Divundu

• Popa Falls

  Rapids where a quartzite ledge crosses the Okavango, inside Namibia's smallest game park, with a Namibia Wildlife Resorts rest camp beside them. Go when the river is low to see the rock channels.

  Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Popa Falls Game Park
• Mahango core area and its baobabs

  The western core area of Bwabwata, south of Divundu on the Botswana border, known for its big baobab trees and river-front game drives. Day visits only.

  Namibia Tourism Board, Kavango Open Africa Route
• Andara mission

  The Holy Family Parish at Andara, a Catholic mission founded in 1913 among the Hambukushu. Its hospital, built in the 1960s, is still in use, so visit respectfully.

  Namibia Tourism Board, Kavango Open Africa Route
• Old 32 Battalion base, Buffalo core area

  The remains of the South African army base in the Buffalo core area, the place that gave 32 Battalion its nickname, the Buffalos. Most of it is in ruins now.

  Namibia Tourism Board, Kavango Open Africa Route

• Divundu grew from 746 people in 2011 to 5,787 in 2023, an average of 17.1% a year. The census report names only Nkurenkuru (23.6%) as growing faster. source
• Popa Falls Game Park covers just 0.25 square kilometres, the smallest game park in Namibia, yet 417 bird species have been recorded there. source
• At Popa Falls the Okavango drops about four metres across its full width of about 1.2 km. The rapids are an important habitat for two rare fish, the broadhead catfish and the ocellated spiny eel. source
• The Okavango never reaches the sea. It rises in Angola, where it is called the Cubango, and ends in the Okavango Delta in the Kalahari in Botswana. source
• Divundu has its own vehicle registration office, and cars registered here carry DV number plates. source

Checked 7 October 2026.

• very likelyVervet monkeyRiverside lodges and camps, and the Popa Falls rest camp. All yearsource
• very likelyBirds: 417 species recorded at Popa Falls, including slaty egret, bat hawk and western banded snake eaglePopa Falls Game Park and the riverine forest around it. All yearsource
• likelyHippoThe Okavango along the Mahango waterfront road, and now and then at Popa Falls. All yearsource
• likelyNile crocodileThe Okavango, at Popa Falls and along the Mahango waterfront. All yearsource
• likelyElephantMahango core area, in large herdssource
• likelyRed lechwe and common reedbuckFloodplains along the Okavango in Mahangosource
• possibleSable and roan antelopeMahango core areasource
• possibleBuffaloMahango and the Buffalo core area across the riversource
• possibleTsessebeMahango core areasource
• rareLion and leopardMahango and the Buffalo core areasource
• rareAfrican wild dogBwabwata, one of their last refuges in Namibiasource
• rarePel's fishing owlRiverine forest in Bwabwatasource

Likelihood is for a normal visit of two or three days, from the sources linked. Nothing is guaranteed in the wild.

• Popa Falls rapids walk

  Namibia Wildlife Resorts says the rapids can be reached on foot from its rest camp. They are a run of cascades where the river has split the rock into channels, so the walk shows most when the water is low. Crocodiles live here, so stay well back from the edge.

  Permit: Inside Popa Falls Game Park; see the fee table for that park

  Namibia Wildlife Resorts, Popa Falls Resort

Malaria

UK travel health advice rates Kavango East, Kavango West and the Zambezi Region as high risk for malaria all year, and recommends antimalarial tablets (atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine). See a travel clinic before you go, use repellent and cover up from dusk, and get any fever checked straight away, even after you are home. source

Crocodiles and hippos

All the perennial rivers in this area have crocodiles and hippos, and none of them is safe for a swim. Hippos defend their patch and can outrun a person on land, so outside the settlements keep clear of the bank. Fresh dung scattered on a path down to the water marks a hippo exit; turn back if you find one. source

The B8 through Bwabwata

East of Divundu the B8 runs through the park unfenced, with a 120 km/h limit. Many animals die under cars on this road every year, endangered wild dogs among them. Keep your speed down and avoid driving it after dark if you can. source

The C48 to Mohembo

The 32 km road south through Mahango to the Botswana border (Mohembo, spelt Muhembo on some signs) has about 13.5 km of light seal and 19 km of gravel, and heavy trucks have left it in poor shape, worst in the rainy season. In September 2024 the Ministry of Works and Transport announced it would be upgraded to full tar in phases, so expect roadworks. About 13 km of it runs through the game area, so take it slowly. source

Driving in Mahango

The Namibia Tourism Board says to use only a 4x4 in Mahango and to travel with at least two vehicles. Guided tours can be arranged if you would rather not drive yourself. source

• Fill up at Divundu. Travellers on a South African 4x4 forum rate its fuel station as reliable, though one found long queues after a long weekend and another found it out of fuel once. Top up in Rundu as well if you can. several sources
• Mahango is open to day visitors only, so sleep at Popa Falls or one of the river lodges near Divundu and drive in. Go in the dry season, June to October, when the game gathers along the river. official
• See Popa Falls when the river is low. From February to April the rapids are almost under water; the lowest level usually comes in the second half of October, when the rock ledge is exposed. one source
• Ask your lodge about a boat trip. The ministry notes that several lodges near Popa Falls offer them, and the river is where the hippos, crocodiles and most of the birds are. official
• Never leave food unattended at riverside camps. Vervet monkeys raid lodges near the river, open bins and food boxes, and will make off with keys or sunglasses left lying around. several sources

Checked 7 October 2026. Conditions change, so confirm with the park or venue before you go.