Mudumu Park to the Kavango River, March 2022

Camping on the Kavango (Attempt #1)

We head back in the early morning out of Mudumu National Park and back into Bwabwata National Park. We spend the morning exploring the Buffalo Gate Area in the far west of the park alongside the Cubango River. Our sightings are more than expected in the thick rainy season bush. Driving near the furthest reach of the track something leaps back into the long grass. It is a lion cub caught mid-play. The mother lioness is standing under a camel thorn tree casting a wary eye at us. We hang about and see more of the lion cubs and a few more lioness from the pride. Our first Namibian lion sighting!

We highly recommend Bwabwata and Mudumu parks if you get a chance. Both parks are just above the Okavango Delta and Linyanti-Chobe park areas in Botswana which are themselves legendary for their teeming wildlife but a bit more difficult to get to. I think I would maybe opt for a wild Caprivi Strip adventure rather than an Okavango to Chobe journey in Botswana if inexperienced and travelling in a single vehicle.

After our morning game drive we head back through Divundu, pick up some fuel and then onwards to something I’ve been looking forward to for a while. We’re going to stay on the Kavango River (also known as Cubango or Okavango River) and hopefully get some fishing in at the same time. We’ve found a campsite only a few kilometres west and head there with high expectations.

The campsite (which I won’t name) is on the banks of the Cubango River. The Cubango is now, where we are, the natural border between Angola and Namibia. We are obviously south of the river. We arrive at the campsite with high hopes and are mostly not disappointed. The accommodation has some chalets and the campsite is properly on the river but there is high thick grass leading to the bank and it’s probably not sensible to fish here due to crocodile risk in long grass. There is however a large island belonging to the lodge that you can get to over a rickety rope bridge.

We’re tired and on a no-alcohol period so avoid the island for the evening where there are a few travellers being entertained by one of the senior staff members at the bar. Instead we chill by our fire under the southern African skies alongside the mighty Cubango. It soon becomes obvious that we made the right choice as the music coming from the island is very farm and I wince at the energy going into it. I’m not saying we’re music connoisseurs and to be honest I will enjoy nearly anything… except for what was assaulting the mighty Cubango that night. The music continued as interminably as a Spanish inquisition torture session run by a true believer. Luckily I had earphones and my own music plus Joe Rogan’s take on aliens.

We wake up the next morning and I am uncertain on remaining so I head to reception to get the lay of the land.

After ringing the bell outside reception and waiting a long time the senior staff member from the bar last night appears looking pretty haggard. We’ve all been there and I sympathise with him. I ask him some standard questions: How much is the braai wood? Do you sell braai meat? Can we pay with a card or draw money from the ATM in Divundu a few kilometres back.

The conversation is paused at this point as the senior staff member says “I can’t let you leave without you paying.” 

I explain to him I’m just trying to work out when I should draw some more money as they do not take card (something they haven’t mentioned up until now).

He becomes more animated and again explains that he can’t let me leave until I pay. At this point I realise he’s not the smartest cookie in the crumble and possibly a danger to most people around him. And then, his dog urinates on me. The urine is warm, unbelievably thick and the mutt had obviously taken his vitamins this morning as it is also the brightest of yellow.

The now enemy behind the reception desk barely registers his dog urinating on guests. He eventually apologises after some complicated thoughts go through his head. He probably prefers treats rather than ethics just like his inbred dog.

I say don’t worry about it just wanting to get out of there and clean myself. I wash most of it off my foot and ankle in one of the outside taps. 

I head back to Kirsty and tell her we’re going. She’s not happy again as she thought we might stay for a few days and I had abandoned another good spot two nights back. I tell her about the dumb dog and uncaring owner and she laughs longer and harder than seems necessary. Finally, she agrees that we can go as I’m not happy.

On the way out we stop at reception. The senior staff member has disappeared and he has asked one of the other staff to run the reception. I pay the assistant not even bothering with a discount and get out of ‘Dodge’ as soon as possible. We note that the receptionist lady unlocks the gate so that we can drive out. 

The whole situation reminded me of Nothing but Trouble, a comedy/horror Dan Aykroyd film from the early 90’s. One of the most underrated movies of the century.

Okacuito River Camp & Some Heavy Soggy Bottom Times

We are heading to Etosha National Park after the Caprivi Strip and so didn’t worry too much about spending a lot of time in the national parks in the Caprivi. My main ambition is to spend a few days right on the Cubango River and do some fishing if possible. Otherwise, I’ll be happy just sitting on the river for a few days as March is technically one of the worst times to be fishing in the river. The swollen river has a lot of debris and mud from the rains coursing through it making tiger fishing much more difficult and unlikely. Tiger fish are essentially fish that look like a piranha but way bigger.

Eventually we find the “perfect paradise” I had penciled time in for. A few kilometres after the Cuito River meets the Cubango River is one of the more imaginative campsites we’ve seen. Six campsite “pitches” stretch along the southern bank of the Cubango river. Each pitch has a thatched deck with a private kitchen and dining area. There is also a private brick-layed barbeque/braai on each pitch. The thatched decks are directly over the river and a pleasure to fish from. There is a bar and a swimming pool. The price is more than reasonable also! The owner is a great guy and his major aim in life appears to be fishing. I show him my fishing gear and he gives me some advice. At the end he even gives me a complimentary fishing lure to add to my gear.

The “big tent” which is a black-out Coleman festival tent is pitched. Something we use when we’re staying for three nights or more. That tent plus the blow-up mattress and life is very comfortable indeed.

The first few days are excellent. Beers at sunset over the Cubango River and relaxed times throughout. On the second day of fishing from the deck I even spot a huge tiger fish darting for my lure which keeps me busy and impassioned for the rest of our time there. A heads up, I didn’t catch anything unfortunately. Okacuito River Camp does boat-fishing trips which I’m sure I would have caught from but we are saving the budget for other areas such as Skeleton Coast and activities like scuba diving. The camp mainly caters to safari fishing clients and so pre-booking is sometimes a requirement if you’re just looking for a pitch.

Then! Disaster strikes. My intestines appear to have accumulated sufficient mini-bugs from my teeth-brushing to have become a technical open valve fire hydrant. Kirsty laughs, and explains how she has been using drinking water to brush her teeth for the last few weeks. My condition lasts for days on end.

When travel-camping there is a certain acclimatisation that your body needs to go through when first starting out. At home, generally, we’re no more than a few paces from the bathroom in the morning. When you’re camping therefore your body looks to operate as normal within the first ten paces of your fifty pace trek to the bathroom. There are many times you may view a newbie shuffling with a red perspiring face towards the ablutions in the campsite. My recommendation before travel-camping is to walk five times to and back from your bathroom before using it while still at home. When you get home from travel camping… you can sit on the toilet and pretend you’re walking the final fourty paces by tapping your feet on the tiled floor. There was no hope for me in my condition.

I bravely attempted the fifty pace shuffle a few times over the next days and nights. Sometimes, like Andy in The Shawshank Redemption I was a winner but sometimes… I was a loser.

Besides my health issues, Okacuito River Camp is a fishing heaven and camping haven on the Cubango river like no other! Highly recommended to anyone passing out of or into the Caprivi Strip. We spent about a week at the camp and the private balcony hanging over the river will be with me for many years.