The Mahango National Park is often referred to as Namibia’s most specie diverse park, and is also the smallest national park in Namibia.
The park has a high number of elephants, as well as fair numbers of antelopes which are scarce or not seen in other parts of Namibia. These include the roan, sable antelope, tsessebe, red lechwe and a number of Sitatungas.
Part of the park borders on the Kavango River, so the possibility of seeing water-based animals (crocodiles & hippos) are very good.
The best time for game viewing is in the dry months between March and October. The Park is an excellent destination for bird watching.
Attraction
The Mahango Park is home to numerous game. Large herds of elephants and buffalos can be observed, as well as hippos and very large crocodiles.
Almost all the antelope species living in North-Eastern Namibia can be seen in the park, among them rare species like roan and sable antelope, common reed-buck, bush-buck, water-buck and tssessebe.
There are also giraffes, zebras, impalas, kudus living in the park. Main predators are lion, leopard and hyena. The large floodplains, reet islands and wetland areas make the Mahango park a bird’s paradise as well.
Opposite on the other side of the Okavango River lies the less popular Buffalo Game Park, a real insider tip
Where to stay
Mahangu Safari Lodge is situated 22kms south of the small town of Divundu on the western bank of the Okavango River. The lodge serves as a great base for day trips and activities into Mahango National Park and for Kavango River boat trips.
It is also a convenient stopover en-route to or from Maun, the Okavango Delta in Botswana or the famous Victoria Falls, from either the Zambian or Zimbabwean side. The word ‘Mahangu’ means ‘food of the local people’.
The thatched lodge is built amongst Jackal berry trees and wild date palms. The main dining area, bar and living room and swimming pool, all have great views of Okavango river. There is also a cosy fireplace, to ward off those cold, chilly nights.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served from a set menu. There are 2 big sunset decks on the front of the river, an ideal location for birders and photographers alike, as well as having excellent views of the Caprivi National Park.
These parks all form part of the largest Trans-frontier Park development on earth, the KAZA (Kavango – Zambezi) Trans-frontier Conservation Area which allows for uninhibited movement of large game species.
The conservation area consists of a region where the international borders of five countries converge and includes a major part of the Upper Zambezi basin, the Okavango basin and Delta.
The zone includes the Zambezi Strip (previously known as Caprivi Strip) of Namibia, the south-eastern corner of Angola, south-western Zambia, the northern wild lands of Botswana and western Zimbabwe.