Caprivi Strip 8 - 11 August

8 August – Etosha   It is a month since we landed in Capetown at the start of this adventure and we have not seen a cloud in the sky or had a drop of rain in all that time, just solid blue skies and sunshine. The temperature in Capetown was about 20 degrees Centigrade by day and fairly cold by night.  Now we are 1500 miles further north the skies remain just as blue but the day temperatures now reach up to 34 degrees and the nights, at 10 degrees (still cool enough for a jersey and a good sleeping bag) are warmer too. 

We spent our last morning in Etosha visiting waterholes on a final game drive before hitting the tar road to Grootfontein where we filled up with diesel and bought food for the next few days. 

 After long discussions we have decided to change our plans as we can no longer go to Khaudum National Park.  Locals tell us most of the Park has been engulfed by extensive bushfires and much of the game has left for neighbouring Botswana.  We therefore decide to say our goodbyes to those in the second Landrover tomorrow morning.  My party will head north for the Caprivi Strip and Zimbabwe and Nigel’s party will go east to Bushmanland near the border with Botswana, before retracing their steps to Windhoek and a flight back to the UK in a fortnight’s time.  In the meantime we have found a remote campsite on the road heading north out of Grootfontein where we shall camp for our last night together with a bottle of brandy to hand to celebrate an excellent trip with many adventures together over the last month.

9 August – the Angolan Border   Africa is an extraordinary continent, or at least the part we have been through suggests that.  For the first time on my Africa trips I have brought an altimeter with me and, apart from the coastal regions, I find we have been travelling at altitudes of over 3000 feet for most of the journey.  In fact, at times we have been surprised to find we are sitting around our campfires at over 6000 feet – higher than any part of the United Kingdom. 

After our farewells, our short drive today brought us to Rundu on the northern edge of Namibia, bordering Angola, where we camped on the edge of town.  This was an important stop as a mishap with our LED camping lights meant we had to find replacements, as well as some fresh rations.  Rundu met all these requirements.  It is a bustling African town on the banks of the Okavango river. 

Very few whites around and lots of African shops - on earlier stops we frequently found the larger shops were owned by white Namibians of German extraction – but nevertheless the Rundu supermarkets were surprisingly well equipped.  We ate an enormous steak for supper, split into three, with lettuce and tomatoes and fresh oranges for pudding – our diet has rather lacked fresh fruit and vegetables over the last few weeks so this was a welcome change and set us up for the long drive along the Caprivi Strip in the coming days.

The Caprivi Strip   I did not realise until I read a brief account of its history in the Lonely Planet, that the formation of this unique 350 mile long corridor was the result of negotiations between Britain and Germany in the late 1800s.  The Germans, who owned German West Africa (now Namibia), wanted to establish a link with German East Africa (now Tanzania) and the British wanted ownership of the island of Zanzibar off the German East African coast.  At the Berlin Conference in 1890, Britain agreed to create a corridor for the Germans along the northern part of Bechuanaland (now Botswana) in return for ownership of Zanzibar.  In the end, the Germans lost possession of German West Africa during the First World War and the Caprivi Strip, and indeed the rest of their possessions in south west Africa, were mandated in 1923 to come under South African administration.

Namibia is an enormous country (the size of the UK and Germany put together) but it only has a population of about two million people.  Consequently, much of our travels to date have been through vast tracts of empty and often seemingly barren and mountainous countryside.  We are told the farms we passed are usually owned by white Namibians of German or Boer extraction and are measured in thousands of hectares.  The poor and often rocky soil however means they will only support a limited number of domestic animals and we rarely saw any crops. 

Now, as we travel through the northern parts of the country and along the Caprivi Strip, we find increasing ribbon development along the road.  Growing numbers of simple mud huts, sometimes with corrugated iron roofs, small maize fields and endless herds of cows and goats who always seem to want to cross the straight tarmac roads just as we approach them.  Occasionally, we come across cunningly placed speed traps – we were warned the local cops are very keen to catch speeding cars exceeding the 120kph speed limit – but luckily our 15 year the old Landrover is at it’s happiest trundling along at 100kph so we are not stopped. 

10 August – Driving along the Caprivi Strip   We set off early this morning to start our drive along the Caprivi Strip.  After 120 miles we stopped at Divundu to see the inappropriately named Popa Falls, which in reality are no more than minor rapids marking the point at which the Okavango River turns south towards Botswana. We had thought of camping there but were warned the mosquito problem was significant so we pressed on instead for Kongola. 

On the way, a herd of elephant crossed the road just ahead of us but we saw no other game.  Much of the Caprivi Strip has suffered extensive bushfires, like other northern parts of Namibia and we hear that heavy hunting over the last 20 years, particularly of buffalo, and growing ribbon development has depleted the numbers of wildlife. At Kongola we are stopped by a joint Army/Police roadblock but are not hassled.  We thought we would stay there for the night and drove into the nearby community campsite but found it was damaged by fire and very neglected.  Knowing of no other campsites nearby and after a straw poll amongst the crew, we decided to continue for another 60 miles to Katima Malilo.  Here we found an idyllic grass campsite on the banks of the Zambezi River with hot showers and cold beer and views of a beautiful sunset over the Zambezi.  After 4 weeks of continuous driving and with 3000 miles of dirt and tar roads under our belts, we decide to stop in this lovely spot for a 3 day break and do some administration.

11 August – Katima Malilo.   Katima Malilo is the most remote town in Namibia, being over 1000 km from the capital of Windhoek.  It is situated on the banks of the Zambezi River and is bordered by Zambia, Botswana and, some 60 miles to the east, by Zimbabwe.  The Germans set up an administrative capital for the region further to the east in the early 1900s but this was moved to Katima Malilo when the mandate was signed after the Great War.  Now the town is the official exit point for travellers going east and we must visit the local Government offices today or tomorrow to complete the necessary paperwork to cross the top of Botswana and enter Zimbabwe. 

But first we decide we must do some urgently needed admin.  We wash the inside and outside of the tents which are still covered in dust and sand from our time in the Palmweg Conservancy and the sandstorms of the Hoanib riverbed.  We then do some washing of clothes - the water afterwards looking distinctly brown in colour!  Tony then spends the rest of the morning looking for hippos and photographing the extensive birdlife along the river bank.  Ian dons his swimming costume and goes to the nearby hotel pool for a swim and some sunbathing and I catch up on the blog.  I try to write this each evening and save it on my laptop in readiness to download it at the next internet café, but the last few days have been very busy so I am now somewhat behind. 

There is talk of going back some 60 miles to Kongola where we hear from Russell Taylor that there is an excellent bush campsite and the chance of seeing more game, but I rather doubt this will happen.  Everyone is feeling the need for a break after 4 weeks in close proximity with each other, driving over difficult terrain and 28 days of wild camping in the bush, so I guess they will opt for some space and a bit of time to relax and do their own thing.  We realise we have forgotten what it feels is like to be clean and wear clean clothes, our sleeping bags are in a desperate need of an airing and the tents are going to take a day or so to dry out fully. 

It would not surprise me if we are still here tomorrow!  I will ask the others for a decision at lunchtime.