Kwando River & Mudumu
A remote riverside game area in Namibia's Zambezi Region. Boats on the Kwando River take visitors to see elephants and hippos, Horseshoe Bend draws elephants in the dry season, and the Nkasa Rupara wetlands lie to the south.
Kwando–Mudumu lies in the middle of the Zambezi Region (formerly the Caprivi Strip) in northeastern Namibia. The gateway is Kongola on the B8 highway, about 110 km from Katima Mulilo and about 200 km from Kasane in Botswana. The Kwando River flows south from Angola and forms a broad, reed-lined channel and floodplain wetlands here, before turning south into the Linyanti River. Three national parks line its banks, making this one of Namibia's wettest and most wildlife-rich regions.
Areas to explore: (1) The core of Bwabwata National Park, on the west bank of the Kwando south of Kongola. Horseshoe Bend is famous for elephants in the dry season. (2) Mudumu National Park on the east bank, with riverside lodges, where boat trips let you see hippos, crocodiles and elephants. (3) The swamps of Nkasa Rupara National Park to the south, where buffalo gather in the dry season. (4) Community cultural projects such as the traditional Lizauli village and the Mafwe living museum.
Climate: May to October is the dry season and the best time to visit. Animals gather at the water's edge, and nights are cooler. November to April is the hot, humid rainy season. Wetland park roads are flooded, and there is a malaria risk, so take mosquito precautions.
Getting there: From Windhoek, it is about 1,000 km by car. A common route is to head east from Rundu along the B8, linking up with the narrow Okavango strip, Chobe and Victoria Falls in a loop. Katima Mulilo has an airport. Inside the parks, roads are mostly deep sand, so a 4WD is essential, and fuel is available only in Kongola and Katima Mulilo. A stay of 2 to 3 nights is recommended, in a riverside lodge or community camp.
Top sights
- Mudumu National Park – A riverside woodland and wetland park on the east bank of the Kwando River, where elephants, hippos, waterbuck and roan antelope are common…
- Nkasa Rupara National Park – A swamp wetland park at the confluence of the Kwando and Linyanti rivers, known as 'Namibia's little Okavango', with spectacular buffalo he…
- Bwabwata NP Kwando Core Area & Horseshoe Bend – A horseshoe-shaped bend of the Kwando River within Bwabwata National Park, where hundreds of elephants come down to drink at dusk during th…
- Kwando River Boat Cruise – Boat cruises on the Kwando River from riverside lodges around Kongola, bringing you close to hippos, crocodiles, bathing elephants, and wat…
- Lizauli Traditional Village – A community cultural village beside Mudumu National Park, where villagers demonstrate traditional farming, blacksmithing, herbal medicine…
- Living Museum of the Mafwe – A living museum near Kongola, run by Mafwe villagers, presenting traditional hunting, fishing, crafts, and dance in an interactive way.
- Sangwali Livingstone Museum – A small village museum near Nkasa Rupara National Park, commemorating explorer Livingstone’s stay here in 1851 and the history of the Makol…
Where to eat
- Namushasha River Lodge Restaurant – The riverside lodge restaurant run by Gondwana on the Kwando River, with a thatched main building overlooking a hippo p…
- Kazondwe Camp Lodge Restaurant – A small, family-run lodge whose restaurant sits on a red dune overlooking the Kwando floodplain and hippo pool. Its dai…