Things to do in Zambezi Region
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Zambezi Region
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Rains, high malaria risk, muddy tracks and some camps or roads closed or boat only.
Flood peak in many years, green and boat heavy, with low tracks underwater and superb birding.
Cool dry season, the most comfortable months, with tracks open and game building toward permanent water.
Hot dry season, strongest concentrated game and peak rates, with October very hot before the rains.
What's on
- Zambezi and Kwando flood season March to May in many years
Floodwater from Angola and Zambia fills the channels, boat viewing peaks and road access is most limited.
- Migrant birding season November to April
Migrant species and breeding plumages make the wetlands one of Namibia's strongest birding areas.
Best things to do in Zambezi Region
Bwabwata National Park
The big strip park, with Mahango, Buffalo and Kwando cores, river forest, buffalo, hippo and strong birding.
Nkasa Rupara National Park
A flooded island park of channels and floodplain, Namibia's wetland answer to the Okavango, best by lodge and boat.
Mudumu National Park
A quiet Kwando park of woodland and floodplain, with elephant, buffalo and hippo and very few other vehicles.
Popa Falls
A pretty set of rapids on the Okavango near Divundu, worth an hour as the gateway stop to western Bwabwata.
Zambezi River
The wide river at Katima Mulilo, for sunset views, fish eagles and hippo offshore, with Zambia on the far bank.
Katima Mulilo Open Market
The town's working open market, for produce, fish, fabrics and baskets, and the best short non safari hour in Katima.
Where to stay in Zambezi Region
Katima Mulilo
flights, supplies, hospital and a first or last night
The only real town in the region, on the Zambezi, with the full service hotel, a small river lodge and a camp east of town.
Kwando, Linyanti and Mudumu
Mudumu, Nkasa Rupara and southern Bwabwata from one river system
Lodges and camps around Kongola and Sangwali on the Kwando, from campsites to a luxury island camp in the flood park.
Eastern Zambezi and Chobe riverfront
Chobe views and a Ngoma gate day into Botswana
Camps and villas on the Namibian bank of the Chobe toward Ngoma and Kasika, some reached by boat from Kasane.
Divundu and Popa Falls gateway, western end
Popa Falls, Mahango and Buffalo cores, and entering from Rundu
Okavango River camps and lodges at Divundu, just west of the region, from budget Ngepi to a luxury spa lodge.
Think twice about
- Any river in the region for swimming or wading
Hippos and crocodiles are present in the Zambezi, Kwando, Linyanti, Chobe and Okavango. Never swim, wade or trail limbs in the water.
- Border land away from official crossings
Borders here are rivers and unfenced park land, not marked lines. Cross only at official posts and do not wander off tracks near a border.
- B8 and park tracks after dark
Elephant, buffalo, hippo, cattle and unlit vehicles use the same roads at night. A night collision with an elephant is a known fatal pattern.
- Nkasa Rupara tracks in high flood without a lodge transfer
Tracks become muddy and waterlogged and large parts of the park are not drivable in high water. Go with a lodge or not at all.
Best restaurants in Zambezi Region
Green Basket Cafe
The Caprivi Adventures cafe in Katima, for breakfast, lunch, wraps, burgers and cakes in the day.
Passione Restaurant
A pizza and Italian leaning restaurant in Katima, one of the few standalone dinner options in town listings.
Caprivi River Lodge
Home style lodge dining on the Zambezi at Katima, for guests first and outside diners only by arrangement.
Protea Hotel by Marriott Zambezi River Lodge
The town hotel's restaurant and bar on the riverfront, the most reliable full hotel table in Katima Mulilo.
Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge
Lodge dining on a deck over a Kwando Linyanti channel, for staying guests on the drive and boat schedule.
Namushasha River Lodge
Buffet and set lodge dining over the Kwando lagoon system, reliable at scale for groups and families staying there.
Ngepi Camp
A camp restaurant and bar on the Okavango at Divundu, serving campers and self drivers at campsite prices.
Outdoor things to do in Zambezi Region
Nambwa Tented Lodge
The luxury Bwabwata activity base, for Kwando core drives, boat trips and walks from suites over a floodplain.
Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge
The practical way into Nkasa Rupara, with lodge drives, boat trips when water allows and birding near Sangwali.
Camp Kwando
The mid range Kwando workhorse, for boat cruises and drives toward Mudumu and Bwabwata from one river camp.
Namushasha River Lodge
A Kwando activity base for boat trips, Mudumu and Bwabwata drives, walks and a Mashi heritage centre visit.
Caprivi Houseboat Safaris
Houseboats and boat safaris on the Zambezi from Katima Mulilo, for cruising, birding and catch and release fishing.
Chobe National Park
A full cross border day via Ngoma for the Chobe riverfront, with a second country's fees and border time built in.
Best hotels in Zambezi Region
Protea Hotel by Marriott Zambezi River Lodge
The town's full service riverfront hotel, the practical first or last night for flights, fuel and border days.
Caprivi River Lodge
A small owner run river lodge just outside central Katima, with a pool, gardens and a dining lapa by the Zambezi.
Zambezi Mubala Camp
A Gondwana camp on the Zambezi east of Katima, with campsites and safari tents, a pool and boat activities.
Nkasa Linyanti
A six tent luxury camp on Nkasa Island, opened in 2026, in an unfenced flood park on an elephant corridor.
Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge
The established mid range tented lodge for Nkasa Rupara, on a channel near the park with drives and boats.
Camp Kwando
Rooms, tented rooms and camping on the Kwando, the best all round base here for Mudumu and Bwabwata together.
Namushasha River Lodge
A larger Kwando lodge facing a lagoon and hippo channel, a reliable base for families and groups in flood season.
Namushasha River Villa
A single exclusive use floating villa on the Kwando, with private hosting and boat time for a couple or small group.
Is Zambezi Region expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NAD 1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NAD 6,000 a person |
| Splurge | NAD 16,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Nkasa Rupara National Park: weeks ahead
- Nambwa Tented Lodge: months ahead
- Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge: months ahead
- Camp Kwando: weeks ahead
- Namushasha River Lodge: weeks ahead
- Caprivi Houseboat Safaris: weeks ahead
- Chobe National Park: weeks ahead
- Protea Hotel by Marriott Zambezi River Lodge: weeks ahead
- Book Nkasa Linyanti, Nambwa, Chobe villas and dry season Kwando lodges months ahead, and confirm flood access for your exact week.
- Book Chobe and Victoria Falls cross border days before arrival, with visas, park fees and border hours checked for your nationality.
Is Zambezi Region safe?
- Zambezi is a year round malaria region with falciparum malaria, so take prescribed prophylaxis and treat any later fever as urgent.
- Never walk in a park without a guide, use a lodge escort after dark in unfenced camps, and keep a guide set distance from hippo pods.
Zambezi Region travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not treat Popa Falls as a major waterfall, a Victoria Falls day as a spare afternoon, or Katima as a restaurant town.
- Do not skip malaria prophylaxis because the rest of Namibia felt low risk, and do not swim in any river in this region.
Getting around Zambezi Region: public transport and more
- Fly Windhoek to Katima Mulilo Mpacha on scheduled flights, or drive the B8 from Rundu, tarred, with park tracks beyond it needing a high clearance 4x4.
- Katima Mulilo to Ngoma is about 70 km on tar; Rundu to Katima on the B8 is about 500 km, so split west and east nights instead of backtracking.
- Fuel and shops are at Katima Mulilo, limited at Kongola and Divundu, and absent inside the parks, so carry cash and fill up at every town.
Who Zambezi Region suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Zambezi Region your trip
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