Kwando Camp, Caprivi, Namibia
Unfortunately, our time on the Ichobezi was at an end and we were due to pick up our rental car from Kasane after we had cleared customs. With our bags packed the boat slowly made its way back to Impalilia Island and then to Kasane where we would disembark and go through the multiple entry/exit stamp process again. We met up with Eddie at Kasane who had brought up the car from Windhoek which allowed us to skip the rig moral of a flight down to Windhoek and then driving back up again to Etosha. This way we could experience the Caprivi region of Namibia where not many people have travelled.
We stopped by the shops in Kasane to pick up snacks, water and softdrinks/tonic water and loaded up the car fridge. With a full car and Eddie as our extra guest until we reached Katima we were off. We made our way through the Chobe National Park and encountered impala, giraffe and kudu before heading down to Ngola to where we needed to leave Botswana and then enter into Namibia again for the final time. We encountered another foot and mouth stop at the border and this time the car was sprayed to prevent any cross contamination.
After dropping off Eddie at Katima we were on our own and went to exchange some money and grab some lunch. We had decided that we would put money into a kitty and use that to pay for petrol and provisions jointly which worked out fair and saved having to ask for receipts and get money from each other depending on who bought what. After driving through Kongola we continued the straight drive down to Camp Kwando which was nearly a four hour drive from Kasane.
The outside temperature was 35 degrees and being in the coolness of the car with our first world air con was lovely. The drive was easy and borderline boring with all of us remarking about how similar it was to driving in Northern Queensland. Villages doted the roadside along with lovely picnic spots every couple of kilometers. Apart from our drive through Chobe where we saw a giraffe, warthogs and a kudu we had no other game sightings.
On arrival at Camp Kwando around 2pm we were welcomed by the lovely staff with cool drinks and shown our tree house rooms along the river. The rooms were extremely large with four poster beds and netting, large decks and huge bathrooms with bathtubs and separate showers. I immediately opened all the windows and put down the mosquito netting to prevent any friends joining me when I would eventually go to sleep. After getting settled we decided to head down to the communal area for a drink and to check out the wildlife.
The Caprivi strip was a pleasant part of our trip but unfortunately it has come after our awesome Chobe River cruise on the Ichobezi. This means that the sightings along the Kwando Rivers was a far cry to what we saw on the Chobe and a little disappointing.
Where we stayed: Camp Kwando
A very relaxed camp along the Kwando River. A great place to break the journey of driving along the Caprivi Strip. Different style rooms are available as well as a camping option for all budgets. Activities including fishing are available as an additional charge for guests. The Tree House rooms were very large and luxurious; they are hot during the summer months with no air con. Food was included in our stay but drinks were extra. Prices were extremely reasonable and I would easily stay here again.
