Down the Orange Anyone could be forgiven for wondering whether the Orange River was named after the folded, ochre mountain ranges, the ginger-tinged water at sunset or the rising moon glowing gold with desert dust. Felix Unite River Adventures offers a four-day canoe trip down the Orange, by all accounts the perfect activity to feed the soul and ‘row with the flow’.
Hot watery days are spent cruising with the current, or paddling against an unexpected headwind, interspersed with regular dips into the cooling water. Unlike most great African rivers, there is nothing harmful lurking in the Orange, although you might be startled by loud splashing sounds caused by huge but harmless barbels. You wouldn’t be tempted to eat these mud-dwellers, because the food created by the guides is nothing short of miraculous. They produce sizzling bacon-and-egg brunches, crunchy salad lunches and tender roast leg of lamb baked in the coals.
After several days on the water – swimming when it becomes too hot – you will be so captivated by the ambience of the Orange River that your inclination will be to stay forever and simply ‘row with the flow’. www.felixunite.com e-mail: namholiday@felix.co.za On the Kunene Only the lucky few go on the 10-day Felix Unite Rio Kunene Safari as it runs just once or twice a year. Setting out from Windhoek, the expedition starts with a drive through the Etosha National Park, then proceeds to the far north where the Kunene forms a border with Angola.
The guides are expert at leading you through challenging rapids on this remote and logistically difficult rafting experience, creating a luxurious campsite, producing extraordinary food and generating a jovial atmosphere.
The Kunene, strong yet calm, emanates a sense of peace, also reflected in the demeanour of the local Himba. These lean, beautiful people eke out an existence through grazing goats on sparse shrubbery and moving camp when necessary. The five days on the Kunene merges into a pleasurable blur, as the current does much of the work, except in the rapids where steering is required.
Braving the thundering white-water rapids for a swim is not encouraged, as they are powerful and there are crocodiles around. On the last evening, camp is pitched on the banks of the Kunene within hearing distance of the magnificent Epupa Falls with its sheer 40-metre drop.
Epupa Camp also offers the opportunity for river rafting on the Kunene as a complete new way to experience the river and surrounding environment, combined with the excitement of river rafting. On the Okavango The Okavango River offers a different and very localised form of canoeing. West of Rundu, travelling for 145 km on a bumpy gravel road past traditional grass huts, long-horned cattle and friendly people along the way, is Nkurenkuru and the Sun Shine River Guest House built by Kwangali businessman Apollos Musongo. Here ten African-style bungalows serve as single rooms with a bed each and outside toilets. Until showers are built, washing is done in the river, à la the locals. Camping is also an option. The local experience also comprises ordering traditional food from the kitchen, such as wild spinach, cattle meat and mahangu, and a Bushman and Kwangali cultural group can be organised to sing and dance.
From here canoeists can do the 25-kilometre trip to Mbambi, the town where the river enters Namibia from Angola. It is a pleasant paddle and an opportunity to see life on the river from up close: people washing clothes, bathing and fishing and children playing, locals passing by on a mukoro (a traditional dug-out canoe), and plenty of hippos, crocodiles and birds.
Shorter trips are for 10 and 20 kilometres. All in all canoeing down the Okavango is an enjoyable experience with only shallow and easily manageable rapids – even the hippos allowed you to pass without trouble, and the crocodiles were no bigger than adult monitor lizards.
Dragon River Rafting offers guided one-day, or two-day/overnight camping journeys on the Okavango River in inflatable ‘Croc Boats’. The company makes all the arrangements and supplies a rafting kit, which includes life jackets and helmets. Ngepi Camp is the base for these rafting trips. bookings@ngepicamp.com
