Trip Report - Caprivi

Trip Report March 2016
Maun – Shakawe – Ngepi – Kwando – Chobe – Makgadikgadi – Maun

Leaving Maun, the 1st Foot and mouth control point is 27km after turning off towards Shakawe. We just drove through.
Another vet fence just after Gumare and just before Shakawe, both just let us through without stopping.

Road condition is not great, it looks like they are planning to do improvements but who knows how long that will take, watch out for potholes amd of course livestock. No speed cops were spotted but do slow down near villages. Choppies in Shakawe had very good supplies, everything from multiplugs to cleaning supplies, fresh veg and dairy. We even bought a small fan at one of the chinese shops.

We spent one night at Shakawe and it was lovely. Clean ablutions, light, running water, braai and fire pit at the campsite. Birding was great on the river. Crossing into Namibia at Mohembo we went straight through without any problems. This might depend on who is on duty and what mood they're in. Make sure you have ZAR or N$ at the border, R242 to get through. We only had Pula but they took it at the rate of 1:1.

Game drive through Mahango park is worth it, we saw Roan, zebra, giraffe, red lechwe, kudu, chobe bushbuck, buffalo, impala, wildebeest, warthog, reed buck and many birds. Check that you take the first right (where it says no entry without a permit) and drive the eastern loop rather than going go reception first and then having to back track, we didn't have GPS. We had boerie rolls at the giant boabab, there's nothing that resembles a picnic spot here.

Next was Ngepi: a campsite on the river is a must and they are very popular so be sure to book this first and then plan the rest of your trip. Wonderful place and definitely worth the 3 nights if not more. Facilities include wifi in main reception, laundry service, wood for sale, hot water showers in the afternoons, electricity from 10am to 10pm. They offer many activities and there is also things to do in the area such as drive around Mahango park, see the missionary ruins opposite the river and visit Popa Falls. We hired a fishing boat one afternoon and it was like having a pvt sunset cruise rather than going with a group.

Ngepi doesn't sell ice but there are 2 places in Divundu where you can find ice as well as other supplies. As you drive towards Rundu from Ngepi, there's a big warehouse on the left hand side just before reaching the T junction. They had all the dry supplies you could need, from tinned food to toiletries, cleaning supplies, spices, booze etc. They had some cheese, green peppers, potatoes, garlic and cabbage. They had some frozen chicken only, but there were 2 more large fridges/freezers being repaired so I'm sure they'll be stocking more in future. It's a fairly new business so hopefully it does well. The other supply shop is at the petrol station which you will see as you turn left at that T junction towards Rundu. It's a bit smaller but the same sort of supplies are available. They had some beef mince, chicken portions and stewing beef too. The ATM here wasn't working but the warehouse had an ATM that worked.

We headed for the Kwando so turned right at that T Junction. There's a police checkpoint as you cross the bridge, they'll check your vehicle permits, another one further down the B8 roughly half way to Kongola and another one after crossing the bridge just before Kongola. There's a fuel station and small shop at Kongola. You can buy ice, some toiletries and random basics such as bread, milk, sugar, peanut butter, mayonnaise and of course booze. There's an ATM and you can also pay for the petrol by card.

We stayed at Malyo Wilderness Camp for 2 nights. It is breathtakingly beautiful, so peaceful and basic we loved it. There are many trees to provide shade right on the river, there are staff who neaten the grass, clean up and make the hot water using donkeys. Camp Kwando is right next door and has more of a lodge feel. We popped over to buy some ice and had a look at the camp. I would definitely suggest spending a couple of nights at Malyo to really enjoy the nature and peace and quiet. We did a fishing trip one morning and decided to skip the drive through Mudumu and rather chill in camp instead. I would suggest arranging some activities when you make your booking. We were the only guests here too. They sell firewood and there's no electricity but you can definitely survive a couple of nights. The ablutions were rustic, open aired thatched enclosures with hot showers with fantastic pressure. In fact these were our favourite ablutions of the trip, apart from Ngepi of course but that is different...

From there you can continue on the C49 but we decided to head back the other way towards Katima Mulilo and stocked up on supplies at the Pick n Pay. We crossed the border at Ngoma Bridge without any problems. We camped at the relatively new Muchenje Campsite which is on the Ngoma side of the Chobe. I would highly recommend staying at Muchenje, the campsite is beautifully clean and each one has a tap with running water, rubbish bin, fire pit and braai. You can buy wood and ice but not meat, unless you prearranged that maybe. Ablutions are super clean and water hot plus there is wifi in the office, they also give you a map of the Chobe. The biggest advantage of staying on this side as opposed to on the Kasane side is that you are close to the gate and the majority of vehicles will enter from the other gate so you will have a quieter drive through.

We did a day trip to the falls which was easy and more than enough time. Kasane of course has all the supplies you'll need and you don't have to pay to go through the Chobe on the transit road. It'll take you roughly an hour to drive from Muchenje to Kasane because of the speed limit. We saw a large herd of Sable and elephants just on the transit road. Do stop in at The Old House for a drink or meal and some wifi.

Next we headed towards Nata and there is a control point just before Nata. They took the last little bit of fresh veg we had and would take meat as well. You can't buy much in Nata but there is fuel and a basic store.

We turned off and spent 2 nights camping at Planet Boabab. Unfortunately we felt this could've been missed as it's a little run down and there's not much to do this time of the year. The campsite is basic with a small hut, electricity and a fireplace braai. There are no trees so very very hot! We then stayed at Jack's Camp for 2 nights which was a great way to end off the trip!