The Caprivi Strip is that
oddly-shaped panhandle that stretches between Angola and Botswana
at the top of Namibia. It’s enclosed by permanent water and
starts at the Kavango River in the east, and follows the Zambezi River
to the border junction of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. You are bound to travel through it on any journey to or from
these countries.
Caprivi’s main town, Katima Mulilo, is closer to Lusaka and
Harare than it is to the Namibian capital, Windhoek. In many ways it’s
more like the countries that surround it than the rest of Namibia.
Thanks to the rivers, the Caprivi is a lush tract of land,
quite unlike the rest of the country’s desert scenery.
Unfortunately, the wildlife has not yet recovered from years of poaching
or the region’s destructive bush war of the 70s and 80s.
There are conservation initiatives in progress and the Caprivi’s
small game reserves have a bright future. Game includes buffalo, elephant
and healthy populations of hippo and crocodile, thanks to the abundance
of water.
The Caprivi Strip has a bizarre history. In the late 1800s the strip
of land was part of the British protectorate of Bechuanaland (Botswana).
Then in 1890 Germany laid claim to the British-administered island
of Zanzibar, to which Britain objected. The dispute was settled after
an agreement allowing Germany to add the Caprivi Strip
to its territories (for access to the Zambezi River). In exchange
Britain kept Zanzibar and Heligoland, a remote island in the
North Sea.
These days approximately 65 000 people live in the Caprivi, making
it one of the most densely populated regions of Namibia. You will
come across many villages and their inhabitants. There are a number
of campsites and lodges situated along the rivers that offer access
to the northern reaches of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. They are
only a short drive from Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls.
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