Divundu, Namibia
May 24, 2023
Getting to the border from Shakawe was the usual long drawn-out battle in these parts with finding transport, agreeing on a price and then having the price changed after we started. But got there I did and with a deserted immigration post, got stamped out with no wait.
At the Namibian entrance, a couple of people were waiting on customs check on their truck but for me it was just a matter of filling out a paper form and getting stamped in. The attitude was laid-back and welcoming. The immigration officer solicitously asked if I had transport into Divundu, the nearest town. This is a dirt road that goes through the Mahango area of the Bwabwata National Park with no public transport.
“But” said the officer, “there are taxis that will take you for 50-70 Namibian dollars”.
I was relieved since I have no car. By the time he had finished with the paperwork he added
“There is an officer who is going to town now. He can take you”.
And so it was I was courteously given a ride not just into town, but dropped off at the Rainbow River Lodge where I was going to stay. Along the way, the officer pointed out elephants in the distance at a waterhole. And a herd of zebras and some warthogs. And we watched a group of kudu prance across the road. Wow, I thought. Not only a ride but a game drive too! How lucky can I get? Is all Namibia like this, I wondered. I was soon to find out.
The dirt road turns to tar and as we leave the national park boundary. I see shacks selling fresh meat. The Rainbow River Lodge I had booked online is strung out along the banks of the Kavango river. A beautiful thatch-roofed restaurant juts out on the water looking out on an island in the river. There are swoops of cormorants and kingfishers and the trill of birdcalls. The occasional trumpet of hippos cuts through the air and a quick flash and flurry of their ears are all I see in the water as they beat the heat. There are locals in their wooden mokoros fishing. They showed me a bag of small fish – tilapia and catfish and other larger ones that call the Kavango home. There are other boats cruising up and down the river, full of tourists out for a ride. There are rooms and chalets at this lodge but I opt to pitch my tent on the bank. I shall be sleeping to the tune of trumpeting hippos.
The sites on either side of mine are occupied, the large camper vans parked on the edge of the dirt road. I soon met them. Most are from Namibia with a smattering from South Africa. I was bidden welcome and before I knew it, invited for a braai dinner.
We watched the sunset and sat long around the fire chatting and swapping tales. Incredible! If all Namibia is as welcoming, I may have to extend my month-long visa.
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 