The Gondwana Canyon Park is a revelation of enterprise and home-brewed charm. The private reserve is 1,200sq km- twice the size of the Isle of Man - and runs along the eastern edge of the length of Fish River Canyon conservation area.

Canyon Lodge, one of four places to stay inside the park, is built around an early 20th-century farmhouse. The building has been restored and way surpassed its former glory of the pioneer farming days.

Chalets are built out of and into the surrounding granite outcrops - you may share your bathroom with a giant boulder and your headrest could be of ancient granite that has remained since the dawn of time.

The farmhouse has a lively bar, a large pool, a shaded verandah and a restaurant all looking out over the plains towards the canyon.

Vegetables, cheeses, milk, meat and bread are all produced on a nearby smallholding ensuring quality is enhanced by the back-to-basics, honest-to-hearty-goodness philosophy of desert-mad Gondwana Desert Collection group.

The two other accommodation options include the inn-like Canyon Village and the quirky dilapidated chic of the Canyon Roadhouse.