A diverse, remote, and fascinating option for nature lovers

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard about Mudumu National Park until now. If so, you’re missing out. This important conservation area has much to offer true nature lovers, especially those with a sense of adventure.

Keep reading to find out why you need to visit Mudumu National Park during your next Namibian safari holiday.

1. See Cooperative Conservation in Action

Mudumu National Park forms part of an arterial game corridor within the Kavango–Zambezi Trans-frontier Conservation Area. This expansive wildlife area traverses the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, allowing game to travel freely among their ancient habitats.

At the outset, the park has involved cooperation between several parties, including the Department of Agriculture and Nature Conservation, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), KdW Development Bank, and the local communities.

Today, the park is divided into several concessions focussed on various recreational and tourist offerings. These entities involve close cooperation between the Namibian government, traditional leaders, and community forest managers. Together they take care of fire management, game monitoring and relocations, as well as law enforcement.

As Mudumu is completely unfenced, it could not function without these interrelationships.
Due to these close ties, Mudumu is viewed as the model for co-operation between parks and neighbouring settlements.

2. Experience Diverse Landscapes

Within Mudumu National Park, you’ll encounter many diverse environments. The protected areas comprise Caprivi floodplains and mopane woodlands, and Kalahari woodlands.

Interestingly, the park gets its name from a long-defunct fossil wetland, called Mudumu Mulapo, that sprawls across most of the interior.

Wild syringa, leadwood trees, mopane, and mangosteen groves are characteristics of the riverine ecosystems along the Kwando river. There is plenty of water to be found in the mostly flat environment of Mudumu National Park.

These varied and lush landscapes encourage prolific vegetational growth that attracts many species of Namibian wildlife.

3. See Interesting Fauna and Flora

Mudumu’s abundant grasslands, river forests, floodplains, islands, and deciduous woodlands offer an interesting collection of 125 tree species, as well as four sustainably managed community forests.

Noteworthy trees found in the area include:

• Red syringa
• Angolan teak
• Zambezi teak
• False mopane
• Silverleaf Terminalia
• Bird plum
• Camel thorn
• Leadwood
• Devil’s claw
• Kalahari melon

Many of the species in this area are at the edge of their distributions. As such, they’re not found elsewhere in the country.

This vegetation supports a good selection of game species, including giraffe, buffalo, elephant, impala, zebra, kudu, roan antelope and water-loving species like hippo, crocodile, and sitatunga (marshbuck). If you’re lucky, you might also come across cheetah, African wild dog, leopard, lion, spotted hyena, and spotted-necked otter.

Birdlife is particularly abundant, with 400 species in the area. The best-known of these are the African fish eagle, African skimmer, western-banded snake eagle, African jacana, Bradfield’s hornbill, collared palm-thrush, rufous-bellied heron, and southern carmine bee-eater.

The wet season, from November to April, offers the best opportunities for birding.

4. Take Part in Classic African Activities

There’s plenty to keep you busy during a trip to Mudumu National Park. The top activities include:

Game Viewing
Mudumu National Park is a remote area featuring rugged tracks that require a 4×4 vehicle when you head out on a game drive.

Self-drivers will need good navigational and driving skills to conquer the challenging terrain of Mudumu National Park.

Birdwatching
Whether you’re relaxing in camp, driving around the park, or walking among beautiful scenes, you’ll find many bird species to admire in Mudumu National Park.

It’s a particularly rewarding destination for those wanting to tick riverine and wetland species off their bird list.

Nature Walks
Guided nature walks are the best way to immerse yourself in the environment of Mudumu and view wildlife species in their natural habitat. These excursions traverse riverine ecosystems, as well as the dense mopane and Kalahari woodlands in the area.

Fishing in the Kwando River
The Kwando river is an excellent source of fishing activities, including a chance to take on Africa’s fiercest fighting species, the tiger fish. Catfish, nembwe, and tilapia are other common species.

To make the most of your fishing activities, it’s best to book a guided boat-based fishing trip for your angling adventures.

If you opt for a stay at one of the luxurious lodges in the area, you can also enjoy guided boat trips and sunset cruises.

5. Get Away From it All

Despite the abundant safari experiences on offer, few people visit Mudumu National Park because of its remote location.

This means you’ll get to enjoy a tranquil stay unhindered by tourist crowds when you visit this wildlife destination.

The accommodation options comprise remote, DIY campsites where you must supply all your own provisions, as well as two luxury lodges for more discerning travellers.

Expand Your Namibian Itinerary

Mudumu National Park is part of the diverse Zambezi region of Namibia. There are four other national parks in the area, namely Mangetti, Khaudum, Bwabwata, and Nkasa Lupala.

Each of these has unique experiences and conservation offerings up for grabs, making them ideal add-ons when travelling to Mudumu National Park.

Browse our travel guide for more information on some of these destinations as well as insights into other worthy African travel hotspots.

Disclaimer
Please Note: The details shared herein were correct at the time of publishing. However, with time some of this information may change. We recommend confirming information with suppliers prior to making final travel arrangements. If you do happen to find an issue with any information we’ve shared here, please feel free to contact us so that we can make the relevant changes.