Nunda Camp, Caprivi, Namibia
We wanted to enjoy a little bit of a sleep in this morning but the early morning heat made sure that we were all up, awake and packed by 8am. I organised the car and drove it down to the main parking area so that we could easily leave after we finished our breakfast.
One of the joys of our trip was the fact that I didn’t want to drive long distances when we were on the road because we were in a rush with the time frame. By limiting our drives (except for one day) to an average of 4 hours or less meant that we weren’t having to rush in the mornings to leave early, we could take our time, enjoy the scenery, drive and be in the luxury of our air conditioned car during the hottest time of the day. This was the benefit of having a trip planned over such a long time. It would also allow us to arrive in camps mid afternoon depending on what activities I had planned so we could unpack, enjoy the facilities and understand what our options were in regards to the activities on offer or parks we could visit close by. It also meant that we could enjoy a little sleep in on our departure days and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. We were on holiday after all and I didn’t want to push mum and dad too much that they would not enjoy the whole experience.
After a nice breakfast we were refueled to hit the road for our 3 hour drive to Divundu where we would be staying at Nunda Camp which was situated on the Cubango River. We stopped by Divundu to refuel and pick up some drinks but there was no tonic water for mum and dad. The stop showed me some of the ingenious ways used to help people who are in more remote areas throughout Namibia that don’t have enough people for a permanent bank. There was a portable ATM stationed outside the supermarket along with an armed guard for anyone wanting to withdraw money. It came to the town 2/3 times per week and moved to different towns on the others days.
After stocking up we drove another 20 minutes off the main road to where our camp was based. We had a two night stay at this property and I had looked at doing a couple of the activities here including a sunset tour to Poppa Falls and a trip to Mahango Game Reserve. We had arrived quite early and the heat of the early afternoon was strong. We were greeted by the duty manager and her assistant and taken inside to go through the check-in proceedings and then shown to our room. Nunda Camp offered everything for everyone including ensuite campsites, cabins and waterfront chalets. I had booked us two waterfront chalets next to each other which were large and opened, once again the beds had netting, large bathroom with shower and toilet facilities. There was no air con at this property as well and very little breeze coming off the river although the rooms were thankfully well shaded.
We all went to our rooms to unpack and with the temps hovering around the 38 degree mark, dad and I decided to have a swim in the lovely pool. The water was very refreshing and was desperately needed. We then all went to sit outside along the river and enjoy the view with a couple of nice cold Windhoek lagers. With our iPads and books it was a lazy afternoon, cold beers and a fantastic African sunset whilst listening to the Cubango River as it passed us to feed the Okavango Delta further down in Botswana.
