African Wings: Part 1 - Kasane to Rundu

AFRICAN WINGS: PART 1: RUNDU

Join us on a 6500km flying adventure through Namibia starting at Rundu on the Angolan border and ending at Oranjemund;  the quirky mining town of the Sperrgebiet

The vast and meandering Kavango River

The day dawned bright and clear in Kasane as we gazed out of our balcony onto the shimmering expanse of the Chobe River, a peaceful scene that in no way reflected the simultaneous excitement and trepidation coursing through our bodies. This was the first day of our solitary adventure through the formidable vastness of Namibia.

Following the winding ways of the Kavango River along the border of Angola was a solitary journey. No aircraft crossed our path and despite our numerous attempts, there was no answer from air traffic control for the duration of our three hour flight. The vast bushveld beneath us lay unbroken, punctuated only by the odd muddy watering hole and perhaps a lone tusker.

Lone tuskers in the dense bushveld of the Caprivi

We felt slightly ridiculous landing our tiny aircraft on Rundu’s 3km long airstrip. The airstrip had been built by the South African government for use in the Angolan bush war with Antinovs in mind. We landed and taxied to a halt under the wing of a massive Angolan military Ilyushin 76, much to the amusement of the Russian crew. We fuelled up, cleared customs and headed off to Nkwazi Lodge, our accommodation for the evening. http://www.safarinow.com/go/nkwazi/



The enormous Rundu airstrip - built for the Angolan War back in the 1980's



Our Jabiru 430 (EZP) parked under the wing of an Angolan Ilyushin 76



Rundu itself is a dusty fronteir town with not much going for it. Its is however a gateway to the Caprivi, Etosha, Okavango and Bwabwata and Mudumu National Park and has some lovely lodges situated on the banks of the Kavango River.

Catching a boat down the river to the lodge we sailed languidly down the river watching local settlements drift by in the late afternoon light. The people of the Kavango mainly originate from Angola. The border really only exists on maps as the Kavango tribes have been living for centuries on both sides of the Kavango River. Most families have relations and friends on either side.



You will be treated to a ride down the Kavango in this unusual vessel if you visit Nkwazi Lodge

 

Drifting down the Kavango is like going back in time. Life continues as it has for centuries



Children help with the clothes washing and at the same time have a bath

We spent the late afternoon watching Little Bee-eaters and dragonflies dance over the Kavango River as it turned to burnished gold in the late afternoon sun. The soft clong of cowbells and the gentle rush of water was all that broke the deep silence. All this with a glass of crisp white wine in your hand - quintessential Africa!



A dragon fly dancing with the light on the burnished gold surface of the Kavango

Nkwazi Lodge - Rustic, quiet and on the banks of the Kavango River



Children dragging a drum of water along a dust path by cow power



What’s great about being a frequent traveller (and probably a pre-requisite for a happy traveller) is the ability to enjoy the unexpected, the different and the comical. This particular morning we caught a lift back to Rundu on a low-slung speedboat; our companions; a fat lady, a khaki clad old gentleman and a pit bull terrier, tongue lolling out with front legs on the prow (the bull terrier that is!).

On the banks of the Kavango another day had begun. Men, women and children were down at the river's edge washing themselves and hanging up their clothes to dry like multi-coloured butterflies in the reeds. Kingfishers whirred past us and little Bee-eaters dripped off the bull rushes like gems. What a blissful way to start our first morning in Namibia

Back at the Rundu airfield we pushed our aerie out of the hangar into the crisp morning air and with no fan-fair took off into a pale blue African sky, out next stop was Etosha…….