Share your Namibian conservancy travel story - and win! People, Places & Wildlife at Christmas Steve Felton Remember when you went back to school after the long Christmas vacation and the teacher set you an essay: ‘What I did in the holiday’. “Slept” was not a good answer. I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year break, and that some of you have stories to tell, because I am going to offer a WWF T shirt and hat to the best contribution to follow this one: ‘What I did in Namibian conservancies on my holiday’. We travelled to Zimbabwe by road, passing through Zambezi Region and Botswana, to explore the Eastern Highlands of Zim, taking in Matobos and Great Zimbabwe World Heritage Sites. This was a KAZA holiday: the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area takes in large swathes of Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, with Namibia’s Zambezi Region smack in the middle. So we started in Divundu. For the traveller, Divundu is a crossroads: turn right and you follow the Kavango river, with several private lodges set along the riverside before you reach Mahangu National Park and then the border to Botswana. Or go straight on and you head for Katima Mulilo. But just after the bridge over the Kavango is a right turn, down a muddy track and past the prison, to N//Goabaca campsite, run by the Kyramacan Association, supported by IRDNC and NACSO. The good news stops where the muddy track starts. We have to be honest. If conservancy and communal association campsites are to succeed, they have to be top notch, and competitive with the private sector. This was not the first time that I had turned up at the camp site and hooted for attention – and then went is search of the attendants. Then I asked for wood to heat the shower. “There is none,” was the answer. I argued and the heater was lit. We had warm water in the evening, but not in the morning. Ho-hum. Onwards to Camp Chobe, a campsite run by Salambala Conservancy. What a contrast. The campsite attendant greeted us, got the water heating for the evening, and was up at 5 in the morning to make sure we had hot showers – all for less money than at N//Goabaca. Which is what tourists want: value for money, a smile on arrival, and hot water. Both camps offer great views, the first of Popa Falls and second of the Chobe floodplain. It’s what conservancy camping is all about: landscapes, wildlife and birdcalls; and every bit as important: friendly interaction with conservancy hosts. Let me skip over the Zim part of the trip, but if you have a chance, please visit our sister country. Vic Falls is one of the wonders of the world; Matobos: a granite paradise; Great Zimbabwe: a reminder that Africans had a civilization while Europeans were still shivering in caves – and the people are welcoming, even the police. Okay, they fined and arrested me (and then let me go), but they always had a ready smile. With Christmas in the rain-soaked Eastern Highlands behind us, we re-entered Namibia and headed for Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge in Wuparo Conservancy. Wuparo has got it right. The conservancy runs its own campsite on a backwater of the Linyanti River, close to Nkasa Rupara National Park, and it has a joint venture agreement with an Italian family, which manages Nkasa Lupala Lodge. Spot the typo? Nkasa Lupala, Nkasa Rupara? We are talking about what used to be Mamili National Park, a swamp set around two islands: Nkasa and Rupara. When the lodge was built, the name Rupara was given through, over the phone, to an Oshiwambo speaker. R became L, and the lodge became Nkasa Lupala. Later, the MET officially and correctly renamed the park Nkasa Rupara. Gottit? The lodge runs tours into the park, where I photographed two lions, both collared by the MET, which allows constant tracking of their movements. This will be the subject of a later article, because radio collaring offers proof that lions attack conservancy cattle, which in turn ignites the debate about the comparative income earned from agriculture and tourism. Leaving the debate aside, suddenly were on the hunt. The lioness had picked up the scent of a warthog and was giving pursuit. We saw the warthog trotting along, completely unaware of the lioness behind, which was stalking – ready to pounce. Then, as we held our collective breath, the one year-old son of the lodge manager blasted the car horn. The warthog lifted its head, scented danger, and darted into the bush …. and the lioness gave up the chase. Our dinner was Italian, prepared by our hosts, but in Vic Falls we had eaten warthog (as well as crocodile). I sometimes wonder about cultural taboos. We eat croc, although crocs eat people, but we don’t eat lion, although lions rarely attack humans. Last Christmas my family visited Kunene; this year Zambezi. What the two regions have in common is wonderful landscapes, wildlife sightings in natural surroundings, and conservancy hospitality: People, Places and Wildlife. That, at least, is my impression. Send me yours and I’ll publish it, and the best account will earn a T shirt and a hat. [email protected]
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 11:57:12 +0000
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