Ngepi, our first experience of the Caprivi (Part 1)

July 2019

We had a wonderful holiday in Botswana last year. I am so lucky to have family in Ghanzi and it’s always great to visit them while also adding a trip to an area we have not visited before. Our previous trip to the family included about ten days in Namibia. This time we only added 4 days to visit Ngepi camp in the Caprivi region. It was heaven on earth. Our fondest memories were from those early mornings, our small tent right next to the river, with hippo’s just below keeping us awake all night… Our early morning coffee made on the fire, watching the hippo’s on the island just opposite our camp… The buffulo’s in the mist. The birds in the trees above… I took photographs of a giant king fisher gulping down an enormous fish… bigger than himself! There is no chance to sleep late. It was in any case so cold at night, that I just wanted to get up, and sit next to the fire with a warm cup of coffee. Thank you Jan for brewing that coffee early each morning!

Heaven on earth for four days… Let the photographs speak:

And Ngepi Camp itself. What an absolute treat. The best camping site in Africa. The ablusions are mostly in the open, very interesting spaces, some with a view on the river… Wonderful food, people, service, space… There is a “swimming pool” in the river which is safe from crocodiles and hippo’s. Their restaurant has decent food. We had dinner on the last evening with a buffet of different “potjies” (stews) and other local food.

We decided to make use of Ngepi’s guided excursions to see more of the area. Our first was a mokoro (local canoe) trip on the river. What a spectacular morning it was! The buffalo’s just had me on the edge of my seat, they are really scary, when they burst through the water from an island to the main land, just after you have passed… We rowed to an island in the river, spend some time there, had a few snacks and came back. A morning well spent.

On the same day we did a late afternoon cruise on the river. To see the sunset from the water’s side was one of the best African experiences ever. We did not see a lot of wildlife (except for the enormous crocodiles and the normal by now hippo’s, warthogs and lots of beautiful birds…