Joyce visits the Zambezi Region

Joyce Nghiishililwa, the Face of FlyNamibia, was recently invited to join Gondwana Collection’s I Laugh Namibia film crew in the Zambezi. Read all about her first visit to the region, what they got up to and why Joyce had a sleepless night.

What was this trip all about?

At the beginning of July I was invited to accompany the I Laugh Namibia team on their trip to the Zambezi Region. I Laugh Namibiais a travel reality show and a Gondwana Collection initiative. Ilike to describe it as an entertaining and informative comedic show hosted by the funniest 50-year-olds I’ve ever met, Lazarus Jacobs and Neville Basson. They travel through Namibia, stay at Gondwana Lodges, uncover the beautiful destinations and engage and interact with people from different cultures.

The crew’s flights were proudly sponsored by Fly Namibia, ensuring that we safely got to our destination and back, with simply the best hospitality on the plane. A very big thank you and shout out to the airline! Without this quick mode of transport the crew would have spent an entire two days on the road just getting there.

What did you do, see and experience in the Zambezi Region?

Wow! A word I would use to sum up the Zambezi Region. I was in absolute awe.

We landed smoothly in Katima Mulilo and explored part of the town for a while before we had lunch at a Portuguese restaurant. I will never forget this because I had my first-ever Rock Shandy there, which is a drink lots of Namibians know and love.

We hopped into our Namibia2Go rental cars and a short drive later arrived at the equatorial-looking Namushasha Lodge with its huge, tall palm trees at the entrance. We wasted no time and got straight onto the boat for a cruise on the Kwando River. As the boat gently moved down the river, beautiful water lily flowers appeared around the banks and a soft river breeze was blowing throughout the ride. What a surreal experience!

The following day we were back on the boat, on a mission to catch some fish. I saw hippos for the very first time. They are so much bigger than I imagined!

We had a lovely boat excursion in Bwabwata National Park, all the way to Horseshoe Bend. We saw all kinds of animals including the ‘wambos’ Lazarus and Neville were joking about. They called the zebras ‘wambos’, because they are abundant everywhere, just like us.

Our next destination was Zambezi Mubala, a beautiful lodge right on the Zambezi River. From the deck we could see Zambia across the river. From the gorgeous, boutique-like curioshop to the wooden walkways leading to the rooms and the impressive architectural features and stunning designs in the rooms, I was wonderstruck. Here we tried our hand at fishing again, this time more successfully. Lazarus caught a small tiger fish and Neville took all the credit. They are so silly!

Our final stay was at Chobe River Camp, where we saw elephants, buffalos and so many crocodiles. We even had a braai on the boat, while cruising on the Chobe River. This was really unforgettable. The entire Zambezi experience was almost unreal, very dreamlike for me.

Which part of the trip did you enjoy most?

I honestly enjoyed all of it. Every part of the trip was marvellous in every respect. But if I had to choose: ‘hopping’ from one lodge to another, one river cruise to another, and seeing so much wildlife was the highlight for me.

Tell us about your sleepless night.

What a night at Chobe River Camp, our last stop in the Zambezi Region. I marvelled at the beautiful view of the river from the stoep of my tented chalet and expected to have a pleasant peaceful sleep that night. I could not have been more wrong.

I had fallen asleep, exhausted by the days’ exciting activities. At around midnight I was woken by the sounds of trees swaying in the wind, creaking noises from the wooden floors in the room, and a constant flapping and something like footsteps from the back of my room. Gosh, was I terrified. I was sweating and didn’t dare to move, as not to make a sound.

Little did I know that the flapping came from the window flap that I had forgotten to zip up when I went to bed. But then there were growling noises… At that point I was breathing shallower by the minute. I was completely frozen! The next morning I found out that it was a bunch of elephants, lions and hippos making the noises far away. There was nothing I had wished more than to see the sunrise after that night!

Why should Namibians visit the Zambezi, with a quick flight to Katima?

The Zambezi is a whole different Namibian experience. It has so much to offer, people really need to explore it. The mellow sunsets, tall green trees, the palms and rivers flowing throughout the year should be enough reason to visit. Forget long hours of travel to see the Zambezi! FlyNamibia takes you there in just under two hours with stunning aerial views of the region, skipping traffic and bumpy roads – keeping your back intact!