Khaudum & Caprivi: Remote Namibia

Tour Code: NAV 20-SD
Type of tour: Guided Self-Drive / Self-Catering
Duration: 11 Nights (Grootfontein area to Kongola / Sangwali area)
Tour Cost: on request
Maximum 6 guest vehicles

Tour highlights:

Discover Khaudum in Namibia's Bushmanland region - home to large herds of elephants, rare roan antelope, lion & hyena
Route includes the Susuwe Triangle area, and remote Caprivi game parks of Mudumu and Mamili
Secluded campsites and bush-camps
Off-road driving includes thick sand, deep-water channels and mud
Larger mammals include elephants, hippos, buffalo, zebra and various predators
Antelope species include waterbuck, puku, red lechwe, kudu and impala
Excellent birding, including many species of water birds and large raptors

Khaudum is home to large elephant herds, the roan antelope, lion, hyena and wild dog... combined with the challenging drive to reach this remote corner of Namibia, its rustic bush-camps and untouched-wilderness atmosphere, Khaudum has a strong attraction for all adventure-loving travellers! The eastern Caprivi is known for its prolific birdlife including slaty egrets, white-rumped babblers, chirping cisticolas, swamp boubous, coppery-tailed and Senegal coucals, and pink-throated longclaws. Excellent game-viewing in the region includes elephant, hippo, buffalo, zebra, waterbuck, kudu, red lechwe, sitatunga, sable, impala and predators such as lion, leopard, hyena and jackal.

Our tour starts at Roy's Camp near Grootfontein - join us here to meet your tour leader and the rest of the group. Next day we head eastwards to Tsumkwe, then on to Khaudom Game Park. We spend three nights in the remote and rustic campsites with nothing but the stars and sounds of the African bush for company...

Leaving Khaudum we set our sights on the Caprivi region with its prolific birdlife and excellent game-viewing. We spend two nights at a campsite on the Kavango River, with time set aside to visit Mahango Game Reserve nearby. Next morning we travel through Bwabwata Game Reserve to Kongola and take a 4x4 sand track to a secluded campsite in the Susuwe Triangle area, known for its excellent and varied wildlife. After two nights spent here, we continue to our camp in or near to Mudumu Game Reserve. Mudumu is a Caprivi game park of dense savannah and mopane woodlands covering 1,010km² and known for its elephant and hippo populations, zebra, buffalo, various antelope species and birdlife. We continue to Mamili / Rupara Game Park which covers an area of 320 km² and is the largest wetland area with conservation status in Namibia. With its network of water channels, reedbeds and tree-covered islands, it is one of Namibia's most remote and beautiful wilderness reserves. Our bushcamp on the Linyanti River will be our base for two nights - a point where elephant, buffalo and lion are known to cross from Botswana's Okavango region, and where the lush grazing makes it an excellent spot for seeing impala, red lechwe and zebra.

Enjoy spectacular sunsets, secluded campsites, fantastic wildlife viewing and prolific birdlife on this varied and interesting safari tour. (Note: If access to Mamili is not possible at the time of the tour, we will adjust our itinerary to spend an additional night in the Susuwe region and an additional night in Mudumu National Park.)

From Mudumu or Mamili we then return to the gravel road, then back to the tar road at Kongola, the end-point of our tour. Return through the Strip to Divundu, or continue east to Katima Mulilo for supplies and fuel before crossing into Botswana. This is a safari tour that offers adventurous travellers an exciting mix of prolific bird- and wildlife viewing in remote wilderness areas, rustic and unfenced campsites, bush-camping and exciting driving challenges.

Important notes:

Passports and vehicle papers required for entry to Namibia
Malaria area - anti-malarial prophylaxis strongly advised
Unfenced campsites and bush-camps in wildlife areas
Fuel, water and provisions required for about four days away from shops and supplies

We liked the idea of being helped to advance to the next level, learning to be self-sufficient in the bush. With only 5 vehicles in the convoy, everything was manageable and ran smoothly. The trip itself was fantastic - big elephant herds in the Khaudum and plenty of wildlife in the Caprivi area, including noisy hippos that somehow don't keep you awake at night! We're already looking forward to our next trip with Navigators!

Tour Information

Tour cost includes:

Tour bookings
Professional tour leader / guide
Detailed information pack with GPS points
Camping costs (11 nights)
Park & reserve entrance & conservation fees
One dinner provided by us

Off-road driving conditions:

Gravel, corrugations, potholes, thick sand, possible deep-water channels and mud

Experience level:

Reasonable, particularly to cope with the thick sand and possible deep-water channel crossings. Where required, advice and assistance will be given by your tour leader

Minimum off-road fuel range:

700 km

Vehicle requirements:

Good ground clearance, transfer gearbox (hi / lo range), lockable differential/s, strong recovery points front and rear, good set of tyres, spare wheel

Essential equipment:

Snorkel, long-range water tank, dual battery system with deep-cycle battery, fridge / freezer

Optional / recommended:

Second spare wheel, long-range fuel tank

Recovery gear:

Should include Hi-lift jack, jacking plate, spade, tow strap, tree protector, snatch strap, bow- and D-shackles, compressor, tyre guage, tyre repair kit, tyre levers, tyre tube, radiator seed net, spare V-belts, spare oils & fluids, assorted nuts & bolts, etc.

Tour distance:

1000 km Grootfontein area to Khaudum to Caprivi to Kongola

Khaudum | Caprivi | Namibia