Three Country Tour: Day 1 – Caprivi Strip, Ngepi Lodge

We set off early on Thursday morning to reach our goal on the Caprivi Strip for the evening. After 8 hours or so driving north into Namibia we reached the Ngepi Camp which is situated near Popa Falls on the Kavango river. We took the boat cruise almost as soon as we arrived and set off down the river in search of Hippo’s, crocodiles, and possibly elephants.

Ngepi Camp has fantastic little chalets overlooking the river. For this trip we were camping so luxury accommodation was out of the question. It was to be my first of five nights in a tent.

The “pool” was actually just a fenced in square in the river. What this means is crocs and hippos could be swimming right next to you. Amazing!!! I did not dare take this plunge.

Reeds on the river bank hide the many wild creatures that call the river home.

First hippo sighting. Pretty amazing to see this awesome animal up close. It is said that the hippo is the most dangerous African animal. They are extremely territorial and can easily bite you in half.

Sunset over the Kavango.

From our campsite on the river banks. Throughout the night I was woken; for one I was still getting used to tent living, additionally I could hear the hippo’s talking all night long. They make a low grunting noise. Regarldless of this I was up at 6 am and ready for the next leg of our trip.

For dinner we improvised since we missed the dinner from the lodge. It was a mix of canned tuna, olives, vegetables and a balsamic dressing. Very hearty.

Just before departing in the morning I got this picture of the riverside warnings. Around the pool no less.