Namibia: Nkasa Lupala National Park

Our two-week journey through Namibia started in the Caprivi Strip, or German Caprivi Zipfel. This is a long, narrow extension of Namibia, running about 280 miles (450 km) from the northeast corner of the main block of the country eastward to the Zambezi River. Angola borders the area on the north, and the Okavango River traverses the strip in the west. Part of German Southwest Africa during 1884–1919, the strip was ceded by Britain to give the German colony riparian access to the Zambezi and was named for Leo, Graf von Caprivi, German chancellor during 1890–94. After World War I, the strip became part of Southwest Africa/Namibia, then under the mandate of the Union (now the Republic) of South Africa.

We crossed here from Botswana at the Ngoma Bridge border gate, but you could also drive here from Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. At the border, we were met by a representative of the outfitters who were supplying the car we were driving through Namibia. This was a Toyota Fortuner, a step up from the Land Cruiser we had driven through Botswana. It was comfortable and had all the extras, but we wondered how it would cope with the sandy roads we would encounter later in our Namibian adventure. 

We were driven to the busy town of Katima Mulilo, the regional capital. Here we picked up some food, money from the ATM and a local SIM card. It was also time to say goodbye to our driver and we were let loose in Namibia for the first time.

For the next two days, we would be staying near Nkasa Rupula National Park, which is about 110km southwest of Katima Mulio. 

We were staying at the Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge, which is built on one of the many channels of the Kwando–Linyanti river system. The lodge is located on the northern unfenced park border, in the Wuparo Conservancy which is part of the successful and award-winning Namibian conservation program followed by IRDNC and WWF.

The lodge building itself is small with a bar and a restaurant, a seating area and a small plunge pool. The building overlooks a channel of the river, where they used to be able to launch boat trips. In recent years the channel had completely dried up, but after some good rains, it was once again full.

The tents in the camp are raised on platforms and overlook the river channel. Our tent had a very large bed and a private bathroom. Outside the front of the tent was a small deck with chairs and a small table where we could look out across the marshland.

In the afternoon we booked onto a boat cruise on the Harubandi Channel part of the Kwando-Linyanti system. Six of us set out in a game drive vehicle from the lodge to the river where we would be taking to the water on a small boat. As we travelled through the park, we got to see some of the wildlife, including zebra, giraffe, and long-tailed magpies.

The area is dominated by marshes with narrow channels and shallow waters, so our boat was a tiny, flat-bottomed affair, with a roof to protect you from the sun or rain. The roof was strong, with chairs on it, so you could go up there to get a better viewing of wildlife. The boat launched out into the narrow channels, winding its way through the reeds and papyrus grass. Close by we could hear an elephant in the water, but it was hidden by the tall grasses. We hoped that it didn’t decide to come crashing through where we were passing. Eventually, we reached a more open stretch of water. In the distance, we could see a group of elephants on the banks of the river, which was apparently in Botswana. Another boat began to approach them, but got too close, causing the elephants to get agitated, There was a lot of trumpeting, flapping ears, waving of trunks and even a mock charge. Luckily for the boat, the elephants backed off. The incident left us frustrated with the driver of that boat, who should have known better about approaching too close to these elephants who were not as used to people as in another park.

Our cruise continued. On the trees by the river, we spotted a majestic African fish eagle, and, on the bushes, there were many birds, including pied kingfishers. Small groups of lechwe antelope patrolled the banks, grazing on the lush grass.

Suddenly, we happened on a pod of hippos. A bit too close for comfort. A large hippo could have easily tipped our boat if it came up underneath. Our driver quickly moved passed and we all gave a collective sigh of relief.

The main attraction of this tour is undoubtedly the elephants. We came across a small herd of females, juvenile males, and young calves. When we first encountered them, they were about 200 metres away feeding on some bushes. Our boat pulled to so we could get a better view. We sat there watching them for ages, and the sundowner drinks were broken out to add to an already perfect experience.

As we looked on the elephants got closer and closer. Then a couple of juvenile males decided they didn’t like us being that close, even though we hadn’t moved for about 30 minutes. So, there was some ear flapping going on and our guide decided to retreat. Unfortunately, we’d got a bit stuck on reeds. It took a bit of manoeuvring and pushing with legs to get us off the banks and into the open water.

By now the sun was setting. We got some beautiful views of the elephants standing with the red sun as a backdrop.

The elephants then decided it was time to cross the river. As we had already discovered elephants are pretty good swimmers, so the fact the water was deeper here in the river didn’t bother them. Even one of the baby elephants made the crossing, bobbing up and down in the water and using his trunk as a snorkel.

It was now time to head back to the lodge before darkness fell completely, which happens quickly in those parts. We once again had to run the gauntlet of the hippos in the channel, before finally making it back to the game driver vehicle. By the time we got back to camp (due to two flat tyres), it was dark.

Dinner at the lodge is served on one large table, which is a great opportunity to meet our fellow travellers. Most of the people staying this night were one large group from Belgium. They were a jolly crew, and many spoke great English, so we had a lovely time chatting with them.