FeaTURe
BY CaRlIN SoBoTTa
Island View Lodge
Beyond Namibia’s Desert - An Upper Zambezi Experience
The lodge’s primary activities are fishing and birding. Moored on the steep embankment in front of the lodge are nine fishing boats (fibreglass
and aluminium), a pontoon cruiser for birding enthusiasts as well as 22 metre house boat, which sleeps 12.
Now worried more than before about hippo and crocodiles after watching way too many
Animal Planet and National Geographic programmes, it was time to hitch the trailer and
head for the Upper Zambezi River. Perched about 6m above the Kalimbeza Channel, a
peaceful backwater 1,5km off the Upper Zambezi River, Island View Lodge provides the
idyllic getaway for every fishing and birding enthusiast as well of course anyone just wanting
to escape city life and appreciate the time flow of the Caprivi.
O
pting to drive through the night despite numerous protests
and the elephant warning triangle, the topic of conversation
revolved around natures more pesky little critters like
tsetse flies and mosquitoes. The “Caprivi Zipfel” meaning tassel as
commonly known in former German Colonial times stretches its long
finger inland with the town of Katima Mulilo being the gateway to
Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. As the Caprivi Strip is north of
Namibia’s veterinary red line, one will pass through veterinary check
The lodge is open 365 days and can sleep thirty visitors. The
fully serviced accommodation is rustic, yet comfortable. Each
thatched bungalow has its own equipped self catering kitchen
and freezi