Our unique option brings you to a special point in Africa where 4 countries share the border. Where the mighty Zambezi river captures the Chobe river. Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe meet at a place known as Kazungula. It is in this area where the missionary and explorer Dr. David Livingstone met the local chiefs to negotiate his way to the Mosi oya tunya which he later renamed the Victoria Falls. It is believed that the chiefs that were present on that day represents the tribes that shared the riverbanks of the Chobe river and the Zambezi river.
The Chobe NP is regarded and rated as one of the best natural habitat of the flora and fauna in the KAZA region. It houses the largest population of elephants in proportion to the land area. This is a result of good animal conservation the country Botswana have committed to. The Chobe river which separates Botswana and Namibia is actually a lifeline of a vast number of game, ranging from water dependent hippos, crocodiles and aquatic birds to the savanna kings, lions, elephants, buffalos ,leopard and a variety of antelopes to the tall towers of giraffes and dazzling zebras.
The deep Kalahari sands of the Chobe can only be accessed by super 4x4xfar. Without this type of vehicle one can never make it from the first sightings.
The Zambezi region in Namibia which was formally known as the Kaprivi Strip is one unique historical region which is situated in the most saturated area in Namibia. Named after Leo von Caprivi, the former Germany chancellor who was tricked by the British to trade the Zanzibar island to the part of Botswana so that his then desert territory would have access to the mighty Zambezi and allow him having the river as assess point to the Indian ocean and reconnect with the Germany east African territories of Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. But it turned out that the deal was a loss to L. Caprivi and a win to the British. The Zambezi river was not ideal for the large cargo and trade boats because of numerous rapids that includes the Victoria Falls and the Kabora Bassa rapids in Mozambique.
Never the less, the Kaprivi, or the Zambezi region, as it is now called, is the most saturated area in Namibia, bordered by 4 rivers, namely the Linyanti, Chobe, Cuando (Kwando) and the Zambezi river. The Kaprivi Strip is a 450km long, narrow extension of Namibia running from the northeastern corner of the main block of the country to the eastward direction to the Zambezi river as panhandle with a varying width of between 20km at the narrowest point up to 105km at the widest point, sandwiched by Angola on the north and Botswana on the south.
The Kaprivi is also a practical example of the coexistence between nature and development as many communities are living in harmony with nature. In this part of Namibia, from Katima Mulilo to Divundu, there are many conservation areas and national parks which allows a free movement of animals to and from the Okavango delta in Botswana. The transit through the strip is characterised by some of the longest straight roads that are often interrupted by small traditional villages that suddenly appear in the middle of nowhere.
The game parks around can not be outdone with a variety of wild game ranging from the water dependents to the dry savannah giants.
The world’s largest inland delta and the largest aquatic conservation area in the region is one of nature’s magical paradise in Botswana. The Kavango river which originates in Angola changes its course from the most easterly direction to the southern in Divundu Namibia and drops into the Popa falls then picks up the ‘O’ for its next journey towards Maun village in the Kalahari where it is gradually swallowed by the sun baked thirst Makgalakgadi sands. In its failures the river fights all the way by trying to flow back, the only river that have attempted an upstream flow and formed islands and waterways on it tail and suddenly surrenders into a 16.000 sq km delta.
The Okavango Delta is a home to the big five and offers a unique atmosphere on safari where armed local villages take you to marvellous unforgettable bush walks, following their instincts and the traditional knowledge of the surroundings. Most of the area is not developed, unless of few villages that are on the edges and a few touristic accommodations that are on the launch points. Those offer a quite unique experience in a sense that the only development you have is the fire and the tent you carry with into the delta. Fire and tent only exists during your stay only and you carry it back out.
The access to the delta is also an experience on its own. Transported on a traditional mukoro, originally a tradional wooden canoe, but now a fiberglass canoe with the shape and the color of the original canoe. The fiberglass was an initiative by the conservative Botswana tourism board in conjunction with the government to minimise and conserve the trees. The mukoro is paddled using a long pole from the silver cluster leaf tree (terminalia sericea) which is debucked to prolong its life in the hands of a skilled poller that will steer and navigate you through the narrow waterways.
There is no best time on earth than the Okavango nighttime when animals accidentally stumble into your campsite while you are all sleeping. The eccentric night sounds from clasping elephants and groaning hippos to singing nightjars and hooting owls spiced up with a booming wakeup calls from the fish eagles as they welcome the long awaited smile of the beautiful African sunrise.
The delta is not complete without the scenic flights that takes you above it to have a fish eagle’s eye view . These can be arranged in Maun and in Shakawe, although some lodges have helicopters that provide the scenic flights. Mostly in Maun and Shakawe the flights are conducted on fixed wing Cessnas.
