Lianshulu and the Lion that interrupted my Run
Here on the banks of the Kwando river, in Namibia’s Mudumu National Park, I am finishing my Conde Nast Traveller assignment through Zambia and a less-discovered Namibia. It’s been almost three weeks, with challenging logistics, but every kilometre has been worth it.
Apart from producing my promised articles, I now know how to best connect Zambia’s lesser-known Kafue National Park to the parks of Namibia’s similarly unheard of Caprivi Strip. Since 2024 known as Zambezi province, if offers a quality safari experience, beyond the obvious wildlife. Here cultural practices run deep At GunduGudu Village, ten minutes from Lianshulu Lodge, on the C49 loop road linking Sangwali to Kongola, another layer of the Zambezi experience is accessible to the curious traveller.
At GunduGudu Village, across the road from Mudumu NP, an unexpectedly excellent theatrical depiction of traditional rural life is found. Bookings essential.
About that lion. On a long working trip, I don’t get much time to exercise, as I do back in Haarlem. I managed one run in Kafue NP, with a guide driving behind. For run #2, I was at Lianshulu Lodge’s gate, about to head off on my second…when we saw a large lion track on the road.
It was about an hour old. And about 50m further in to the bush, we could hear a breeding herd of elephant, breaking branches and issuing irritated trumpet-snorts at possibly misbehaving youngsters. That put an end to the run.
But my time at Lianshulu has been good. I was here 25 years ago, and thankfully not much has changed. It’s so consistent that some of the staff have been here over ten years. The lodge, originally built by Wilderness Safaris, is being refurbished but the Kwando river below remains largely the same. Residents discuss how much water the floods from Angola will bring each year.
The sunsets are inevitably spectacular.
Beyond the lion event, the resident hippo pods, the breeding elephant herds and the small herds of Roan antelope, the nearby carmine bee-eaters nesting on the banks of the Kwando are a highlight. They arrive anytime from the end of August.
The unique feature of this Zambezi (Caprivi) region of Namibia is it’s accessibility and less-visited aspect. It is quiet. With its river channels, floodplains and islands, it is pretty much an extension of the Okavango system. But as the establishments will tell you, the prices far more affordable.
The Basics:
- The wildlife numbers may not be quite at the level of the Okavango yet, but with anti-poaching measures improving and resident lion prides throughout the eastern Caprivi, this, along with Zambia’s Kafue NP, is the next big thing in safari.
- With a premium lodge operator like Natural Selection (see previous review) having recently joined Nambwa Tented Lodge as a five star operation, and new Namibian player Na’ankuse! rebuilding Susuwe as a premium product in the region, the future looks bright for conservation tourism.
- There are plenty of three star and camping operations in the region, meaning that all sectors of the travelling market will be catered for.
- Self-drive. This is a superb self-drive destination, safe and easy to travel, the B8 from Kasane to Rundu, and the C49 loop, connecting Katima Mulilo, via Sangwale and Natural Selection’s Nkasa Linyanti camp to Kongola.
- Go before the rush.
*Write to me with any questions, whether a simple question, safari itinerary or private guiding request. I’m here to help, without obligation.