Day 26 - 8 June 2016 Ngepi Camp

Day's trip schedule

Ngepi Camp

Distance & time taken

0 km
0 hrs


Accommodation

Ngepi Camp, Divundu (www.ngepicamp.net)
+/- 20 kms from Divundu on the C48 (7kms on a dirt road once you have turned left off the C48)

 Trip Notes

Dawn over the river from #14

I had forgotten that we had gained an hour by entering Namibia so was surprised that I was up before 05h30.  The hippos in the Kavango River that passed in front of the campsite woke us occasionally through the night with their grunting & splashing about.  There must have also been a herd of elephant visiting the river from the opposite bank as there was a surprising amount of trumpeting before dawn.

Quirky signs throughout the camp

The first task this morning was to find a toilet that worked as those near us still had no water. After a gentle stroll back towards the Reception area, we found working toilets near campsite 10. When back at the vehicle, our neighbours from Holland enlightened us as to what the water problem - there was a small flood near #22 where a main water pipe had burst. It took the maintenance team most of the morning to remedy the problem.

Breakfast was made next to the river & we had 2 otters popping there heads up next the bank right below us. There were also a number of Little Bee-eaters that were basking in the sun on the reeds around us.

We eventually showered around midday - the showers & toilets here are all pretty novel.  They are all unique, each with their own quirk but none have roofs.  The shower we made use of was built around a living tree & the walls were made from river reeds. There were also 2 toilets around our site - one was slightly elevated surrounded by a reed wall & the other was about 2 storeys up on a platform with the walls on wood & corrugated iron. There was a spectacular view at sunset from this toilet - while seated nogal.  It is a bit daunting climbing down as the stairs are a little rickety.

After cleaning ourselves, we then settled in to clean up the vehicle, do the laundry & resort the packing of the vehicle. The boat cruise we had booked the day before was due to leave at 16h00 so we took our cameras, binoculars, insect repellent & warm top & walked through to Reception. There was a lot of bird activity as we walked to the reception & I made a note to walk through here in the morning. As they don't serve drinks on the cruise, we bought a few beers to tide us over for the 2 hours.

Cruise started a little after 4 as there were some late additions requiring a few more chairs to be placed on deck - 15 in all. The late additions were a young couple from Stellenbosch who were touring (motorbiking) through Namibia & Botswana (on 1 bike) - not much packing space for 2.  The rest of the party was made up by 3 couples camping 2 sites down from us & 2 couples that had arrived @ campsite 22 just before the cruise started.  Of the 5 couples, 4 came from the Natal Midlands - these were 4 of many that we had seen over the last few weeks.

Pond on the walk to reception - no resident happy snappers that we observed

We went downstream with guide showing us where the 32 Battalion base was situated on the opposite bank to Ngepi.  What remains of the structures has been turned into the rangers offices for the Buffalo Game Reserve. We spotted numerous birds but of interest was the 3 variants of Kingfisher - Pied, Malachite & Giant Kingfishers.

Caged swimming pool in the river

We were also chased by 2 hippo in separate incidents - the guide was quite concerned with the 2nd charge as the hippo headed underwater & hence he couldn't predict whether it was still after even though he had accelerated away.  It is surprising how quickly these bulky animals can move through the water.

Ngepi Reception area

After we had trekked back to camp in the dark, we had a Chorizo pasta for dinner & retired soon after 20h00.  But, we weren't going to get to sleep too quickly as our neighbours on site 16 (3 couples from the cruise), were engaged in a political debate, fuelled by alcohol, that didn't go well. The result, a heated argument with 1 couple deciding to leave in the morning due to derogatory comments made. Interesting how a holiday with friends can be destroyed within minutes as a result of an arbitrary debate (politics) that we are unable to change as individuals.  The campsite was very quiet after they had retreated back to their vehicles & we had a good night's rest - I think even the hippos were scared to make a noise.

Sunset cruise on Kavango River

Costs for the day

Accommodation

Ngepi Camp

NAD280,00

Sunset on the river cruise