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Northern Namibia is generally very lush, watered by a generous annual rainfall. East of Owamboland – which means northeast of Grootfontein – lie the regions of Kavango and Caprivi.
These support a large population, and a surprising amount of wildlife. The wildlife has visibly increased in the national parks here in the last few years, helped enormously by various successful community-based game-guard and conservation/development programmes.
The Khaudum Game Park, is only accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle. It is far better to travel in this park with at least two vehicles, as the sand is very thick and it is a rather remote area. The park is home to herds of elephants, roan, eland, kudu, gemsbok (oryx), blue wildebeest, wild dog and lion. A lush water-fed area, the narrow extension of land known as the Caprivi Strip protrudes eastwards from the extreme north-east of Namibia, adjoining Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia.
Northeastern Namibia and into the Caprivi is a mosaic of woodlands, riverine forests, swamps and. rivers. Off-the-beaten track destinations include the Nyae-Naye area, the ancestral home of the Ju/'hoansi San. Formerly known as Eastern Bushmanland. The area is four-by-four country ONLY.
Some 200 kilometres east of Rundu lies one of the scenic highlights the Caprivi, the Popa Falls. Actually, they are rapids rather than waterfalls. Here, the Okavango breaks through a four metre high rocky intrusion in its riverbed. The falls lie amidst enthrallingly beautiful nature. Here you also find the most scenic campground in the north of Namibia although there are a number of lodges with campsites as well.
Although the wildlife in the Caprivi has not yet fully recovered from years of poaching and the destructive bushwar of the 1970s and 80s, it is once again becoming a superb conservation area that may in the future rival Etosha. The Caprivi belongs to the tropical climate zone and receives a high rainfall.
Open throughout the year, the Caprivi Game Park is dominated by broad-leafed deciduous woodlands comprising wild seringa, copalwood and Zambezi teak. It is the wettest region in Namibia with its high rainfall fed by a number of major rivers like the Okavango, Kwando.
Not far away are the Mudumu & Mamili National Parks, where 4 x 4 vehicles are necessary, permits are available from either· the parks themselves, or at the local MET office in Katima. There is a parks fee as well. There are a couple of camping areas in the Park, but there ARE no FACILITIES and visitors to these areas must take ALL their own, water, firewood, etc There is a campsite just before the Mamili park run by the community.
Within this area there are also 3 community campsites, 4 upmarket lodges, a craft market and two traditional villages. The Mamili National Park is a watery wonderland of wildlife, islands, river channels and wetlands. The two large Islands are Nkasa & Lupala and are on the Kwando / Linyati rivers. During dry season the Islands can be reached by road, but after the rains 90% of the area becomes flooded, cutting them off from the mainland.
Across from Muduma on the other side of the kwando river is the Horseshoe area, which has two community campsites. They are both excellent and the area is full of game as well. ONLY 4 x 4 can be used.
Muduma National Park (also only 4x4) is approx 100.000 hect of dense savannah and mopane woodlands with the Kwando river as its western boundary and Botswana on the other side. The Kwando river stems from Angola and changes its name as it goes along, ending in the Chobe, which then enters into the Zambezi. {mosimage}The Chobe at Ngoma Border flows both ways, the reason being that the Zambezi when in flood pushes the Chobe water back along the banks of Namibia and Botswana.
Two destinations accessible by sedan car are the Mahango Game Park and Popa Falls, a series of rapids, where the Kavango river breaks through a four metre high rocky intrusion in its riverbed. The falls lie amidst enthrallingly beautiful nature. The park offers outstanding birding and is also renowned for its large numbers of elephant, red lechwe, sable, roan, buffalo, blue wildebeest and gemsbok (oryx).
The small town of Katima Mulilo at the eastern end of Caprivi offers some attractive lodges and has an airport, a hospital, some petrol stations, grocery stores and a street market with crafts, traditional baskets woven from grass, wood carvings, jewellery and clothes. The Caprivi Strip's nerve-centre, Katima Mulilo, is closer to Lusaka, Harare or Gaborone than it is to Windhoek, and in many ways this region is more like the countries which surround it than like the rest of Namibia.
The area is highly populated with scattered settlements of subsistence farmers cultivating Mahangu and other crops, tending their cattle, or living off freshwater fish. Unlike much of the rest of Namibia, the Kavango and Caprivi regions feel like most Westerners' image of Africa. You'll see lots of circular huts, small kraals, animals and people carrying water on their heads. By the roadside are stalls selling vegetables, fruit, or woodcarvings, and in the parks you'll find buffalo hiding in the thick vegetation.
Note the different designs of the rondavels and villages as you travel through. Some are identical to those in eastern Zimbabwe, while others resemble the fenced-in kraals in Botswana. Even the local language used in the schools, the Caprivi's lingua franca, is the Lozi language – as spoken by the Lozi people of Zambia.
There is a border post to Zambia in Katima , just 5km out of town which crosses the Zambezi on a new bridge, this replaced the old ferry. Which over the last few years has become more and more attractive for tourists. If you are heading for Botswana or Zimbabwe, follow the B8 to the Ngoma Bridge.
Katima Mulilo is situated along the banks of the Zambezi River which has a history of its own. A few kilometres north of the Zambezi source in Katanga Province are the headwaters of the Congo River. The Luakwa Hills, which rise to an altitude of some 1500 metres, forms the backbone of this central part of the Southern African Plateau. They create the barely perceptible divide between these two great rivers, the Congo and the Zambezi.
The sparkling waters of the Zambezi begins by trickling between a maze of moss-covered tree roots, winds its way through Angola, the Province of Molwezi, then re- enters Zambia. From there it meanders through the Luena flats into the Barotse Flood plains, and into Namibia. On the north side of the river is Zambia and on the south Namibia until it comes to the place where the Four Countries meet. Thereafter it is bordered by Botswana and Zambia, for a while and then by Zambia and Zimbabwe, as it slowly meanders to the Victoria falls. From there it runs into Lake Kariba before entering Mozambique and finally empties into the Indian Ocean. The entire journey is approximately 3,000km from beginning to the end.
At the most north-eastern point of the Caprivi strip, near Kazangula, the pale blue waters of the Chobe join the deep indigo waters of the Zambezi. It is at this point, on Impalila Island in the middle of the river, that the four countries, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia converge. Both the Chobe and the Upper Zambezi Rivers can be fished from within the Caprivi Strip of Namibia. The close proximity of the Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls make the Caprivi Strip a superb destination for the African fly angler, birdwatcher (twitcher) and naturalist alike.
The abundance of water in the area sustains a large variety of animal and bird species. Especially numerous are the elephants, though not easily spotted through the dense vegetation. Wild dog, Hippo, Nile crocodile, buffalo, common impala, red lechwe, roan, sable antelope, sitatunga and tsessebe are some of the wild animals that can be found in the Caprivi. The wildlife is being protected in a couple of reserves (Bwabwata, Mudumu, Lizauli, Mamili). There are no fences, so the animals can roam freely across the borders of the neighbouring countries of Botswana and Zambia. The Chobe National Park in Botswana, bordering the Caprivi in the south, is especially excellent for game viewing.
Hippopotamuses are abundant along most of the calm stretches of the river, and many crocodiles are also present. Monitor lizards are found in many places. The abundant birdlife includes heron, pelican, egret and African Fish Eagle present in large numbers.
Riverine woodland also supports many large animals, such as buffalo, zebras, giraffes and elephants. Some 200 kilometres east of Rundu lies one of the scenic highlights of Namibia in the western part of the Caprivi, the Popa Falls. Actually, they are rapids rather than waterfalls
Impalila Island, in the far northeast, is aptly described as "The One Island in Africa Where Four Countries Meet." The Zambezi River offers superb tiger fishing, while the island and surrounding area are also one of the top birding spots in Namibia.
Malaria is an endemic, year round problem and prophylaxis is recommended for all visitors. Animals seen here include: buffalo, elephant, zebra, antelopes, hippo, crocodiles, lion, giraffe, puku, sitatunga, red lechwe, spotted necked otters, waterbuck, Roan antelope, Oribi, wild dog. As many as 339 bird species have been recorded in west Caprivi.
The Caprivi belongs to the tropical climate zone and receives high rainfalls during the rainy season (December to March). This, together with the high temperatures, results in a high humidity factor. Malaria prophylactic is strongly recommended for the Caprivi.
The· Caprivi Region has a unique History. Unlike other Regions in Namibia the Caprivi is something different. Until the end of the 19th Century it was known as ITENGA and fell under the rule of· the Lozi Kings. Later it formed part of the British Bechuanaland· Protectorate (known today as Botswana). In (1890) Germany laid claim to the British Administered Island of Zanzibar, but the British objected. The dispute was settled at the Berlin Conference in 1890 when Queen Victoria acquired Zanzibar and Germany acquired the territory now known as the Caprivi Strip.
The inclusion of Caprivi in Namibia may be the most irrational border decision in a continent with an oversupply of same. Britain ceded it to Germany as part of a deal to create a corridor between German East and Southwest Africa. The resulting Caprivi panhandle became part of Namibia, and its people - most of whom are ethnic Lozi - were split by an artificial barrier so that people now need a passport to visit their families across the river in Zambia.
The Caprivi was then named after the German Chancellor General Count Georg Leo von· Caprivi di Caprara di Montecuccoli. The reason behind the swap was to acquire a strip of land that added to German South West Africa, would give the Germans access via the Zambezi river to the Indian Ocean via another German colony Tanzania (German East Africa). It was called at that time "The Lawless Frontier"
The Capital of the Caprivi was at Schuckmansburg, until around 1933 when it was moved to Katima Mulilo. It was administered by South Africa from Pretoria, then in 1981 to 1990 was ruled under the administration for the Caprivians as part of South West Africa. From 1990 to 1992· was the transitional period following Namibian Independence in March 1990. In 1992 the Caprivi became one of the 13 Political Regions in Namibia with its own Regional Governor and six councillors.
Today the Caprivi still has a Governor who governs the Region with 6 constituencies headed by councillors. There are also Traditional Leaders who govern in the old traditional method with a chief, and all his tribal leaders. Each area is under control of an Induna, and the Indunas form the governing body or council.
Eastern Caprivi forms the hand of the extended arm on the North Eastern corner of Namibia.·· This water rich area is approximately 1,1 million hectare in size.· The rivers,· as· well as, the large number of inland waters,· offer excellent Angling with 93 different species of fish, and over 430 recorded birds, with some rare birds being sighted, such as Shelly sunbird, African skimmers, Souza shrike, while the beautiful surroundings offer hours of unequalled pleasure for those who want to venture here.
Katima Mulilo meaning· " Put Out the Fire" is the Capital of the Caprivi and is a fast growing town, with Banks, Post office, Restaurants, Hospital, Supermarkets, Butchery, The Craft Centre, and market is well worth a visit. Katima has affordable Accommodation, with camping sites, Self-Catering units, Fishing, Boating and Birding trips on offer.
Silozi is the Language used by the different ethnic groups, to communicate with each other, although each of the five groups have· their own language ie.
Mafwe··· speak· Sifwe
Masubia· speak· Sisubia
Mayei···· speak· Siyeyi
Mbukushu speak· Mbukushu
San People· speak· Bushman.
Besides their own languages English, the official language of Namibia, is spoken. Nowadays approximately 80,000 people live in the Caprivi, mostly as subsistence farmers making their living on the Banks of the Zambezi, Kwando,okavango, Linyati & Chobe Rivers.
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