Wonders of Caprivi Safari: Eight Game Reserves in Two Weeks

There's nothing like arriving in a country and having your preconceptions shattered. All the advice reminds you to be patient on safari, and not think that all of Africa resembles a scene from the Lion King. Yet within three hours of touching down, you’re face to face with a leopard. Just north of Windhoek, Okonjima Reserve proves that the dreamy version of Africa actually exists. Take a moment to admire the exquisite fur, follow the lucid eyes as they search for a meal, and watch in silence as the leopard drops into the grass and starts a hunt. And you've only just arrived! Cheetahs are Okonjima's other forte, a rehabilitation center revealing how to reintroduce sick cats into the wild. Drop to sleep with nature's soundtrack perforating through the windows, suggestive calls indicating the life that wanders beneath the moonlight.

Wake and find the culprits of last night's soundtrack, the nearby waterhole teeming with life as the sun bursts onto the horizon. After a long flight and yesterday's excitement, you may still need some hours to settle into Namibia's laid-back rhythm. Day two is gentle and relaxed; a couple of easy game drives deliver shocks of wildlife drama, and the safari experience surrounding your opulent lodge. So sit back and watch a new four-legged world coast by, your unique journey only just beginning.

Anticipation mingles with trepidation as you lace up the boots and step out into Ongava later today, a hundred thoughts racing through your mind. You will join a skilled guide on a rhino-tracking safari. From a distance, the size impresses, enormous hulks of gray grazing on the short grass. Stay downwind and approach from the front; no rhino likes something sneaking up on them. If the rhinos accept your presence it's time to creep closer, but if they indicate irritation then it's time to withdraw. Most visitors reach a dazzling proximity; emotion can be read on tiny eyes, horns admirable and glinting with color, three toes made out on each stumped foot. Rhinos aren't the only highlight here, although it's hard to really appreciate the ungulates when one of nature's most endangered has captivated your heart.

Etosha reminds you that safari is always unpredictable, with its sparkling assortment of characters reaching into all corners of the park. Game drives weave between herds, every corner offering a different species to learn and admire. Marvel at red hartebeest as they elegantly gambol across the plains, stand beside elephants as they tear holes in the forest, and gaze across the vast salt pan, picking out herds that contrast the whiteness. Lions are among them, prides crossing the ivory landscape and bullying anything near the waterhole. Track their journey, watching the impalas' panicked escape and the zebra herd that raises the alarm just in time. Keep following their paw prints, and then wait in silence as the lionesses decide that here is where they'll start a hunt.

Early mornings and late afternoons are when Etosha is most active, with predatory instincts to the fore and a battle for survival raging around the waterholes. Despite the drama, there's a serenity to safari here, the shimmering salt pans providing a soothing backdrop to every game drive. They reflect the sun, a floating mirage blurring the silhouettes of distant giraffe. Drive away from the pan and into the woodlands, each tight turn bringing new delights and aching proximity to Etosha's wildlife. Over 100 different mammals can be discovered here and two days of safari should teach you some spotter's instincts; kudu, gemsbok, springbok, caracal, bat-eared fox, spotted hyena. It won't be long before you're picking up the clues and shouting out the sightings from the Land Rover.

After five days of seemingly nonstop safari, today is the longest journey on the itinerary. You're heading east, crossing into Namibia's panhandle and familiarizing yourself with the waterways that run along the Caprivi. This part of the world is dominated by rivers, the permanent water putting the Caprivi on the route of nomadic wanderers. Elephants and zebra are the main beneficiaries, although the resident hippo pods don't give up their wading space without a loud grunt and boisterous display of power. Your overnight stop is in Rundu, idyllically situated along the river and offering the equanimity you'll come to expect of the region. Sit back, watch the wind ripple through the reeds, and the sun gently bounce off a hippo's snout.

Popa Falls and Mahangu are two different attractions, both along the Okavango River. First head out to the photogenic rocks and gushing water of Popa, the waterfall a perfect place for a lunchtime picnic. Then slowly roam the game reserve, identifying the unusual and charming. Lechwe, tsessebe, Roan antelope, oribi, sitatunga; Mahangu has an abundance of characters you probably won't have encountered yet on this trip. Tracking your progress and throwing their weight around, the hippos offer a constant reminder of whose home you're exploring. Pugilistic males jostle for position in the pod, youngsters offer the cuteness that makes these creatures such a household favorite, and a hippo charging into the water is one of nature's most inspiring sights.

Bwabwatu National Park sits between these picturesque waterways, a lush landscape in a region of arid dustiness. Down this channel come the elephants, moving back and forth between Angola and Botswana, always stopping in Namibia to smash down a few more trees. Cruise down the river and marvel at them splashing in the shallows, and then drive alongside the adorable babies that plod along, massive trunks far too long for their bodies. Elephants are known for their intelligence and perhaps that's why so many other species follow their footsteps. African buffalo aren't far behind, another of the Big Five to be found in Bwabwata. Sable antelope share tracks with the zebra, while wildebeest try avoiding their constant nemesis – lions. A combination of game drives and small boat cruises fill these two days. One is bumpy and rugged, sandy trails meandering across savannah and woodland. The other brings serenity and enchantment, the gentle pace indicative of the graceful mammals that drink along the shore.

Out on the marshes an animal party is taking place. Hippos wade beside migrating elephants, gemsbok, and Roan antelope graze in the distance, and the dozing lions seem to be opting for fashionably late arrival. Nkasa Rupara is Namibia's wettest and most fertile national park, the extensive marshlands and floodplains providing a wholesome meal for the masses. Joining the party is small and enchanting, like puku or red lechwe. Even the buffalo are joining in, although they stick together like schoolgirls at their first school dance. Providing the insatiable soundtrack are some of Africa's rarest birds, an assortment of colorful wings flickering above the river channels: wattled crane, fishing-owl, yellow-billed oxpecker, and the antics of black coucal. Keeping everything in check is a roaming assortment of predators, African wild dogs among the party crashers that scatter wildlife for miles. In Nkasa Rupara you often don't need a game drive. Just stop beside a wetland area and spend a few hours enjoying the view.

Everything is completely unfenced in the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, the gushing rivers providing natural boundaries, as well as stunning boat safaris. Yet Mudumu couldn't be any more different from adjacent Nkasa Rupara. Suddenly it's dry again, the shrub savannah poking out from the gray plains. After the animal party, you're now witnessing the battle for survival, each species scavenging, and searching. Leopards wait on low tree branches, meerkats rise to attention, eland run from the sprinting cheetah, and giraffe tower above it all. During the wet season, Mudumu briefly floods, bringing liquid goodness and swampy trails that make for exhilarating drives. For the other nine months, it's a telling reminder of the authenticity of Namibia's national parks.

After running the length of the Caprivi you leave for the mighty Zambezi. Elephants still dot the main road, occasionally crossing over with little regard for the highway code. But even they wouldn't dare cross the Zambezi, especially as the water hurtles down towards the abyss. You can hear it before you see it, the cacophonous soundtrack omnipresent. Volume intensifies and mythical clouds become real, each mile bringing you closer to Victoria Falls. Let's use its local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, or the “smoke that thunders” to give its literal translation. That evocative rumbling sound comes from behind the mist, from a gaping valley that cuts a scar across the landscape. Waterfalls may be higher or wider, but none are more powerful than Victoria Falls. 1000 tons of water drop over the edge every single second! That doesn't sound comprehensible on paper and is even more unfathomable from up close.

On day 12 you experience the power from eye level, crossing Knife-edge Bridge and getting soaked by the torrential downpour of mist. Bridges connect orphaned cliffs, running parallel to the falls and offering a dozen different viewpoints. For the iconic Victoria Falls vista, you need to be in the sky, following the river with your eye and admiring the cataclysmic canyon it plunges into. Ride a helicopter above the falls and capture jaw-dropping panoramas of this natural wonder, the peaceful juxtaposition of colors obliterated by Mosi-oa-Tunya. The thunderous soundtrack even reaches your lodge along the Zambezi, another indelible lullaby to keep you company at night. Despite the adventure, Victoria Falls is a tranquil destination, running at a sedate pace that's perfect for the end of a vacation.

On the final day before you depart, spend some time enjoying the pleasures of your accommodation, seeing Victoria Falls from new angles, or exploring more of the Zambezi. The day is yours to embrace at your pace, deciding between safari activities in the surrounding wilderness, treating yourself to a spa treatment, or settling in for a day trip around the area to local communities and cultural towns.

Today you depart for home with lasting memories of your safari in Namibia.