Okavango without the price-tag. That’s how myself and a hundred other Caprivi Strip ‘passionistas’ refer to this rapidly emerging safari destination. But as important, probably more so, it’s also without the crowds. Nkasa Linyanti is deep within the Strip, now officially known as Namibia’s ‘Zambezi province’.

Why did Caprivi have to go? Named after an early German colonial governor at the peak of the ‘Scramble for Africa’, when Kaizer Wilhelm’s Germany was hoping in its geographical ignorance to reach the Indian Ocean from its German South-West Africa, it’s embedded in travel itineraries, and even has a romantic touch to it – if you’re a history buff I suppose*. Last year’s name change is a knee-jerk Namibian government reaction – along with the tit-for-tat visa requirement for Europeans – to the EU via restrictions imposed on Namibia and other developing world countries as part of the global immigration crisis.

So now the scene is set for some magnificent safari experiences.

Nkasa Rupara NP is roughly a three hour drive from Kasane, that Zambezi river junction where Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana meet. This is good road-trip country, although it is easier and better use of your time if you can at least fly one way. Why? To get a taste of Caprivi life in the pictures taken along the way.

Poaching has pretty much ravaged the park for the longest time, with the local town, Sangwale, accepted by many to have been a poaching hub. It’s not over, tell me some guides, but the difference made by lodges being in the area has been significant. Especially Natural Selection’s Nkasa Linyanti concession, which has the Linyanti river as its border with Botswana.

The herds of lechwe and impala are large and scattered through the floodplains, the elephants are relaxed and the lion prides occasionally move through camp says Elias, my guide for my stay here. Why was I here? Not guiding this time, rather reviewing the lodge for Conde Nast Traveller magazine, so I can’t say too much more.

Except to mention that the birdlife in this Zambezi region, from here in Nkasa Rupara NP to Madumu and Bwabwata NPs to the west, is the finest in Namibia.

And the staff, led by manager and wildlife photography enthusiast, Caprivi local Simon, are rather nice.

*Speak to me about private guiding / hosting your safari. Or telling your lodge’s story in a multimedia format🐾

*While research will show that Germany had a foul reputation as colonists, its governments have since made considerable investments in Namibia by way of reparations and investments.