NAMIBIA
POINT YOURSELF TO THE NEXT GREAT
SAFARI DESTINATIONNamibia evokes images of deserts, immense dunes and
parched mountains. But the Caprivi Strip, a narrow finger
of land that juts out towards the east in the extreme
north of the country, is a green, wildlife-rich territory,
thanks to the presence of the Okavango, Kwando, Chobe
and Zambezi rivers, which create the ideal habitat for
numerous animal species.
During the second half of the 20th century, the area
was the scene of intense military activity. Remote and
difficult to access, it was the ideal corridor for various
armed groups. After Namibia gained independence in
1990, peace — and wildlife — gradually returned.
In the eastern section of the region, Nkasa Rupara
National Park is a secret jewel. Recent years have seen
the opening of a ranger station and tented lodge, which
have made it more accessible to tourism, but it’s still
seldom visited. Encompassed by the Kwando-Linyanti
river system to the south, and by swamps and lagoons to
the north, Nkasa Rupara is Namibia’s largest protected
wetland. The park is home to the biggest population of
buffalo in Namibia, as well as lions, leopards and hyenas,
and crocodiles and hippos in the river.
Mahango Game Park, in the west, is home to wetlands
and mopane forests, as well as herds of elephants, hippos,
crocodiles and nearly all Namibia’s species of antelope.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER (ITALY)VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
SPOT UNIQUE AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE ALONG
THE GREAT OCEAN ROADThe green shoots of regeneration are appearing in
Australia, where some 72,000sq miles were burned
during the 2019-2020 bushfires, leading to the deaths of
at least 34 people and more than a billion animals.
Playing its own role in these rejuvenation efforts,
Wildlife Wonders, in Victoria’s Otways region, is a new
sanctuary with a mission. Tucked away off the Great
Ocean Road amid lush forest and waterfalls, it’s the
brainchild of Brian Massey — the landscape designer of
New Zealand’s Hobbiton experience — who, alongside
botanists, scientists, zoologists and environmental
specialists, has crafted a wooden path through the refuge.
Visitors can go on 75-minute guided tours of the site,
wandering through thickets of eucalypts and admiring
the koalas, wallabies and bandicoots that now call the
sanctuary home. During a stop at the Research Base,
guests can learn how the site provides a safe space for
native species like the long-nosed potoroo, which often
falls prey to invasive predators such as foxes and cats.
All profits from Wildlife Wonders go towards the
Conservation Ecology Centre, which helps to fund several
vital conservation projects in the Otways.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK)Nature & wildlife
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94 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel