The exceptional Parks of Namibia’s Northeast

Looking to explore Namibia’s northeastern regions? With FlyNamibia’s new flights to Rundu and Katima Mulilo, discovering the beauty of Namibia’s wetlands has never been easier. In the issue we get to know the wonders that await in Katima Mulilo!

The Zambezi Region is often seen as a stop-over destination by travellers en route to destinations like Victoria Falls or Botswana’s wildlife parks. This is completely unjustified. Namibia’s northeast offers great national parks and excellent accommodation, holding its own when compared to some of the best in Africa.

Some of the best wildlife sightings can be found in Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara National Parks situated a mere 30 km from each other and around a 90-minute drive from Katima Mulilo. Visiting the area has become even easier with FlyNamibia’s scheduled flight to Katima which will get you there from Windhoek in an hour and a half, making it an ideal weekend getaway or giving you more time for longer stays.

At 1 000 square kilometres, Mudumu National Park is one of the smallest parks in Namibia. But don't be fooled by its size: it holds a wide array of wildlife and some excellent opportunities for birding.

It lies across the main road that leads to Sangwali and its western border is the Kwando River. Mudumu is separated from neighbouring communal farmland only by a graded cutline, which means wildlife can move freely out and into the park, and it acts as an excellent corridor for wildlife migration.

Thanks to the almost completely flat landscape, the jeep track that follows the river and traverses the floodplain and associated grasslands, offers great game viewing. Where the western side of the park offers brilliant views of the scenic riverine area, its eastern side is the Mudumu Mulapo fossilised river course and extremely dense mopane woodland. Visibility is much more limited due to the thick bush and the dense mopane forest, yet on this side visitors are more likely to see game such as eland, giraffe or zebra.

Towards the southeast, where the Kwando becomes the Linyanti River, lies Nkasa Rupara National Park, the largest wetland area in Namibia with conservation status and a natural haven for wetland species. Its name is derived from the two river islands within the park’s boundaries: Nkasa and Rupara.

The two rivers that form the western (Kwando) and the south-eastern (Linyanti) borders of the park create a crooked V-shape. Being the considerable wetland that it is, the park consists of multiple channels and lagoons with lush marshes, dense savannah dotted with termite mounds and tall river reeds. The area is also extremely flat, which is the reason why up to 80% of the park is inundated when the yearly floodwaters arrive from Angola via the Kwando.

Along with Mudumu National Park, Nkasa Rupara forms part of the five-country initiative, the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), aimed at broadening a protected areas network, increasing biodiversity and expanding historical game migration routes.

Both parks boast healthy populations of hippos and crocodiles as well as abundant species of other wildlife such as impala and lechwe, to name but a few. Nkasa Rupara attracts more than 1 000 buffaloes during migration, the largest concentration in the country. Furthermore, both parks play important roles as migratory corridors for elephants moving between Botswana, Angola and Zambia.

More than 400 species of birds have been recorded in the parks which make for a rewarding hunting ground for bird-watchers.

When planning your next trip to the African bush, don’t look further than Namibia’s unspoilt wilderness of the Zambezi Region.