Caprivi Safari Holidays

Protruding eastwards from the top of Namibia like a finger pointing the way, the Caprivi Strip is one of the most under-visited and underrated parts of the country, offering a startlingly contrasting experience to the rest of the country.

Flanked by Angola to the north and Botswana to the south, the Caprivi Strip (technically known as Zambesia these days) is where the barren deserts stop and the landscape changes to lush, green forests and grasslands, punctuated by a huge number of rivers. On the western end of the strip the Kavango River sweeps down from Angola into Botswana, where it spills into an endless series of channels which eventually become the Okavango Delta. This lends a wonderful feel to this corner of the Caprivi and offers a scaled-back experience of what you would enjoy in the Delta. Towards the western end of Caprivi the mighty Zambezi makes an appearance as it drives inexorably towards Zambia and Zimbabwe where, not far from the end of the strip, it tumbles over Batonka Gorge to become The Victoria Falls.

In between there are endless national parks, offering visitors the chance to see buffalo and wild dog, which are non-existent in other parts of Namibia owing to the lack of water, as well as the chance to enjoy boat cruises and visits to bubbling waterfalls. Such is the contrast to the golden deserts of the rest of the country it is little wonder the citizens of the area identify as Caprivian as opposed to Namibian. Although this is heavily dictated by political ideology, seldom can two parts of a country be more different. A luxury Caprivi Strip holiday is a unique chance to get a feel of what Botswana is like from a wildlife and terrain perspective, but without paying the high prices associated with a visit to the Okavango Delta. This really is a wonderful area, dotted with excellent safari lodges, houseboats and campsites, and there is something for everyone in Namibia’s Garden of Eden.