On arriving the border it was the usual process. An exit stamp from Botswana then a drive across the Chobe River Bridge to emigration in Namibia. No visa required just fill in the form and get your passport stamped.
From the border we drove to the town of Katima Mulilo where we visited the ATM to get some Namibian Dollars, have a coffee and buy some water. From there it was quite a drive to Kongola where we turned south to our accommodation fort the next two nights at Namushasha Lodge on the edge of Bwabwata National Park.
We passed lots of villages on the trip. Small houses built with branches and then plastered with a combination of cattle dung and sand. Occasionally you see an iron roof but by far the majority are thatched. All have high fences made from reeds as a barrier to wild animals. We saw lots of school children along the way on their way home from school and later to school. There are morning and afternoon sessions. School is compulsory and free for primary aged children and will also be free for secondary students from next year.
Namushasha Lodge is right on the bank of the Kwondo River and is a very pretty spot with different levels of the bar restaurant area overlooking the river. It's remoteness, however, means that it is off grid so no such things as air conditioning or even fans. Freida, the Maître de says that they should get power next year which will improve the situation considerably as it is very hot at this time of year.
After lunch and a bit of a rest we went on a boat trip on the Kwando. The river is quite different to the Chobe. No river flats here, just a river with high reeds each side. It didn't take long to spot a large pod of hippos. Rector, our guide, had to carefully manoeuvre our boat around them to continue along the river. We saw lots of White Fronted Bee Eaters who were darting to and from their nests in the river bank - quite entertaining and very pretty although their name is a bit of a puzzle as they do not have white fronts. Also saw the Open Billed Stork, Blacksmith's Plover and African Swamphen as well as, for the first time, the Tsebe Antelope. Even saw a water monitor. The highlight however would have been elephants crossing the river.
Dinner on the deck was very pleasant with lots of candles and cute solar powered Mason Jars with LEDs on the underside of the lid (the lid incorporating a solar panel).
Off to bed early under a huge mosquito net covering the whole double bed (almost a room within a room). The rooms are at least cooler than outside so we were able to sleep without too much concern for mosquitoes.
