Namibia’s Caprivi Strip: Africa forbidden zone now a wildlife wonderland

By Joe Yogerst, CNN
5 minute read
Published 4:13 AM EDT, Mon March 27, 2017
<strong>Close encounters of the elephant kind: </strong> Part of the traditional migration route between southern Angola and northern Bostwana, the Caprivi Strip is part of an ecosystem that supports nearly 145,000 elephants at any one time. Herds of up to 700 animals often surround safari vehicles.
Close encounters of the elephant kind: Part of the traditional migration route between southern Angola and northern Bostwana, the Caprivi Strip is part of an ecosystem that supports nearly 145,000 elephants at any one time. Herds of up to 700 animals often surround safari vehicles.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>The giant baobab trees: </strong>Plentiful water and the hot climate cause the baobab trees to grow to Godzilla-like size in the Caprivi Strip.<br />
The giant baobab trees: Plentiful water and the hot climate cause the baobab trees to grow to Godzilla-like size in the Caprivi Strip.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Tented camps: </strong>Like the Okavango Delta across the border in Botswana, the Caprivi is spangled with tented camps, from basic self-catering tents to luxury resorts. Nambwa Tented Camp in Bwabwata National Park flaunts posh tents, gourmet bush cuisine and a swimming pool where a resident leopard hangs out.<br />
Tented camps: Like the Okavango Delta across the border in Botswana, the Caprivi is spangled with tented camps, from basic self-catering tents to luxury resorts. Nambwa Tented Camp in Bwabwata National Park flaunts posh tents, gourmet bush cuisine and a swimming pool where a resident leopard hangs out.
courtesy African Monarch Lodges
<strong>A bird's eye view of the waterways: </strong>Fly-in trips provide stunning aerial views of the myriad waterways that make up Namibia's Four Rivers region and the greater Okavango Delta area. <br />
A bird's eye view of the waterways: Fly-in trips provide stunning aerial views of the myriad waterways that make up Namibia's Four Rivers region and the greater Okavango Delta area.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Leer at leaping lechwes: </strong>Among the Caprivi's three water-dwelling antelope, red lechwes are the most common, and the most graceful when leaping through high grass and knee-high waters. The ruddy creatures are often found in large herds in marshy areas along the Okavango, Kwango and Chobe rivers.
Leer at leaping lechwes: Among the Caprivi's three water-dwelling antelope, red lechwes are the most common, and the most graceful when leaping through high grass and knee-high waters. The ruddy creatures are often found in large herds in marshy areas along the Okavango, Kwango and Chobe rivers.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Cruising the bush: </strong>The paved Trans Caprivi Highway connects the region's scattered settlements and numerous national parks and other conservation areas. Four-wheel drive is recommended, but ordinary cars can navigate the main highway.
Cruising the bush: The paved Trans Caprivi Highway connects the region's scattered settlements and numerous national parks and other conservation areas. Four-wheel drive is recommended, but ordinary cars can navigate the main highway.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>The bush after dark: </strong>Camps and lodges in the Caprivi offer nighttime game drives to view animals that are more active after dusk. Nocturnal creatures are everywhere, from owls and bats to snakes and scorpions like the one shown here under a UV flashlight. <br />
The bush after dark: Camps and lodges in the Caprivi offer nighttime game drives to view animals that are more active after dusk. Nocturnal creatures are everywhere, from owls and bats to snakes and scorpions like the one shown here under a UV flashlight.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Small but interesting: </strong>The<strong> </strong>Caprivi is rife with smaller creatures that often get overlooked in the rush to see the obvious animals. The area has a wide variety of reptiles, amphibians and insects like this "dikpens", or armored bush cricket.
Small but interesting: The Caprivi is rife with smaller creatures that often get overlooked in the rush to see the obvious animals. The area has a wide variety of reptiles, amphibians and insects like this "dikpens", or armored bush cricket.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Home of the cape buffalo: </strong>The Caprivi Strip is the only place in Namibia where the hulking cape buffalo, one of the charter members of the "Big Five" of African wildlife, can be spotted.
Home of the cape buffalo: The Caprivi Strip is the only place in Namibia where the hulking cape buffalo, one of the charter members of the "Big Five" of African wildlife, can be spotted.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Where four rivers meet: </strong>Also called the Four Rivers Region, the Caprivi Strip is ideal for exploring the Okavango and Zambezi rivers, and the wildlife-rich wetlands along the Chobe and Kwango rivers. Guided tours offer views of hippos, crocodiles and other water life.
Where four rivers meet: Also called the Four Rivers Region, the Caprivi Strip is ideal for exploring the Okavango and Zambezi rivers, and the wildlife-rich wetlands along the Chobe and Kwango rivers. Guided tours offer views of hippos, crocodiles and other water life.
courtesy African Monarch Lodges
How to get the best out of the Caprivi strip

Story highlights

Caprivi Strip is a narrow panhandle that separates Botswana and Angola west to east

War pushed away much of its wildlife in the 1970s, but animals have returned since 1990

Less known than other safari areas, Caprivi Strip is growing in popularity for travelers

CNN  — 

If there was ever a candidate for an obscure question on a television quiz show, it’s the Caprivi Strip in northern Namibia.

A classic panhandle, the ultra-narrow strip separates Botswana and Angola as it runs 280 miles (450 km) west to east from the main part of Namibia to the Zambezi River on the eastern border.

For much of its length, the Caprivi is only 20 miles (32 kilometers) wide – a narrow extenuation of national sovereignty matched only by the equally obscure Wakhan Corridor in northern Afghanistan.

There’s a good argument to be made that the Caprivi has played a key role in modern pop history: Both Freddie Mercury and a band called Queen may never have existed without the strip’s creation. More on that later.

As a tourist destination, the Caprivi has only recently come into its own. It was off limits to safari seekers and other outsiders during the long border war that once raged in this region,

Its attractions are manifold: copious wildlife, a warren of navigable waterways, several large national parks and very few human residents.

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