Fun, funky even wacky, these are words you might use to describe the Canyon Roadhouse not far from the Fish River Canyon in southern Namibia. Staid, dull and prim are definitely not. In fact, if you don’t have a sense of humour or a fondness for grinning like a basketful of baboons, don’t bother to visit; the place will be wasted on you.
Photos: Keith Reid
The incomparable Canyon Roadhouse pops up on the C37 about 25km to the east of the Fish River Canyon. You’ll stumble on a cavernous barn that’s the hub of all things – reception, shop, bar, and food zone.
Mastermind behind this offbeat utopia for petrolheads is Gondwana Collection Namibia, especially brand director Manni Goldbeck, whose passion lies behind the stockpiling of the vehicles that throng the space. Not just classic cars from the mid 20th Century but also motorbikes, trucks, a tractor or two, some old identifier plaques from steam trains, and other transport bits and bobs. Think auto nostalgia meets quirky wonderland. Understated it’s not.
Outside is a car lover’s paradise too. A robust quiver tree sprouts from the engine bay of one rusty car, a thorn tree from the boot of another. Wolseley, Mercedes and Cadillac vegetate in the arid garden, one filled with a mound of soil and an errant weed, another home to nesting mice. But somehow these rusting bodies that share space with rocks, aloes and other succulents have evolved into a zany dust-and-rust artscape.
To find out more about what to do at Canyon Roadhouse, head over to Roxanne Reid’s Africa Addict blog where this description first appeared: https://www.roxannereid.co.za/blog/fun-at-the-old-canyon-roadhouse-namibia