Elephants walked through the site while Dusty Rodgers, known locally as Captain Caprivi, was up a tree during clearing, so he lifted the whole lodge onto timber platforms and left the herds their path. His wife, Tinolla, runs it now with the Mayuni Conservancy, the community that holds the tourism concession.
The walkways sit high enough for elephants to pass beneath.
The suites stand on stilts in riverine forest above the Kwando floodplains, deep inside Bwabwata National Park. The trees stayed where they were, and the decking bent around them. The walkways sit high enough for elephants to pass beneath. Herds do so most nights, feeding through the jackalberry and knobthorn woodland below, and the floodplain in front is rarely empty of buffalo and plains game by day.
The Kwando Core Area of Bwabwata is a wildlife corridor inside the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which spans Namibia and its neighbours. Buffalo herds, red lechwe, sable and roan graze the floodplains, and lions, leopards and wild dogs hunt the woodland edges. Hippos and crocodiles hold the channels of the Kwando River. Over 330 bird species have been recorded here.
Sundowner cruises close the day on the Kwando
Evenings belong to the night drive, which Nambwa is authorised to run here, and the beams pick out civets, genets, aardvark and sometimes leopard. Daylight goes to open 4x4s across the floodplains and to walks with armed guides, and to boat safaris threading the channels, where tiger fish and nembwe come to the line on catch-and-release trips. Sundowner cruises close the day on the Kwando.
Ten tented suites are strung along elevated timber walkways through jackalberry, sausage and knobthorn trees. Canvas walls unzip and roll back on three sides, opening the bedroom to the canopy, and each suite has a lounge, a freestanding bath set for the view, and a private deck above the floodplain. Hippos grunt from the lagoons after dark. Branches crack and feet shuffle in the sand under the walkways at night. Coffee arrives on the deck at first light, brought up by a guide with homemade biscuits.
The main area sits under thatch and canvas, with a lounge, a bar and an open boma. Its library holds old books, regional maps and military relics turned up on site during construction, a reminder that this part of the Zambezi Region was once a military zone. Dinner is served open to the sky on the central deck, with the floodplain visible through the meal and hippo noise carrying up from the water. Mornings can start away from camp altogether, with breakfast set out in the bush.
Branches crack and feet shuffle in the sand under the walkways at night.
The Sijwa Project, launched in 2018 with the blessing of Chief Mayuni, is a short drive from camp. Glass, plastic and metal from the lodge and the nearby villages are reworked there into jewellery, homeware and craft by local artisans. Kitchen waste and elephant dung feed a permaculture nursery growing vegetables for the village and the lodge kitchen, and beehives go up around village crops to keep elephants out of them. A share of the revenue goes to the Mayuni Conservancy each month, and guests can plant indigenous trees, tended afterwards by local tree guardians.
A sand track of roughly 14 kilometres runs from the Bwabwata entrance gate to the lodge, with Katima Mulilo around 90 minutes away. What that buys is a water-and-land safari within Namibia, lagoons and channels on one side, dry woodland and floodplain grazing on the other. Children are welcome, and younger guests have a junior ranger course to work through; families travelling with children under twelve take a private vehicle and boat on activities. This is a malaria area, and prophylaxis is essential.
accommodation
Ten elevated tented suites stand on their own timber platforms among the trees, linked by walkways. Canvas walls roll back on three sides to frame the Kwando floodplain. Inside, a bed that converts from twins to king sits under mosquito netting, with a lounge, an en-suite shower room, and a freestanding bath set for the view.
activities
Game drives in open 4x4s across Bwabwata's floodplains and woodland, night drives, walks with armed guides, boat safaris and sundowner cruises on the Kwando River, catch-and-release fishing for tiger fish and nembwe, plus bush breakfasts and visits to the Sijwa Project and a local village.
conservation
The Sijwa Project, launched in 2018 with the blessing of Chief Mayuni, recycles glass, plastic and metal into saleable crafts, runs an organic permaculture and indigenous tree nursery, and installs beehives around village crops to deter elephants from raiding them. A share of its revenue goes to the Mayuni Conservancy each month.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
The direct route is a charter to Immelman airstrip inside Bwabwata, which is much the simplest way in. The alternative is a scheduled flight to Katima Mulilo and a road transfer of around an hour and a half, the last part of it on sand tracks that need a four-wheel drive.
We arrange either, and if you are driving yourself we go through the track conditions for your dates first, because this is not a route to improvise.
Yes, and firmly so. Namibia's Zambezi Region, the old Caprivi, is significant endemic malaria country with risk present all year and higher through the hot wet season. It is quite different from the rest of Namibia in this respect.
We do not make medical recommendations, and we would not want to. We arrange travel; we are not doctors. Which tablets suit you, how they sit with anything else you take, and what is right for a child are questions for your own doctor or a travel clinic. On the practical part, dusk is the hour that matters, so long sleeves, long trousers and repellent are worth the packing space.
Yes, all ages are taken. Children from one to six are accommodated free, six to twelve pay about half, and those from one to twelve go out on privately booked activities at a surcharge.
The lodge is built on stilts in the treetops above the Kwando floodplain, which children generally love, and the private vehicle means a day can be cut to their length. Give us the ages at enquiry so the private activities are priced in from the start.
Hot, humid and wet from around November to April, with thunderstorms and tracks that turn difficult, and drier, milder weather from May to October. October is very hot before the rains arrive.
Bring neutral colours, a warm layer for early game drives and boat trips, a wide-brimmed hat and strong sun protection, and a light waterproof outside the dry months. Insect repellent is not optional here, and binoculars earn their place over the floodplain.
May to October, with June to September the strongest. The floodplains dry back, animals concentrate on the Kwando, the roads are passable and the elephant numbers through Bwabwata are at their highest.
December to March brings lush country and outstanding birding, including migrants you will not see in the dry months, but it is hot, wet and harder to move around in. April and May are a good compromise, green but drying out.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
