Nkasa Rupara (Mamili) National Park
Overview
Namibia Parks
By Anthony Ham
Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the 'Botswana & Namibia' guide.
Nkasa Rupara National Park (formerly Mamili NP), located in the Zambezi Region (formerly Caprivi Strip), is an adventurous, undeveloped destination. The birding is great and it’s a stronghold for water-loving antelope. Wildlife densities are rather low, but there is a good variety of resident and migrating species. The park’s swampy environment makes it inaccessible during the Wet season.
Pros & Cons
Wildlife
This is a park in which you need to work for your sightings, but there is a good variety of wildlife. It’s one of the few places in Namibia to see buffalo and elephants regularly pass through. The wet habitat is great for antelope such as red lechwe and sitatunga. Wild dogs roam the area and lions are quite common. Many hippos and Nile crocodiles live in the water channels.
Scenery
The park is primarily a swamp between the Kwando and Linyanti rivers. There are several overgrown channels crisscrossing the marshland. It becomes Namibia's version of Botswana's Okavango Delta when flooded – an inaccessible paradise of islands and reed-lined waterways.
Weather & Climate
Nkasa Rupara has a hot climate but in mid-winter (June to August), early mornings tend to be chilly and you’ll need warm clothing for game drives. November to April is the Wet season. It usually doesn’t rain all day, but afternoon thunderstorm can be expected.
Best Time to Visit
Although precipitation at Nkasa Rupara is not that high, during the Wet season (November to April) it can be enough to close the wetland’s roads. The heat tends to be oppressive at this time. The drier months of May to October are a better time to visit, particularly as this is the peak time for wildlife watching.
