ǀAi-ǀAis (, meaning 'hot as fire' or 'scalding hot') is a

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

n holiday resort with hot mineral springs in the bed of the Fish River. It is situated in Southern Namibia's

ǁKaras Region The ǁKharas Region (pronounced , with a lateral click, former name Karas Region, without the click) is the southernmost, largest, and least densely populated of the 14 regions of Namibia; its capital is Keetmanshoop. The name assigned to the r ...

at the base of the

Great Karas Mountains The Great Karas Mountains (Afrikaans: ''Groot Karasberge'') are located in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia, the driest part of the country. Mt. Schroffenstein, at 2206 meters is the highest peak in the range. The peak lies about ten kilome ...

, west of

Karasburg Karasburg (, old name , literally "carst spring") is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia and the district capital of the Karasburg electoral constituency. It lies at the heart of the southern Namibian sheep farming industry. Karas ...

and south-west of

Keetmanshoop Keetmanshoop is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is named after , a German Empire, German industrialist and benefactor of the city. Keetmanshoop had a population of 27,862 people in 2023. History Before the colonial era, ...

. ǀAi-ǀAis features sulfurous thermal hot water springs and forms part of the ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. The springs have been a

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

since 1964.

History

Local legend goes that the hot springs were discovered in 1850 by a

nomadic Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

Nama shepherd rounding up stray sheep.Swaney, Deanna (1995). Lonely Planet: Zimabawe, Botswana & Namibia. 2nd Edition. Published by Hawthorn, Vic. The springs originate deep under the riverbed and form an oasis in the extremely

arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

area.Swaney, Deanna (1992). Lonely Planet: Zimbabwe, Botswana & Namibia. 1st Edition. Published by Hawthorn, Vic. During the Nama uprising of 1903–07 the hot spring was used by German military forces as a

base camp Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sp ...

. In 1915, the area was also used as a base by

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n troops who were recovering from wounds during the

South West Africa Campaign The South West Africa campaign was the conquest and occupation of German South West Africa by forces from the Union of South Africa acting on behalf of the British imperial government at the beginning of the First World War. The South Afric ...

. In 1962, the spring was leased to a local entrepreneur and were subsequently proclaimed a national monument in 1964. In 1969, the springs became a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

and on 16 March 1971, the camp was officially opened. The thermal water has an average temperature of about 60 °C. The water is piped to a series of indoor pools and jacuzzis. Severe floods in 1972, 1974 and 1988 caused the camp to temporarily close. With the exception of one building—which was situated on higher ground—the 1972 flood totally destroyed the camp. The Fish River Canyon Conservation area was enlarged in 1987 by the addition of state land west of the canyon. Significant renovations to the Ai-Ais camp were carried out in 1987–88. An

international treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventio ...

, signed in 2003, incorporated the vast area around the ǀAi-ǀAis Hot Springs and

Richtersveld National Park The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in the north-western corner of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat, sandy, coastal plains, to cragg ...

, resulting in the establishment of the ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park.Southern African Places (2009)
Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier National Park
Retrieved on 19 May 2008.

Present day

The springs are a popular holiday destination for Namibian, South African and international holiday-makers. The thermal waters are rich in

sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

chloride The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (). The pr ...

and

fluoride Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an Inorganic chemistry, inorganic, Monatomic ion, monatomic Ion#Anions and cations, anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose ...

, and are reputedly good for anyone suffering from

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...

. The resort waters are also home to a number of species of fish, including

yellowfish ''Labeobarbus'' is a mid-sized ray-finned fish genus in the family Cyprinidae. Its species are widely distributed throughout eastern Africa and especially southern Africa, but also in Lake Tana in Ethiopia. A common name, in particular for the s ...

and

barbel Barbel may refer to: *Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles *Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish **''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprini ...

. ǀAi-ǀAis is the end point of a 5-day hiking tour through the

Fish River Canyon The Fish River Canyon (Afrikaans: ''Visrivier Canyon'' or'' Visrivier Kuil'', ) is located in the south of Namibia. It is the largest canyon in Africa, and the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia.Matador Trips - 27 of the deepest c ...

Gallery

Ai Ais SPA.jpg, ǀAi-ǀAis Spa, 2015. Fish River Canyon u Ai-Ais - panoramio (1).jpg, Fish River Canyon, 2014. Fish River Canyon u Ai-Ais - panoramio.jpg, Fish River Canyon, 2014. Dunst Fish River Canyon Oct 2002 slide036 - Ai-Ais.jpg, Fish River Canyon, 2002.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aiais Hot springs of Namibia Tourism in Namibia National parks of Namibia Geography of ǁKaras Region Protected areas established in 1971 1971 establishments in South West Africa National Monuments of Namibia

History

Present day

Gallery

See also

References

External links