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

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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.