Day 22: Kongola to Katima Mulilo
We had a late start to the day, not because we slept in but because we had a flat tyre that had to be changed. Hundreds of Kilometres on the worst roads that Namibia could throw at us and we get a flat on tar.
Gondwana also does camp sites and Camp2Go (glamping) at most of their lodges. We took a drive around and looked at these options, also really nice, before heading off on our 200km trip for the day.
We passed through Mudumu National Park and saw a few baboons. We have been disappointed in how few animals we have seen this trip. Possibly because there are so many villages on the side of the roads. The ladies in this area all dress in beautiful brightly coloured fabrics.
We stopped at the tyre repair shop in Katina Mulilo to have the tyre fixed. Gray swears by his BF Goodrich tyres, we often tease him about it, as it turns out, the problem was not with the tyre, the bad roads had claimed another casualty, the rim had been cracked. The financial toll of travelling through the Kunene Region in repairs and replacements will probably be in he region of R20 000.
We arrived at our destination Zambezi Mubala Camp Site in the early afternoon. Our bags were packed onto a boat and we were ferried down the Zambezi River to our lodge.
Our rooms, on the rivers edge overlooking Zambia, have a nautical theme, and were a welcome reprieve from the scorching 43 degree temperature outside.
We went on another sundowner cruise along the river. We saw; villages on the Zambian side, fishing and chilling on the waters edge, loads of birds and crocs. The pink G&T’s watching the pink sunset was a fitting end to out last night in Namibia.
The Zambezi is the fourth longest river in Africa and the longest east flowing river, eventually flowing into the Indian Ocean. It is the life blood to many African people, the Zambian people we saw on the river banks cross the river in their mokoros, dug out tree trunks, to go shopping in Katimo – no passports, visas or border crossings. They have been crossing the river between the two countries for hundreds of years.
Another dinner with a view.
I have loved this lush north-eastern strip of Namibia, now known as the Zambezi Region, formerly the Caprivi Strip but was renamed in 2013. The rivers and wetlands are a sharp contrast to rest of the country’s desert landscape.
The area is also uniquely bordered by four different countries; Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The history of the areas is fascinating. Until the late 19th century, the area was ruled by Lozi Kings. In the early 1800’s the region was claimed by Britain as part of Botswana. It later passed hands from Britain to Germany in exchange for Zanzibar. The area was named Caprivi after the German Chancellor, Leo Von Caprivi. During the world wars Germany lost control of the region. The world today has clearly learned nothing from history in terms of land grabbing and it’s effects on the people who live there.
Pandas in Africa 