Malyo Wilderness Camp

THE SOURCE OF THE ZAMBEZI RIVER 🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲

The source of the Zambezi River in Zambia is situated in the northwestern corner of the country, specifically in the Mwinilunga District, near the border with Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Located approximately 1,500 meters above sea level, the river's origin is near Kalene Hill, Zambia, at an elevation of about 4,900 feet above sea level. From this point, the Zambezi River begins its journey, flowing through six countries - Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique - before emptying into the Indian Ocean, covering a total distance of around 2,574 kilometers (1,599 miles). The Zambezi River is a vital watercourse supporting irrigation, hydroelectric power, and fishing industries, as well as providing a habitat for diverse aquatic life and supporting the livelihoods of millions of people.

📷 Unknown

We have been privileged to witness another exciting movement by a male elephant that we fitted with a satellite tracking collar last June near Sioma Ngwezi National Park, Zambia, providing more new information about transboundary elephant movement routes. In the last 35 days this male moved more than 600 km from Zambia to Botswana via Namibia's Mudumu NP, passing by the Okavango Delta and on towards Botswana’s Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi Pans National Parks. During this time, apart from a couple of week-long stopovers, his journey has taken a relatively straight line south moving from a northern boundary to a southern boundary of the massive Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. Although he has slowed down a bit, it seems that he has not yet finished his journey, so we will continue to monitor him closely. Such movements are at the core of KAZA TFCA https://www.kavangozambezi.org/ established to provide a landscape that is favourable for such wide-scale movements, which we are amazed by but perhaps occur more often than we previously recognised 🙂

DID YOU KNOW

The Zambezi River rises in north-western Zambia, flows through eastern Angola, along Namibia's north-eastern border and the northern border of Botswana, forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, then flows across Mozambique, before finally emptying into the Indian Ocean.

Africa's fourth longest river originates from a burbling spring in a secluded stretch of woods.

A SMALL SPRING GURGLES WITHIN a lush forest. It may seem humble, but it’s actually the origin of a mighty waterway.

The Zambezi is Zambia’s most important river. It gives the country its name, and it most famously flows over Victoria Falls. Along the Barotse floodplain, it’s the location of Zambia’s most famous cultural ceremony, the Kuomboka of the Litunga. It’s the fourth longest river in Africa, and it gets its start along its 1,677-mile (2,700-kilometer) journey to the Indian Ocean from a small spring in the Northwestern corner of Zambia.

The Source of the Zambezi is located in a small protected forest. It’s surrounded by a rich Miombo woodland and a strip of Mush*tu forest. The area is rich in biodiversity, with nearly 200 bird species and mammals including the Tree Pangolin, Long Footed Rat, Red-Tailed Monkey, and African Palm Civet.

Within the protected forest, elevated wooden walkways lead to the source and follow the path of the river down the valley for some distance. The source itself is a small spring that bubbles beneath the bottom of a fallen tree.

A visitor’s center explains the importance of the Zambezi River, and provides information on the forest environment. The site also includes a monument to mark the Independence of Zambia, unveiled on 24th October 1964.

The site is located approximately 34 miles (54 kilometers) from Mwinilunga along a dirt road that is in the process of being improved. The best way to reach the source would be to take a taxi from Mwinilunga, or to drive a private vehicle with four-wheel drive. There is a sign to mark the turnoff to the source along the Mwinilunga-Ikilenge road. Camping is available at the site.

Source: Atlas Obscure.

Happy Mother's Day

Did you know...?

Namibia is the second least densely populated country in the world.

According to Wikipedia, Namibia is 825,615 km² in size with a population of 2,550,226 million (estimate 2020), which means that there are less than 3,2 people per km². To say it is vast is an understatement.

It is twice the size of California (which has a population of approx. 39,5 million) and it's one and a half times the size of France (which has a population of approx. 66,9 million).

Namibia is said to be 99,88% land with only 0,12% of the country being water and yet surprisingly, it's one of the countries in southern Africa with the most subterranean water.

Interestingly, it also has one of the highest percentages of protected land over the international average.

Given the facts, it seems the ideal place to travel! Now more than ever! So much open space. This is Namibia's charm and it's beyond beautiful for words. Namibia is the perfect getaway destination!

Don't take our word for it,ask anyone who's been or better still... come see for yourself!