A luxury Caprivi safari will change your perceptions about Namibia.

Luxury Safaris in the Eastern Caprivi

In today’s era of digital precision, the Caprivi Strip is a finger-shaped quirk of mapmaking. It will also challenge your preconceptions; this is not the Namibia of towering dunes, but an intricate labyrinth of islands, floodplains and watercourses.

The Eastern Caprivi is part of the Caprivi Strip, a finger of land poking out of Namibia with Angola and Zambia to the north, Zimbabwe to the east and Botswana to the south.

This strange and magical part of Namibia is connected to Botswana and Zambia via the Ngoma Bridge and Wenela–Sesheke border posts, making cross-country safaris with these two countries easily doable.

Whichever direction you come from, you’ll find that Caprivi safaris take a slightly different approach to those of its neighbours. This is a function of the unique landscape – a place that’s fluid in every sense.

In keeping with the indistinct lines and blurred margins of the land, rather than the dune excursions more commonly associated with Namibia, Caprivi safaris will involve game drives and boat cruises on the Kwando or Chobe rivers.

Indeed, there’s nowhere else in Namibia that you can drop a line for tiger fish or bream, while cultural visits to villages give an insight into a wetland culture that mirrors that of the Okavango’s riverside dwellers.

The availability of water varies throughout the year, leading to intense concentrations of game along the Chobe River as less reliable sources seasonably dry up. This underscores why so much of the Eastern Caprivi is protected under the auspices of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.

This patchwork quilt lends itself to other means of exploration too: a luxury Caprivi safari will likely also see you spending time on foot, enjoying guided walking safaris along elephant trails.

Whatever you choose to do in the Eastern Caprivi, you’ll find the relative flatness of the terrain lends itself to far-reaching views and incandescent sunsets.

When to Go

The dry Southern African winter is the most popular season for Caprivi safaris, due to the classic combination of game concentrated around diminishing water sources, vegetation that has receded like a hairline, making viewing easier, and generally mild (but warm) weather. Rain is unlikely although not impossible. The banks of the Chobe River are thronged with thirsty animals towards the end of this period (just before the summer rains), while fishing is generally best when the water levels are reduced.

With fewer summer visitors, both availability and rates at luxury Namibia safari lodges are generally improved. The Eastern Caprivi is at its greenest and most beautiful during and just after the summer rains, although resurgent vegetation may screen sightings of some smaller creatures. Many species synchronise births with the onset of the rains, meaning more social and predator interactions during the green season.

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