Monday, 2 June 2025
Today we departed the Etosha National Park for our journey north to the Kavango Region, a remote and culturally rich area of Namibia.
We were on the road just after 8.00am, seeing springbok, wildebeest and cattle before we hit the B1 (main road) to continue north. Wian stopped at a bore-fed waterhole saying that the bore water is used to provide a permanent watering place for the wild life and makes popular place for a picnic or BBQ. Unfortunately there was evidence that too many people bring their picnic, but don’t take their rubbish with them.
We turned onto the B1 where we encountered a small town with a modern supermarket and Shell servo, juxtaposed with makeshift roadside stalls selling meat, barbecued meat and vegetables in a more traditional way. Their stalls were cobbled together from sticks and pallets and roofed with black plastic or striped tarps. All manner of wares were being sold in this lively, roadside market. As he turned left onto the B1, Wian delivered the welcome news that we will be travelling on tarmac roads for the next four days.
There were still lots of termite mounds … in the middle of maize fields, in the middle of town and out in the countryside. And donkeys became the most prolific animal life to be seen. So many donkeys! Having breakfast this morning we were talking with David about where the mountains of eggs being prepared for breakfast come from? Every lodge has had stacked trays or huge bowls of eggs and a chef on hand to cook them how you like them but, to date, we had not seen a poultry farm. Sure enough, this morning we spotted a poultry farm. We do seem to be travelling though an area that is more agricultural in nature.
I was bemused by colourful roadside shops with aspirational names like the Good Life Fish Shop and the Try Again Mini Mart. There were roadside mechanics, tyre repairers, hair salons and barbers and shebeens (bars), lots of shebeens and speed humps, big bastard speed humps! But for our lap seat belts we would all be bounced off the ceiling of the truck when we go over the speed humps!!
We turned right at Oniipa to cut across to the M121 heading north, north-east towards the border with Angola. We made a fuel, toilet and snack stop mid-morning. This was one of the toilets where they hold the toilet paper to ransom. If you want paper, you have to pay the attendant to receive a bundle of toilet paper to take into the loo with you! I didn’t think I was desperate for the loo but my hacking cough resulted in me peeing myself just a little bit as I waited my turn for the cubicle. Damn the loss of oestrogen and the effect is has on urinary incontinence.
Back on the road we arrived at the B10, just a few miles south of the Angolan border, and turned right to start heading eastward. Marilyn queried if we would be stopping in Grootfontain. I was just along for the ride and going where Wian took us, but those more cognizant with the itinerary noted that a stop at Grootfontain was included today. Wian was a bit surprised that our itinerary still included a stop for lunch at Grootfontain. He checked with head office to be sure and confirmed that Grootfontain should not have been included on our itinerary. No matter, it’s all new to us!
Here in the northernmost part of Namibia there were many more waterholes than we have been accustomed to seeing. I’m not sure if they are still full from the rainy season or if they are more bore-fed waterholes like the one that Wian showed us early this morning. Anyway there is definitely evidence of this being an area that enjoys more rain than the Namib Desert region in the south.
We soon encountered a Police Checkpoint. Each main road running to and from Windhoek had a checkpoint but we haven’t really encountered them since we left the city. Being so close to the border, I guess it makes sense that there would be more monitoring of people’s movements in this region.
I was fascinated by the rustic fences. It seems that people just collect fallen branches and sticks to make their fences. Sometimes they are strung together with wire into a wobbly post and dropper style of stock fence and in others the smaller sticks are packed together more tightly into more of a palisade fence.
There was more domestic livestock in the shape of cows, goats and donkeys in the long paddock. Wian had the truck flying along, pedal to metal except for the occasional goat or cow on the road. It made me wonder – what are the fences for since they do not seem to be to keep the livestock in, it’s all out wandering along the roadside. The only stock that seemed to be with people were the donkeys being used by villagers to carry water containers back to their homes.
I saw horses with foals by the roadside and more dogs than I have seen elsewhere in Namibia. Once again, the horses didn’t seem to be with anyone. I would have thought that a horse is a valuable animal and it was surprising to see them grazing the long paddock like the goats and cows. Before our stop this morning, it seemed to me that the roadside was much more inhabited and agricultural. Now there longer stretches of veldt alongside the roadside.
Around noon we arrived in the Kavango Region which is separated from Angola by the Kavango River and we noted that it is considerably greener than the rest of Namibia as the area receives a larger than average rainfall. We continued east alongside the river and, for the last hour or so of our journey, we were treated to tantalising glimpses of the river.
With plentiful water the agriculture seemed to be on a larger scale passing through here and the area had water tractors in fields on both sides of the highway. No idea what the crop was though.
It had gone 1.00pm and there were lots of children who appeared to be heading home from school. It did not look as if a school bus operates with all these children hoofing their way back home. I suspect that they start early, maybe around 7.00am, so that they can get back home for the hottest part of the day, especially in the summer months?
We motored through the gate of the Hakusembe River Lodge just after 2.00pm after about six hours on the road, just in time for some late lunch. At least it was mostly smooth driving today which was a welcome change. Here at Hakusembe we are going to have to be very careful about the time. Namibia is an hour later than Angola and we were warned at check-in that our phones would pick up Angolan time from the tower across the river. Others in the group had analogue watches which were going to be a big help with keeping punctual with Namibian time. With our ‘smart’ phones and watches adopting Angolan time, we were going to have to be on the ball to make sure we weren’t late for anything, especially our river cruise later this afternoon.
After fish and chips for lunch (no lighter options today, unfortunately) we had a short time to ourselves before embarking at 4.00pm on our serene sundowner cruise along the Okavango River, which forms the border between Namibia and Angola. The river was teeming with birdlife as we drifted gently down the river with our guide pointing out water lilies, kids crossing the river in the local wooden canoes, birds, crocodiles and a water monitor. There were no hippos here though because the river bottom is rocky and, apparently, hippos like a sandy bottom!
With the sun getting lower in the sky we motored back past the lodge to take up a position on the river where we could soak up the setting sun while nibbling on snacks and sipping a refreshing drink. After another beautiful sunset we were taken back to the beach beside the restaurant’s expansive deck where we disembarked. I’m a bit short on details about the birds we saw and failed to record the name of the lovely young woman who piloted our vessel because I forgot to take my phone with me. The other boat that went out with us travelled further along the river but I suspect that we may have seen more as our guide had an excellent eye for spotting animals and explaining some of the local border customs.
Quickly back to our rooms to drop off our cameras and it was time to eat … again. Thankfully dinner was smorgasbord style so we could take as much or as little as we wanted from the buffet. As we ate dinner the house cat wandered around under the tables no doubt trying to con treats from the guests?
Steps: 7,554 (5.13kms)
