Okavango Panhandle & Tsodilo Hills
The narrow channel where the Okavango River flows before entering the Delta: houseboats, fishing and mokoro trips, with Tsodilo Hills to the west preserving thousands of San rock paintings.
The Okavango Panhandle is a stretch of river valley about 100 km long, between where the Okavango River flows from Namibia into Botswana and where it fans out into the Delta. Faults on both sides enclose papyrus swamp about 15 km wide, with the main channel winding through it. There are none of the high prices of the luxury camps deep in the Delta, but it offers the best experiences on the river: base yourself at Shakawe or Sepupa, stay at a riverside camp or charter a houseboat, fish for tigerfish, watch birds (Pel's fishing owl, African fish eagle, and various kingfishers and bee-eaters) and see hippos and crocodiles; at Seronga on the east bank, you can join a community mokoro trip deep into the Delta. About 40 km to the west, Tsodilo Hills is a World Heritage Site preserving more than 4,500 San rock paintings; north across the Mohembo border post are Namibia's Mahango Game Reserve and Popa Falls. The best season is the May–October dry season, when floodwaters from upstream arrive, water levels are highest and the weather is cool; September–November is peak tigerfishing season but the weather is hot; December–March is the rainy season, humid and full of mosquitoes. Getting there: from Maun, drive north on the A35 for about 4–5 hours, or take a charter flight to the small airstrips at Shakawe or Sepupa; on the Namibian side, self-drive from Rundu or Katima Mulilo. Allow 3–5 days. Notes: this is a malaria area, so protect against mosquitoes; deep sand roads require a 4x4; there are crocodiles and hippos in the river, so never wade in.
Top sights
- Tsodilo Hills – Four isolated hills in the Kalahari Desert, with more than 4,500 rock paintings. Often called the “Louvre of the Desert,” they are regarded…
- Okavango Panhandle Houseboats – Stay two or three nights on a houseboat and drift slowly along papyrus channels. Fish and watch birds during the day, and at night, watch h…
- Shakawe Riverside – A riverside town at the northern tip of the Panhandle. Camps line the papyrus-fringed Okavango River, making it the base for boat trips, fi…
- Drotsky's Cabins – A long-established riverside camp south of Shakawe, where big shady trees overlook the river. It is a classic base for spotting Pel's fishi…
- Sepupa Swamp Stop – A small village and riverside camp at the southeast end of the Panhandle. Fishing, motorboat trips along the river and boats to Seronga all…
- Seronga Mokoro Trips – The eastern village of Seronga organises traditional mokoro canoe trips run by a community cooperative of polers, with camping in the shall…
- Guma Lagoon – A tranquil lagoon where the western side of the lower Panhandle meets the Delta. Lakeside camps offer canoeing, fishing and sunsets.
- Popa Falls – Near Divundu in Namibia, the Okavango River tumbles over a rocky riverbed in a series of rapids. Trails and campsites along the riverbank o…
- Mahango Core Area – A riverside reserve at the western end of Bwabwata National Park, with baobab trees and floodplains where elephant herds, roan antelope and…
- Buffalo Core Area, Bwabwata – A reserve on the east bank of the Okavango River, opposite Divundu, converted from a former military base. Sandy riverside tracks allow sel…
Where to eat
- Shakawe River Lodge Restaurant – Riverside terrace restaurant at a lodge on the Okavango River, where wood-fired pizza and freshly cooked bream are the…
Itineraries
- Okavango Panhandle & Tsodilo Hills – Head north along the A35 for lagoon mokoro trips, Tsodilo rock art, river fishing, and houseboats.
- Windhoek to Victoria Falls Overland Loop – Cross from Namibia along the Okavango River to the Delta and Chobe, ending at Victoria Falls.