South of Kongola two national parks lie one after the other along the Kwando. Mudumu begins about 35 kilometres south of the B8, bush and mopane woodland on the east bank of the river. At the far southern end, where the Kwando becomes the Linyanti, comes Nkasa Rupara, a swamp with two islands, surrounded on three sides by Botswana. Both parks were proclaimed on 1 March 1990, a few days before Namibian independence.
- Nkasa Rupara, according to the ministry
- 320 km²
- Mudumu, approved area
- about 1,010 km²
- buffalo in Nkasa Rupara, more than anywhere else in Namibia
- about 1,000
- from Kongola to Sangwali, by route planner
- 73 km
Until 2012 Nkasa Rupara was called Mamili National Park. It takes its new name from its two islands, Nkasa and Rupara. The ministry calls it the country's largest protected wetland and gives its area as 320 square kilometres, while Travel News Namibia wrote of about 285 in 2022. After heavy rain up to 80 per cent of it lies under water. After the great flood of 2008 and 2009, Nkasa was cut off for years, and only Rupara can be reached by track. Besides the buffalo there are elephant, hippo, crocodile, lion, red lechwe and sitatunga.
Mudumu is drier. A fossil riverbed, the Mudumu Mulapo, runs through the middle, with mopane and savannah around it. There is no fence and no gate. The approved area is about 1,010 square kilometres, though according to English Wikipedia only 737 are actually protected. Elephant, buffalo, wild dog and sable move freely between Botswana, Zambia and Angola, because both parks belong to the KAZA transfrontier conservation area. The ministry lists about 430 bird species for each park, English Wikipedia 450 for Nkasa Rupara.
Getting there, and why 4x4
At Kongola you leave the B8 for the tarred C49 heading south, straight through Mudumu. A permit? Not just to drive through. By route planner it is 73 kilometres to Sangwali, the village on the northern edge of Nkasa Rupara. From Katima Mulilo it is about 130 kilometres. David Livingstone lived in Sangwali in the 1850s, and a small museum remembers him.
The only way into Nkasa Rupara crosses a bridge near Sangwali. Beyond it you drive only with a 4x4 and recovery gear, as the ministry requires, because the tracks are deep sand or wet, poorly signposted and often flooded after rain. So go with at least two vehicles, as Travel News Namibia and Wikipedia advise. In your own car you may only enter the park in daylight.
Neither park has shops or fuel. Fill up in Kongola or Katima Mulilo and bring water and food for every day. You pay the park fee in advance at the environment ministry's office in Katima Mulilo or Windhoek, or on arrival. The nearest hospital is in Katima Mulilo, about 140 kilometres away.
Camping or lodge
Whether you may camp inside Nkasa Rupara depends on whom you ask. The ministry lists two sites on the Kwando, Mparamura (also called Nzalu) and Lyadura. Travel News Namibia, on the other hand, wrote in 2015 that the park had been closed to campers for about two years, and again in 2022 that camping inside was not allowed. Ask at the office in Katima Mulilo before you go. The safe bet is outside the park: Rupara Rest Camp is three kilometres north of the entrance, and the Wuparo Conservancy runs its own site.
Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge stands a kilometre from the entrance, with ten tents on stilts. Jackalberry Tented Camp, with four tents on its own concession inside the park, closes in February. New since May 2026: a six-tent camp on Nkasa Island run by the operator Natural Selection, the only permanent camp on the island. If you stay at a lodge you can leave your car in Sangwali and be collected.
In Mudumu you camp at the Nakatwa sites on the Kwando, with no facilities at all, so bring everything you need. There are also two private lodges inside the park.
Rains and malaria
Rain falls from November to April, most of it in January and February, with 550 to 700 millimetres a year in Mudumu. Many tracks are then barely passable or not at all. Plan your visit for the dry season. The ministry places both parks in a high-risk malaria area, and in 2026 the Zambezi Region was the centre of the outbreak. See a doctor before you travel.
- Time needed
- two to three nights; Mudumu you can also see in passing on the C49
- Cost
- park fee N$ 200 per foreign adult per day (as of October 2026)
- When
- May to October in the dry season; from November to April many tracks are impassable
Our tipDo not drive into Nkasa Rupara with a single vehicle. Without a second 4x4, leave your car in Sangwali and book a lodge's game drives instead.
Places to stay in Katima Mulilo and Zambezi
AdvertisementThe links lead to trivago. If you book through them we receive a commission; it does not influence the selection. Prices are examples for the night shown.
Zambezi Mubala Lodge
Off The D3508 Kalimbeza Road
- Pool
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
- Parking
from €104per night on 17 July 2027
Check prices on trivago
Caprivi Mutoya Lodge And Campsite
Kalimbeza Road
- Pool
- Spa
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
from €100per night on 18 November 2026
Check prices on trivago
Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge
Hippo Road
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
- Parking
- Wi-Fi
from €74per night on 23 November 2026
Check prices on trivagoNkasa Rupara and Mudumu: frequently asked questions
Do you need a 4x4 for Nkasa Rupara?
The environment ministry requires a 4x4 with recovery gear for Nkasa Rupara National Park. Travel News Namibia advises at least two vehicles, because the tracks are sandy and often flooded after rain.
Can you camp in Nkasa Rupara National Park?
The ministry lists two campsites on the Kwando in Nkasa Rupara, but Travel News Namibia wrote in 2022 that camping inside the park was not allowed. The safe option is outside the park, for example Rupara Rest Camp three kilometres north of the entrance.
Do you pay a fee to drive through Mudumu National Park?
You need no permit to drive through Mudumu National Park on the tarred C49. The park fee applies on the tracks away from the main road.
When is the best time to visit Nkasa Rupara and Mudumu?
Visit Nkasa Rupara and Mudumu in the dry season from May to October. From November to April it rains, and many tracks in the parks are barely passable or not at all.