The Kwando River rises in Angola, flows south into the Zambezi Region, and then bends east to become the Linyanti and eventually the Chobe before joining the Zambezi. Along its 300km Namibian course, it creates the wildlife corridor that defines the Zambezi Region’s character.
The River Ecosystem
The Kwando is a permanent river fed by the Angolan highlands. Its permanence, in a region that otherwise relies on seasonal rainfall, makes it a year-round wildlife magnet. The full diversity of the region’s mammals uses the river at some point during the year:
Elephant: The largest users; the Kwando system is part of the greater Chobe-Kwando-Hwange elephant population that may total 200,000 or more animals.
Hippo: Common throughout; pods of 10 to 30 are regular.
Buffalo: Large herds use the grasslands adjacent to the river.
Lion and wild dog: The Kwando Core Area’s predator community uses the river corridor as a hunting ground.
Sitatunga and lechwe: In the papyrus and floodplain margins.
Boat-Based Game Drives
The defining wildlife activity on the Kwando is the boat drive: a flat-bottomed motor boat moving slowly along the river channel at dawn or dusk, with the wildlife approaching the bank or crossing at shallows, and hippo submerging and surfacing nearby. The low eye-level perspective of boat drives produces different photography conditions and a different intimacy with the animal than vehicle drives.
Most private lodges on the Kwando offer both vehicle and boat activities; the boat drive is the one most visitors cite as the highlight.
The Private Lodges
The Kwando Lodge, Nambwa Tented Lodge, and Nkasa Lupala Lodge are the main operations on or near the Kwando. Each offers guided vehicle and boat activities; accommodation ranges from mid-range tented to luxury. See the accommodation guide.