The strip of land running east from the Okavango to the Zambezi exists because of a colonial land swap in 1890, when Germany took a corridor to reach the Zambezi and Britain took Zanzibar. Renamed the Zambezi Region in 2013, it is 450 km long, rarely more than 100 km wide, and completely unlike the rest of Namibia: rainfall above 600 mm, permanent rivers, and dense woodland.
Bwabwata
The largest park in the region occupies the western half of the strip and is unusual in that around 5500 people live inside it, in a model of shared management between residents and the state. The Kwando and Buffalo core areas are where game concentrates. Elephants move freely between Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Angola through the KAZA transfrontier conservation area, the largest in the world.
Mahango
At the western end on the Okavango, Mahango is a small park with an exceptional species list: sable and roan antelope, red lechwe, sitatunga and around 400 bird species, including the rare Pel fishing owl. A two-wheel drive loop follows the river and can be driven in a morning.
Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara
Further east, Mudumu lies along the Kwando, and Nkasa Rupara, formerly Mamili, is Namibia largest protected wetland, a maze of channels and islands that floods in the wet season and is effectively a piece of the Okavango Delta. It has the country largest hippo and crocodile populations and requires a four-wheel drive.
Where to stay
Almost all accommodation is on the rivers: lodges and campsites at Divundu, along the Kwando, and near Katima Mulilo. Boat trips at sunset are the standard activity and the best way to see the wetland species. Fishing for tigerfish and bream is popular and licensed.
Getting there and onward
The tarred Trans-Caprivi Highway runs the full length from Rundu to Katima Mulilo and is one of the better roads in the country. It is also the natural route between Namibia and Victoria Falls, Chobe or the Okavango Delta, which is why many itineraries end here rather than turning back.
Practicalities
This is a malaria area with year-round risk, highest from December to April; prophylaxis is strongly advised. The wet season floods roads but fills the wetlands and brings migrant birds. Elephants cross the highway at night, which is the main reason not to drive after dark.