Visit Popa Falls & Mahangu Game Park, Namibia

In the corner of the Zambezi Region (Caprivi Strip) lies the captivating Mahangu Game Reserve.

The reserve serves as a border between Botswana and Namibia and has the perennial Okavango River running through it.

Wildlife of Mahangu Game Reserve

Characterised by riverine forests, flood plains and magnificent baobabs, this is one of Namibia's most diverse areas. In Mahangu you will find many animals including elephant, buffalo, red lechwe, sable, roan antelope, bushbuck, kudu, reedbuck, impala, wildebeest, tsessebe and sitatunga.

The birding in the reserve is spectacular with more than 400 bird species. The reserve has a mixture of wetland habitats, adjacent to large stretches of pristine Kalahari sandveld, making it an ideal home for birds. Conspicuous examples include ostrich, kingfishers, bee-eaters, African skimmers, wattled cranes, pygmy geese, hornbills and the African fish eagle.

The picnic spot in the park, which overlooks the river, is well worth a visit. A good number of hippo and crocodile are present here.

Popa Falls

Contrastingly, the Popa Falls are not the most spectacular site to visit, however are lovely as part of a boat trip. These rapids in the Okavango River drop about three metres over a rocky area, caused by a geological fault. From here the Okavango River begins gradually to spread out across the Kalahari's sands until eventually, in Botswana, it forms the remarkable Okavango Delta.