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Namibia
Namibia lies in the South West of Africa, just above South Africa and below Angola. To the east is Botswana and to the west is the Atlantic Ocean. It is a fascinating country consisting of the world’s oldest desert – the Namib - atmospheric and scenic landscapes, huge game reserves and quaint towns. Sparsely populated and full of wide-open spaces including the bleak Skeleton Coast, Namibia is rich in wildlife and offers the magnificent Etosha National Park - one of Africa's best game reserves.

Formerly known as South-West Africa, Namibia achieved independence in 1990. The country has rich deposits of non-fuel minerals, uranium, diamonds as well as zinc, copper, silver and other metals – one of the cornerstones of a fairly stable and growing economy. Namibia is the first country in the world to include the protection of the environment as part of the constitution.




Fish River Canyon
The Fish River Canyon is one of Namibia's most spectacular geological phenomena and, on the African continent, second in size only to the Blue Nile Gorge in Ethiopia. The canyon lies in the lower reaches of Namibia's longest river, the Fish, and took millions of years to evolve to its present shape, a massive 161 km long and 27 km wide, with a varying depth of 550 m.
Bordering the canyon's eastern rim is the privately owned Gondwana Canon Park, a

102 000 ha stretch of land that is managed as a nature park. In earlier times this land was used for sheep farming, but as it lies in a semi-desert area, it was soon proven to be unsuitable for farming. Existing fences have been removed and water points established for the game. Following the good 1999/2000 rainy season, the flora in the area has recovered well. A substantial amount of the funding for this park is generated from the 5% bed levy paid by visitors to the Canon Lodge and Canon Roadhouse, two establishments that are good options when wanting accommodation near the canyon.


The Fish River Hiking Trail, often compared in terms of difficulty to the daunting Otter Trail in South Africa, ranks amongst the Big Five hiking trails in the Southern African Region. The 85 km-long route, which most hikers complete in four to five days, starts at the northern-most look-out point close to the Hobas campsite. Chain handholds are provided at the beginning of the trail and at the bottom is an enormous pool in which hikers can cool off before continuing further. There are no overnight stops along the route, enabling hikers to determine their own pace and set up camp where they choose. The trail ends at the Ai-Ais Hot Springs Resort, where hikers can relax in the soothing thermal waters of the spring around which the resort was developed.
Namib-Naukluft National Park
Home to several of Namibia's top tourist destinations including Sossusvlei, the Namib-Naukluft Park is a vast wilderness reserve with a surface area of almost 50 000 km2. The reserve is managed along wilderness principles, and has no rest camps or recreational resorts within its boundaries other than basic camping sites in the Namib and Naukluft sections. Highlights in the northern section of the park, which falls in the Namib Region, are Sandwich Harbour, the Welwitschia Plains and the Moon Landscape.
NamibRand Nature Reserve

Close to Sossusvlei, lies the NamibRand Nature Reserve, extending over nearly 180000 ha. It shares a common border of nearly 100 km with the Namib Naukluft Park to the west, while the imposing Nubib mountain range forms a natural border in the east. The particular attraction of NamibRand is its diversity of different desert landscapes, representing virtually all facets of the Namib Desert. Expansive sand and gravel plains and endless stretches of grass savannah alternate with majestic mountain ranges and vegetated dune belts of deep-red sand. The variety of flora and fauna is as fascinating as the colour nuances of the landscape, which change continuously as the day progresses.

Before NamibRand became a private nature reserve it consisted of sheep farms, surveyed and allocated in the early fifties to ex-soldiers of World War II. However, because of the low rainfall in the region, farming with domestic livestock soon proved to be futile. Due to bad farming practices, the environment deteriorated drastically, mainly through overgrazing. Albi Bruckner, who had bought the farm Gorrasis in 1984, purchased the bordering farms De Duine and Stellarine, and the idea of creating a private nature reserve was born. In the years that followed, more farms were acquired, the objective being to consolidate all these farms into one large conservation area.
Today visitors to NamibRand can admire nature in its original state, as animals and plants are back where they belong. Gemsbok, springbok, hartebeest, ostrich, zebra and leopard frequent the area, as well as smaller desert dwellers, such as the endemic golden mole, ground squirrels, geckos, snakes and tenebrionid beetles. An unexpectedly rich variety of birds are encountered in this dry region, with 120 different species having been identified over the past ten years.
Since 1984, to ensure the long-term, sustainable existence of the reserve, exclusive safaris have been offered to nature lovers from many different parts of the world by means of tourist concessions. There are currently five concessionaires conducting tourist operations in the Reserve for their own account, while paying a levy to the Reserve in form of a percentage of their billings.
Swakopmund
In 1884, the whole of present-day Namibia was declared a protectorate of Germany – except the region's only large natural harbour, Walvis Bay, which remained under British control. Thus, in order to develop their interests in the area, the German authorities decided to make their own harbour on the northern banks of the Swakop River, and beacons were planted in 1892 to mark the spot, where the Mole is today.
The Evangelic Lutheran Church designed in Neu-Barock style was completed in 1911 and declared National Monument in 1978.

Following this, the German authorities made several (largely unsuccessful) attempts to develop landing facilities. A quay was built, although it subsequently silted up, followed by a wooden, and later an iron, jetty. Finally in 1915, when Germany’s control of the country was surrendered to South Africa, all maritime trade reverted to Walvis Bay.

During the South African administration of Namibia, before Independence, there was a deliberate policy of developing no other ports to compete with Walvis Bay – as South Africa anticipated keeping hold of the Walvis Bay enclave, even if it were forced into giving most of Namibia independence.

As planned, South Africa kept the Walvis Bay enclave as part of the Cape Colony even after Namibian independence in 1990, though it agreed to a joint administration in 1992, and finally relented in February 1994, when Walvis Bay officially became part of Namibia.


The "Altes Amptsgericht" Currently the health department of the municipality - Built in 1906 The "Altes Amptsgericht" Currently the health department of the municipality - Built in 1906.


What’s to do

Unlike most Namibian towns, there’s plenty to do in Swakopmund.


National Marine Aquarium
This relatively new aquarium is worth a visit for its impressive displays of local marine life. It has a total of about 20 tanks, including a huge main tank containing 320m³ of water, and is crossed by an underwater walkway. Coastal angling species dominate, with plenty of kob, blacktail, steenbras, spotted grunters, sharks, skates and rays. Note that at 15.00 on Tues, Sat and Sun the larger fish are hand-fed by divers – an excellent time to visit.
Opens: 10.00–16.00 Tues–Sun and public holidays, closed Mon.



The Mole
If you only have a little time to spare, then wander down to the Mole, by the Strand Hotel. This was to be a harbour wall when first built, but the ocean currents continually shifted the sandbanks and effectively blocked the harbour before it was even completed. A similar ‘longshore drift’ effect can be seen all along the coast, at inlets like Sandwich Harbour. Partially because of this sandbank's protection, the beach by the Mole is pleasant and safe to swim from, if small and surprisingly busy at times.
NDC Centre
NDC is a short drive out of town, on Knobloch Street (off Noordring), but a very long walk. It houses the Karakulia weaving company and a new Save the Rhino shop/craft workshop, which sells original crafts from the Save the Rhino HQ in Khorixas. It’s worth a trip out, but you need transport. Hopefully this whole complex will attract more craftspeople, as it has the potential to be a fascinating, buzzing place.
Hansa Brewery
Tours around this on Tuesdays and Thursdays are easy to arrange by phoning them on 064 405021, with as much advance notice as possible. The beer is brewed, we're told, according to rigorous German standards.
Historical buildings
As you might expect, this town is full of amazing old German architecture in perfect condition. Frau Angelika Flamm-Schneeweiss at the Sam Cohen Library (tel: 064 402695) can arrange one-off guided walking tours.

Alternatively, the handout from the municipality itself, or the short book entitled Swakopmund – A Chronicle of the Town's People, Places and Progress, available at the museum, both give descriptions and brief histories for some of the buildings.


Swakopmund Museum
Founded by Dr Alfons Weber in 1951. It now has exhibits on life in the Namib Desert and the South Atlantic, huge collections of insects and birds’ eggs, an excellent section on rocks and minerals, and lots of information on the colonial German history in the region. On view are many artifacts illustrating the historic development of the area; the natural history of the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Ocean; botany; zoology; and the culture of Namibia's ethnic peoples
These are represented by displays of various musical instruments and utensils, and there’s a re-creation of what old doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries must have been like. Frightening stuff.
Opens daily: 10.00–13.00, 14.00–17.00, including Sundays.



Sam Cohen Library
Next to the Transport Museum, the impressive collection of Africana books at the Sam Cohen library (tel: 064 402695) has about 7,000 volumes, encompassing most of the literature on Swakopmund, and a huge archive of newspapers from 1898 to the present day. (Some in German, some in English.) There’s also a collection of old photographs and maps.
Opens: 09.00–13.00, 15.00–17.00.
The interesting early colonial German architecture and wide streets lined with date palms, all add to giving Swakopmund a distinct colonial air

The Skeleton Coast

By the end of the 17th century, the long stretch of coast north of Swakopmund had attracted the attention of the Dutch East India Company. They sent several exploratory missions, but after finding only barren shores and impenetrable fogs, their journeys ceased. Later, in the 19th century, British and American whalers operated out of Lüderitz, but they gave this northern coast a wide berth – it was gaining a formidable reputation.


In the 1960s, when the country was South West Africa and ruled as a province of South Africa, the authorities in Pretoria considered building a second port, north of Walvis Bay. The coast had few suitable sites, except for one in the far north, in what is now the Wilderness Area.

To develop this expensive facility in an almost uncharted area, a small project team was assembled, including a lawyer from Windhoek, Louw Schoeman. Despite much research

and some viable business plans, the idea was eventually abandoned, but not before Louw had fallen in love with the amazing scenery and solitude of the area.

He had already started to bring friends up to the area for short exploratory safaris. As word spread of these trips, he started taking paying passengers there as well. In the late 1960s the area was set aside for ‘recreational’ purposes. Finally, after much lobbying, the Skeleton Coast was proclaimed as a park in 1971. Then, as now, the park was split in two. In order to preserve part of the area in totally pristine condition, the northern Wilderness Area was designated as the preserve of just one operator. Rules were laid down to minimise the operator’s impact, including a complete ban on any permanent structures, a maximum number of visitors per year, and the stipulation that all rubbish must be removed (no easy task) and that visitors must be flown in.

Louw won the tender for this concession, giving him the sole right to operate there. So he started to put his new company, Skeleton Coast Fly-in Safaris, on a more commercial footing. The logistics of such a remote operation were difficult and it remained a small, exclusive, and expensive operation. Its camps took a maximum of twelve visitors, and much of the travel was by light aircraft. The whole operation was ‘minimum impact’ by any standard. Louw was one of the first operators to support the pioneering community game-guard schemes in Namibia.

The Skeleton Coast is a very remote part of Namibia. Its attraction lies in the colours, changing moods and the untouched profile of its inhospitable landscape.


“…………I travelled to the coast with Louw in 1990. It was one of the most spellbinding, fascinating trips that I’ve ever taken in Africa. Partly this was the area’s magic, but much was down to the enthusiasm of Louw, and the sheer professionalism of his operation”.

Gradually, Skeleton Coast Fly-in Safaris had become a textbook example of an environmentally friendly operation, as well as one of the best safari operations in Africa. Louw’s wife, Amy, added to this with the stunning photographs in her book, The Skeleton Coast. The latest edition of this is still the definitive work on the area.



Partake in nature drives and walks to experience the solitude of this remote area, and be able to see the diversity of this unexplored landscape.

His sons, André and Bertus, joined as pilot/guides, making it a family operation. In many ways, Louw’s operation put the area, and even the country, on the map as a top-class destination for visitors.

Today, driving north from Swakopmund, it’s easy to see how this coast earned its names of the Coast of Skulls or the Skeleton Coast. Treacherous fogs and strong currents forced many ships on to the uncharted sandbanks that shift underwater like the desert’s sands. Even if the sailors survived the shipwreck, their problems had only just begun. The coast here is but a barren line between an icy, pounding ocean and the stark desert interior. The present road runs more or less parallel to the ocean, and often feels like a drive along an enormous beach – with the sea on one side, and the sand continuing forever on the other.


The Skeleton Coast's landscape ranges from beaches and windswept dunes to rugged canyons and extensive mountain ranges.
For the first 250km or so, from Swakopmund to about Torra Bay, there are almost no dunes. This is desert of gravel and rock. Then, around Torra Bay, the northern dune-sea of the Namib starts, with an increasingly wide belt of coastal dunes stretching north to the Kunene River. But nowhere are these as tall, or continuous, as the Namib’s great southern dune-sea, south of the Kuiseb River.

At first sight it all seems very barren, but watch the amazing wildlife documentaries made by the famous film-makers of the Skeleton Coast, Des and Jen Bartlett, to realise that some of the most remarkable wildlife on earth has evolved here. Better still, drive yourself up the coast road, through this fascinating stretch of the world’s oldest desert. You won’t see a fraction of the action that they have filmed, but with careful observation you will spot plenty to captivate you.



Politics

In 1992, the new government put the concession for the Skeleton Coast Wilderness Area up for tender, to maximise its revenue from the area. No local operator in Namibia bid against Louw, as it was clear that he was operating an excellent, efficient operation in a very difficult area.

However, a competing bid was entered by a German company, Olympia Reisen, headed by the powerful Kurt Steinhausen, who have extensive political connections in Namibia and Germany. They offered significantly more money, and won the concession. (They subsequently built the enigmatic Oropoko Lodge, near Okahandja.)

Local operators were aghast. Suddenly a foreign firm had usurped Namibia’s flagship safari operation. Rumours of Olympia Reisen’s other operations did nothing to allay people’s fears. Louw started legal proceedings to challenge the bid, but tragically he died of a heart attack before the case was heard. The challenge succeeded in the High Court, and the matter was referred to the cabinet. They set aside the High Court ruling, and awarded the concession to Olympia Reisen for an unprecedented ten years.

The rules of the game had clearly changed. The monthly ‘rent’ for the concession that Skeleton Coast Safaris used to pay has been abolished. In its place, Olympia Reisen pays the government US$1,000 for every visitor taken into the concession. However, with no ‘rent’ and no minimum number of visitors, the government’s income from the area has dropped drastically. In the first four years of Olympia Reisen’s operation they carried fewer than 400 people into the concession – less than half the number of visitors taken in annually by Skeleton Coast Safaris.

Olympia Reisen is widely viewed with suspicion in Namibia. Many damaging allegations have been made about why it took the concession, how it won backing from the cabinet, and the impact it has had on the Skeleton Coast. It doesn’t encourage journalists, and so these accusations are difficult to comment upon accurately

The Kaokoveld

The Kaokoveld is one of Africa's last wildernesses. This is Namibia's least inhabited area. It stretches from the coastal desert plain and rises slowly into a wild and rugged landscape. Here slow-growing trees cling to rocky mountains, whilst wild grass seeds wait dormant on the dust plains for showers of rain

Because of the low population in the northern parts of the Kaokoveld, and the spectacularly successful Community Game Guard scheme, there are thriving populations of game here, living beyond the boundaries of any national park. This is one of the last refuges for the black rhino, which still survive (and thrive) here by ranging wide, and knowing where the seasonal plants grow.

It is also home to the famous desert elephants. Some naturalists have cited their apparently long legs, and proven ability to withstand drought, as evidence that they are actually a subspecies of the African elephant. Though this is not now thought to be the case, these remarkable animals are certainly adept at surviving in the driest of areas, using their amazing knowledge of the few water sources that do exist.



Historically the Kaokoveld has been split into two areas: Damaraland in the south, and Kaokoland in the north. Though it is all now officially known as the Kunene region, we have retained the old names as they are still widely in use. Further we have subdivided Damaraland because, for the visitor, its north is very different from its south.
Southern Damaraland's main attractions are the mountains of Spitzkoppe and Brandberg, the wealth of Bushman rock art at Twyfelfontein, the Petrified Forest, and various rock formations.
Northern Damaraland attracts people to its scenery, landscapes and populations of game in four huge private concession areas: Hobatere, Palmwag, Etendeka and the Damaraland Camp. Spending some time in these lodgings, and taking the guided 4WD trips is the best way to appreciate the area.
Damaraland is a region of rolling plains and distant mountain ranges with rugged beautiful landscapes. Damaraland is an unusual geological feature, a wealth of rock paintings and engravings, and has a population of desert-adapted Elephants and black Rhino combined to form its unique attraction.

Kaokoland is different. North of Sesfontein, there are no lodges and few campsites. This is the land of the Himba, a traditional, pastoral people, relying upon herds of drought-resistant cattle for their livelihood. Their villages are situated by springs that gush out from dry riverbeds. Kaokoland’s remote ‘roads’ need high-clearance 4WD vehicles and are dangerous for the unprepared. The best way to visit is by air, or using one of the more experienced local operators who know the area and understand the dangers. To visit independently you need your own expedition: two or more equipped 4WDs, with experienced drivers and enough fuel and supplies for a week or more. This isn’t a place for the casual or inexperienced visitor.

Spitzkoppe

At the far southern end of the Kaokoveld lies a small cluster of mountains, rising from the flat gravel plains that make up the desert floor. These include Spitzkoppe, Klein Spitzkoppe and Pondok Mountains. Of these the highest is Spitzkoppe which towers 600m above the surrounding plains: a demanding technical climb. Its resemblance to the famous Swiss mountain earned it the name of the Matterhorn of Africa while the extreme conditions found on its faces ensured that it remained unclimbed until 1946.
The Spitzkoppe, an inselberg in the eastern part of the Namib, is probably the best known and most famous landmark in Namibia. Known as the Matterhorn of Africa, the majestic form of the Spitzkoppe towers 1,784 metres above the flat surrounding plains.


Brandberg: Geological History


The geological history of Brandberg is just as interesting as the thousands of rock art paintings and engravings on the mountain and its surroundings. The Brandberg itself is not a volcano but is a granite plug which was pressed out of the volcano's pipe and stopped at about 10 000 meters under the surface.

That is why the granite of the Brandberg is younger than the Dolorite which lies around the Brandberg. The Brandberg is an isolated massif reaching 2,606 meters (8,550 feet) which rises much higher than any other feature for hundreds of kilometers around. It is composed of a single mass of granite that rose through the Earth's crust some 120 million years ago.


General

The imposing Brandberg massif is a challenge to rock climbers, especially its peak Königstein, which at 2 574 m is the highest point in Namibia. The Acacia montisusti trees, conspicuous in the Brandberg valley, are endemic to this region. Fine specimens of the desert plant Welwitschia mirabilis can be seen at the Messum Crater south west of the Brandberg.


The most famous of its rock paintings is known as the White Lady, which can be seen on an overhang in Maack's Shelter, named after the surveyor who discovered it in 1917. The painting became known to international rock art experts only in 1955 when Abbe Henri Breuil, a French archaeologist and cleric, copied and described it. Since then there has been a great deal of controversy over the meaning and origin of this tantalising relic from

the past.




Twyfelfontein


The Twyfelfontein area, a very vulnerable and delicate ecosystem, is renowned for some of the best examples of Bushman Paintings and Engravings in Southern Africa. Interesting rock formations and the remainder of prehistoric volcanic action can be seen in the Organ Pipes, Burnt Mountain, Doros Crater and the Petrified Forest among the most prominent geographic features. The fauna and flora of Damaraland include; plants such as Welwitschia, Moringa and a variety of Commiphora species and animals such as the Desert Elephant, Rhinoceros, Giraffe, Springbok , Oryx and Ostrich living in total harmony with the community and the communal farming activities of the Uibasen Twyfelfontein Conservancy.

Etosha National Park
For many years Namibia's main tourist draw card has been the internationally known Etosha National Park. Until the 1960s, Etosha was the largest game reserve in the world, but following the implementation of the recommendations of the Odendaal Commission, its surface area was reduced by a vast 77%. Nevertheless, at its present size of 22 270 km\ it is still one of the largest parks in Africa.

Namutoni is situated at the eastern entrance of Etosha and centers around an old German fort built before the turn of the century. As a reminder of its military past, a bugle accompanies the hoisting and lowering of the Namibian flag on top of the watch tower at sunset and sunrise. Taking photographs the Etosha pan from this platform is particularly popular.




Etosha owes its unique landscape to the Etosha Pan, a vast shallow depression of approximately 5 000 km2. A series of waterholes along the southern edge of the pan guarantee rewarding and often spectacular game viewing. In good rain years the pan fills with water draining southwards from Angola via a delta-like system of shallow rivers and oshanas, drying out in the winter to become an austere expanse of white cracked mud, shimmering with mirages and upward spiralling dust devils.
During the rainy season this is a good option for viewing Fischer's Pan, a birders' delight on several counts, especially for greater and lesser flamingos and even pelicans.

The Caprivi Strip
On the map, the Caprivi Strip appears to be a strange appendage of Namibia rather than a part of it. It forms a strategic corridor of land, linking Namibia to Zimbabwe and Zambia, but seems somehow detached from the rest of the country. The region's history explains why.

When Germany annexed South West Africa (Namibia) in 1884, it prompted British fears that they might try to link up with the Boers, in the Transvaal, and thus drive a wedge between these territories and cut the Cape off from Rhodesia. Out of fear, the British negotiated an alliance with Khama, a powerful Tswana king, and proclaimed the Protectorate of Bechuanaland – the forerunner of modern Botswana. At that time, this included the present-day Caprivi Strip. Geographically this made sense if the main reason for Britain's claim was to block Germany's expansion into central Africa.

Meanwhile, off Africa's east coast, Germany laid claim to Zanzibar. This was the end game of the colonial ‘scramble for Africa’, which set the stage for the Berlin Conference of July 1890. Then these two colonial powers sat down in Europe to reorganise their African possessions with strokes of a pen.

Britain agreed to sever the Caprivi from Bechuanaland and give control of it to Germany, to add to their province of South West Africa (now Namibia). Germany hoped to use it to access the Zambezi's trade routes to the east, and named it after the German Chancellor of the time, Count George Leo von Caprivi. In return for this (and also the territory of Heligoland), Germany ceded control of Zanzibar to Britain, and agreed to redefine South West Africa's eastern border with Britain’s Bechuanaland.

At the end of World War II the land was again incorporated into Bechuanaland, but in 1929 it was again returned to South West Africa, then under South African rule. Hence it became part of Namibia.
The Kavango and Caprivi Strip

The north of Namibia is generally very lush, watered by a generous annual rainfall. East of Owamboland – which means northeast of Grootfontein for most visitors – lie the regions of Kavango and Caprivi.

These support a large population, and a surprising amount of wildlife. The wildlife has visibly increased in the national parks here in the last few years, helped enormously by various successful community-based game-guard and conservation/development programmes.

The main road across the strip, or Golden Highway as it is sometimes called, is now completely tarred. It is destined to become an increasingly important artery for trade with Zimbabwe and Zambia, and hence a busier road. It has come a long way since the dusty gravel road when many viewed it as terra incognita.

Unlike much of the rest of Namibia, the Kavango and Caprivi regions feel like most Westerners’ image of Africa. You’ll see lots of circular huts, small kraals, animals and people carrying water on their heads. These areas are probably what you imagined Africa to be like before you first arrived.

By the roadside you’ll find stalls selling vegetables, fruit, or woodcarvings, and in the parks you’ll find buffalo hiding in the thick vegetation. In short, this area is much more like Botswana, Zimbabwe, or Zambia than it is like the rest of Namibia. This is only what you’d expect if you look at a map of the subcontinent, or read the history of the area: it really is very different from the rest of Namibia.


Kwando River Area

The southern border of eastern Caprivi is defined rather indistinctly along the line of the Kwando, the Linyanti and the Chobe Rivers. These are actually the same river in different stages. The Kwando comes south from Angola, meets the Kalahari's sands, and forms a swampy region of reedbeds and waterways called the Linyanti swamps. (To confuse names further, locals refer to sections of the Kwando above Lianshulu as ‘the Mashi’.)

These swamps form the core of Mamili National Park. In good years a river emerges from here, called the Linyanti, and flows northeast into Lake Liambezi. It starts again from the eastern side of Lake Liambezi, renamed the Chobe. This beautiful river has a short course before it is swallowed into the mighty Zambezi, which continues over the Victoria Falls, through Lake Kariba, and eventually discharges into the Indian Ocean.

Mudumu National Park

The more northerly of the region's two new reserves, Mudumu, covers 850km² of riverine forest south of Kongola, either side of the D3511. Bordered by the Kwando River on the west, the reserve has good populations of a large variety of animals. Together with Mamili and the Triangle, Mudumu is notable for its buffalo (otherwise uncommon in Namibia), roan and sable antelope (both generally uncommon species), the water-loving lechwe and sitatunga, and often large herds of elephant.



Lizauli Traditional Village

This small village is just to the north of Lianshulu, and is an important attraction for visitors. N$20 is charged as an entrance fee, and visitors are guided around the village where traditional arts and crafts are being practised. Aside from the fascination of the actual attractions, an iron forge, a grain store, and various carvers and basket weavers, a visit here gives a good opportunity to sit down and talk to some local people about their way of life. This is just one of several important community projects in this area



Katima Mulilo

Established originally by the British in 1935, Katima is the regional capital of the eastern Caprivi. It replaced the old German centre of Schuckmannsburg, which now consists of just a police post, a clinic and a few huts. Collectors of trivia note that the taking of Schuckmannsburg, on September 22 1914, was the first allied occupation of German territory during World War I.

Katima is a large town with good facilities, beautifully placed on the banks of the Zambezi. There is an open central square, dotted with trees and lined with useful places like the Katima Supermarket, the Ngwezi bottle stall, and the Ngwezi post office.
Recently, as western Zambia has started to open up, Katima has taken on the role of frontier town: a base for supplies and communication for the new camps on the Upper Zambezi river in Zambia. It has just a little of the wild-west air that Maun used to have a decade ago, when it was remote and the hub of the Okavango’s safari industry.
ENDS

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