.
Stages, map, elevation profile, places to stay and emergency help, free.
Read the full Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail guideHike it with Outest
Offline maps, stages and places to stay on your phone.
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Weather: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), daily values 2015–2024 near -27.73, 17.58, adjusted to 304 m. Rain days: days with at least 1 mm. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th of the month.