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Birding Caprivi, Panhandle & Kunene
January 2019 – December 2019
14 Day
Katima Mulilo, Popa Falls, Rundu, Tsumeb, Kunene
River Lodge, Kamanjab, Swakopmund, Walvisbay,
Johannesburg.
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ITINERARY CAPRIVI, PANHANDLE, KUNENE
Days Destination Summary
Day 1 Johannesburg to
Katima Mulilo
We will meet at the Airport and fly to Katima Mulilo.
Overnight Hotel
Day 2 Katima Mulilo Birding the area Overnight Hotel
Day 3 Katima Mulilo Birding the area Overnight Hotel
Day 4 Katima Mulilo
to Popa Falls
Birding the route Overnight Hotel
Day 5 Popa Falls Birding the area Overnight Hotel
Day 6 Popa Falls
To Rundu
Birding the route Overnight Hotel
Day 7 Rundu Birding the area Overnight Hotel
Day 8 Rundu
To Etosha
Birding the route Overnight Hotel
Day 9 Etosha
To
Birding the route Overnight Hotel
2
To
Kunene River
Lodge
Day 10 Kunene River
Lodge
Birding the area Overnight Hotel
Day 11 Kunene River
Lodge
Birding the area Overnight Hotel
Day 12 Kunene River
Lodge
To Kamanjab
Early morning departure to Kamanjab. Birding the route
Overnight Hotel
Day 13 Kamanjab to
Walvisbay
Birding the route Overnight Hotel
Day 14 Walvisbay Birding the area Overnight Hotel
Day 15 Walvisbay to
Johannesburg
Fly back to South Africa Johannesburg – tour ends
Tour Concludes
Day 1, 2 & 3 : Johannesburg - Katima Mulilo
Katima Mulilo - Zambezi River
The wide, slow-flowing Zambezi River is edged with tall, lush trees, tropical birds and monkeys, with
lolling hippo and crocs reminding everyone who's in charge of the waters. Elephants are frequent
visitors on the river banks for a drink and a bath, and ornithologists of all levels only have to take a
short walk along the river's banks to tick-off a wide variety of bird species.
Zambezi River Boat Jetty
Today we fly from OR Tambo Internal Airport (Johannesburg) to Katima Mulilo.
On arrival we will collect our vehicle and explore the area.
Katima Mulilo Namibia is a town situated in the Caprivi strip and is the capital of the Zambezi
Region, Namibia's far northeast extension into central Southern Africa. The nearest Namibian
town to Katima Mulilo is Rundu, about 500 km away.
3Overnight Hotel Protea Zambezi River Lodge
White-backed Night Heron Schalow’s Turaco White breasted Cuckooshrike Coppery tailed Coucal
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
African Finfoot Yellow Throated Leaflove Pel’s Fishing Owl Western Banded Snake Eagle
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Protea Zambezi River Lodge
Day 4 & 5 : Katima Mulilo to Popa Falls
Hartlaub’s Babbler African Hobby Dickenson’s Kestrel Greater Swamp Warbler
Popa Falls
Near the little town of Divundu, some 200 kilometres east of Rundu, lies one of the highlights of
the western Caprivi, the Popa Falls. They are actually rapids rather than waterfalls. Here the
Okavango River breaks through a 4 metre high rock reef in its riverbed, which stretches over
more than a kilometre in width. The reef consists of dark quartzite. The rapids are particularly
impressive in the dry season at lower water levels.
The Popa Falls are surrounded by enchantingly beautiful nature.
Popa Falls Okavango River
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Hartlaub’s Babbler African Hobby Dickenson’s Kestrel Greater Swamp Warbler
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Overnight at Hotel
Chirping Cisticola Long-toed Lapwing White crowned Lapwing Rock Pratincole
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
African Skimmer Rufous Bellied Heron Lesser Jacana Shelley’s Sunbird
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Day 6 & 7 : Popa Falls / Rundu
Rundu is the capital of the Kavango-East Region, northern Namibia, on the border with Angola on
the banks of the Kavango River about 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) above sea level.
Rundu, a sultry tropical outpost on the bluffs above the Okavango River, is a major centre of activity
for Namibia’s growing Angolan community.
Although the town has little of specific interest for tourists, it's a fine place to break up the journey
between the Caprivi Strip and Etosha.
Rundu
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Senegal Coucal Yellow-billed Oxpecker Meyers Parrot Wood Pipit
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Overnight at Hotel Kaisosi River Lodge
Souza’s Shrike Sharp-tailed Starling Rufous bellied Tit Pink-throated Long-claw
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Greater Painted Snipe Lesser Moorhen Baillons Crake Lesser Jacana
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Day 8 : Rundu to Etosha
ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK is the gateway to Northern Namibia and Ovamboland. It is Namibia’s
prime wildlife location and home to a large variety of mammals and birds. Etosha means the ‘ great
white area ‘ this refers to large dried pan in the middle of the Etosha Park.
Etosha park is any photographers dream. This national park is located in the a rather moist
environment, albeit surrounded by magnificent dunes and golden grass plains and mopane
vegetation which accounts for much diversity in this place. Here, you’ll find four of the Big Five
mammals (the buffalo is the only mammal not found in the park).
Visitors can look forward to seeing Zebra, the rare Black-faced Impala, Oryx, Cheetah, Giraffe, Eland
and Hyena. In terms of birdlife, it’s truly amazing to see how many birds thrive here. During the
rainy season, one million Flamingo’s use Etosha as a breeding ground. Falcons, Harriers and the
Egyptian Vulture are some wonderful birds to introduce yourself to.
Etosha
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Bateleur Kori Bustard Black faced Babbler Grey-headed Parrot
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Overnight at Hotel
Sachsenheim Guest Farm
Grey Kestrel Burchell’s Courser Pink billed Lark Carp’s Tit
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Day 9, 10, 11 : Kunene River Lodge
Kunene River Lodge is a Birder's dream! With the discovery of the first two Cinderella Waxbill nests
in the wild, we usually achieve high success rates with sighting this elusive species .
There are many other species of great interest to be found in the area including the rare Grey Kestrel
which is resident nearby. Or what better way to start the day than to steer silently along the river at
dawn with a knowledgeable guide pointing out - who knows what?
Kunene River Lodge
Luapula Cisticola Grey Kestrel White-browed Coucal Cheastnut Weaver
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
7Overnight at Hotel
Bare-cheeked Babbler White-tailed Shrike Ruppell’s Parrot Pririt Batis
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Violet Wood Hoopoe Cinderella Waxbill Rufous Tailed Palm-thrush Angola Cave-chat
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Swamp Boubou Rosy faced Lovebird Red-necked Spurfowl
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Himba Lady
Day 12 : Kunene River Lodge to Kamanjab
Early morning departure for Kamanjab +- 340 km. Through the Brandberg Mountain Range.
Brandberg Mountain is located in former Damaraland, now Erongo, in the northwestern Namib
Desert, near the coast, and covers an area of approximately 650 km². With its highest point,
the Königstein (German for 'King's Stone'), standing at 2,573 m (8,442 ft) above sea level and
located on the flat Namib gravel plains, on a clear day 'The Brandberg' can be seen from a great
distance. There are various routes to the summit, the easiest (also steepest) being up
the Ga'aseb river valley, but other routes include the Hungurob and Tsisab river valleys. The
nearest settlement is Uis, roughly 30 km from the mountain.
Brandberg Mountains
8
Overnight at Hotel Alpec Lodge
Monteiro’s Hornbill Ruppell’s Korhaan Rockrunner Hartlaub’s Francolin
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Herero’s Chat White throated Canary Damara Hornbill Double Banded Courser
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
White-throated Canary Ludwig’s Bustard Mountain Wheatear Pale-winged Starling
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Day 13 : Kumanjab to Walvisbay
Early morning departure to Walvisbay.
Walvis Bay meaning "Whale Bay", is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies.
The town covers a total area of 29 square kilometres (11 sq mi) of land.
The bay is a safe haven for sea vessels because of its natural deepwater harbour, protected by the
Pelican Point sand spit, being the only natural harbour of any size along the country's coast.
Being rich in plankton and marine life, these waters also drew large numbers of southern right
whales, attracting whalers and fishing vessels. Walvisbay is a Ramsar site. It is regarded as the most
important coastal wetland in Southern Africa.
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Overnight at Hotel
Tractrac Chat Namaqua Sandgrouse Starks Lark Greys Lark
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Bank Cormorant Cape White-eye Great White Pelican Cheastnut banded Plover
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Day 14 : Walvisbay - Swakopmund
Swakopmund (German for "Mouth of the Swakop") is a city on the coast of western Namibia,
352 km (219 mi) west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 main road. It is the capital of
the Erongo administrative district. The town has 44,725 inhabitants and covers 196 square
kilometres (76 sq mi) of land. The city is situated in the Namib Desert and is the fourth largest
population centre in Namibia.
Swakopmund is a beach resort and an example of German colonial architecture. It was founded in
1892 as the main harbour for German South West Africa, and a small part of its population is still
German-speaking today.
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Overnight at Hotel
Dune Lark Damara Tern Southern Pochard Hottentot Teal
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Curlew Sandpiper White-fronted Plover Ringed & Pectoral Sandpiper Black Oystercatcher
Bird Photos courtesy of Maans Booysen
Day 15 : Walvisbay to Johannesburg
Departure Walvisbay to OR Tambo Airport Johannesburg.
We conclude this tour having spent 15 enjoyable days viewing Birds and increasing our life lists.
We thank our local community Tour Leader Maans Booysen for sharing his knowledge with us.
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We sincerely hope we have enriched your trip with a unique
Escape to the Wild….
Walvisbay Harbour Dune 7
“I just wish the world was twice as big and half of it was still unexplored”.
David Attenborough
Important Info
This price includes
Accommodation
All meals
2 litres water per day
All Guiding fees
Tolls
Fuel
Park Entrance fees
Transportation will be in a 4 x 4 Air-conditioned vehicle
Tour price quoted is per person sharing
Single supplement can be arranged at an additional cost (+- 25% additional)
This price excludes
Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
All / any Airfares
Visas
Internet, laundry, phone calls, room service etc.
Personal travel / medical insurance (we highly recommend you take Travel insurance in case of
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Personal travel / medical insurance (we highly recommend you take Travel insurance in case of
any emergency).
Gratuities (tips)
Important Information
Please keep all your valuables safe, secure and insured.
Due to unforeseen circumstances we may be forced to alter our itinerary at short or no notice
however we will try our best to stick to the original tour programme.
Travel Tips
Ensure you have packed a torch and extra batteries
It can be cooler in the early mornings and evenings therefore ensure you have a warm jacket,
scarf, etc.
Ensure you travel with all your medication including a Prescription’s from your Doctor.
Binoculars, Camera’s etc.
Comfortable walking / hiking shoes that cover your entire foot.
Recommended