Mudumu National Park
The western boundary of this nature reserve is the Kwando, while in the east it gradually blends into the communal area. Mudumu has barely been made accessible. The sandy paths in the eastern parts can only be negotiated by 4x4 and only during the dry season. The riverine vegetation is of a subtropical green. The exuberance is matched by an unbelievable diversity of bird life: more than 400 species are found in this magnificent corner of the world. The many waterways of the Kwando are best explored by boat, but for a close encounter with nature you can also go on a hiking tour. Depending on the season, Elephant, Buffalo and predators, including the very rare African Wild Dog, move through this area. Crocodiles and Hippos are, of course, permanent inhabitants of the rivers and floodplains.
The Mudumu National Park was proclaimed in 1990 and is a vast 1 010-km2 expanse of dense savannah and mopane woodlands, with the Kwando River as its western border. South of Lianshulu the river breaks up into a labyrinth of channels to form the Linyanti Swamp. Proclaimed in 1990, the park is home to small populations of sitatunga and red lechwe, while spotted-necked otter, hippo and crocodile inhabit the waterways. During a game drive, animals likely to be encountered are elephant, buffalo, roan antelope, kudu, impala and Burchell's zebra.
The entire Eastern Caprivi is a bird-watcher's paradise. Some 430 species, nearly 70% of Namibia's total number of species, have been recorded here. Of particular interest are slaty egrets, white-rumped babblers, greater swamp warblers (papyrus swamps), chirping cisticolas and swamp boubous. Other noteworthy species include black coucals (an intra-African migrant), coppery-tailed and Senegal coucals, wattled cranes (flood plains) and pinkthroated longclaws. In the backwaters and swamps, Pygmy geese and knobbilled duck (between September and April), Lesser gallinules (between December and April), and African and lesser jacanas are found.
Accommodation in Mudumu is restricted to the privately managed Lianshulu Lodge, but there are several other lodges in the surroundings, such as Namushasha Lodge.
