Caprivi Strip

Namibia’s great cartographical oddity, the Caprivi Strip spurs off from the bulk of Namibia and runs for some 450kms until it reaches Botswana and Zambia, the latter being the world’s shortest land border at just 150 metres long. Its existence is owed to former German Chancellor Leon von Caprivi who negotiated the acquisition of the land in 1890 to allow German access to the Zambezi River.The landscapes of the Caprivi are starkly contrasting to the rest of Namibia, with the dry and dusty deserts replaced by lush forests and floodplains of the Okavango River. Indeed, the whole experience of being in the Caprivi replicates that of being in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, albeit with scaled back volumes of wildlife and lodges.Ideally accessed as a self-drive destination, Caprivi is home to an array of very good lodges, all of which offer easy access to the National Parks of the region. The riverine terrain means elephant and buffalo sightings are especially good in the area, as are those of lion and leopard – the most iconic of African predators.