Inclusive Activities
Exclusive activities
- Chartered day trips to Victoria Falls including a "Flight of the Angels": Road transfers can be arranged to see the Victoria Falls from either the Zambian or Zimbabwean side.
- Day trips to Victoria Falls by road.
- Charter flight over the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers and Impalila Island.
This tour departs daily from Kasane, Botswana to Victoria Falls. Clients will be transferred to the Kazungula border where their tour guide will meet them. En route to the Victoria Falls, clients may be taken past the 'Big Tree' where they may stop and take photos. Clients will be accompanied through the Rain Forest by a qualified Wild Horizons guide, who will give a brief history of the Falls, as well as describing the flora, fauna, bird & wildlife and other points of interest. The tour includes a visit to the market and an opportunity to shop at the open air curio market and shops for souvenirs and gifts. At 12H30 visitors then enjoy lunch, which, depending on the number of guests booked will either be a Lunch Cruise or lunch at a hotel. Thereafter, the Zambezi Nature Sanctuary and Crocodile Ranch is visited. This provides a unique insight into the Zambezi crocodile's life and the sanctuary is also home to a variety of wild animals, including lion and leopard. Clients are then returned to the Kazungula border where they will be met by their Botswana guide for their return transfer to their hotel in Kasane, arriving at approximately 15H30.
- Game drives into the Chobe National Park.
A game drive into the Chobe National Park can also be arranged for a morning. Visitors do need to enter Botswana officially for this outing. Lunch may also be included.
Private Guided Game Cruises Along The Chobe National Park On The Chobe River
A highlight of any stay at Ntwala Lodge is a game cruise - or two - into the famous Chobe National Park. Depending on the time of the year, the staff will advise on when would be the optimum time to take cruise, though mid-afternoon is the usual time to sight the game coming down to drink.
While elephants, crocodiles and hippos are sometimes spied in the Kasai channel on the way to the Chobe, the National Park is no more than a 45 minute journey from the lodge. It is renowned for being able to view large numbers of elephants at close range. Often when the river levels drop, visitors are treated to the sight of these magnificent creatures swimming across the river in file.
However, the Chobe is also famous for buffalo, Chobe bushbuck, puku, hippo crocodile and Roan antelope. Less frequent, but a distinct possibility, may be a sighting of lion.
The Chobe game cruise is an unforgettable experience for all visitors, especially for those keen on photography. No half-sightings here, from the waterside some incredible close-range photographs can be taken.
Private Guided Sundowner Boat Cruises
No matter whether you have spent your day fishing for tigers, enjoying a wonderful variety of bird life, seen the elephants grazing on the bank behind you or simply relaxed by the pool, there is little to beat a quiet private guided sunset cruise up the Zambezi past the village of Kalikaliga and to take time to reflect on yet another unbeatable African sunset - and an unforgettable Ntwala visit.
Bird Watching, Walks And Cruises
The eastern tip of the Caprivi Strip is a veritable bird watchers' paradise and few guests fail to be impressed by the variety of bird life that greets one, almost incidentally, from dawn to dusk - from the call of the Heuglin's robin at morning coffee, the Yellow-bellied bul-buls at breakfast call, to the evening flights of the Yellow-billed storks into their nesting places on the Chobe. During the day, one will invariably see the unforgettable Fish Eagle perched high in a tree along the river's edge, watch the controlled hover of the Pied kingfisher or marvel at the jewel-like flight of the Malachite.
Indeed, it is simply a question of how many different species one will be able to 'tick off' during your stay, for there are over 450 species occurring here - including some of Africa's rarest species. The area attracts many migrants and the variety of habitats in the area offer specials such as Pels fishing owl, Rock pratincole, African skimmers and Pygmy geese.
The best time to visit the area is our summer, from November to April, when most of the migrant species are present and resident species are in breeding plumage.
The backwaters, channels and grasslands of the floodplains hold a wide range of wetland birds, including herons, storks, ibis, wildfowl and crakes. Early morning is the best time to search for Black and Coppery-tailed coucals as they sit sunning themselves.
The eastern Caprivi is one of Namibia's top birding venues. With prime grasslands, temporary wetlands, seasonal floodplains, densely wooded islands and open water habitats, it is little wonder that such a bounty has been recorded in the area and all Okavango specials can be seen here. For the serious birder, other rare sightings include the Olive woodpecker, Schalow's turaco, the Emerald cuckoo, River warbler and Half-collared kingfishers.
Birding outings can take place on foot or from a boat.
Fly Fishing And Conventional Fishing
Ntwala Island Lodge lies on the 3rd (and major) channel of the Mambova Rapids of the Zambezi River approximately 80 kilometres above the Victoria Falls. These waters collectively provide for some outstanding fly fishing and conventional fishing opportunities and in 2007 an 18 lb. Tigerfish was caught literally right in front of the lodge.
The Zambezi River and its accompanying waterways comprise a sought-after fishing destination for fishers from around the world. In addition to approximately 40 kilometres of the main river, the lodge has immediate access to the meandering Kasai Channel and the Chobe River itself. All of these provide good fishing under the right conditions.
In these idyllic surrounds, there are excellent opportunities to seek out and challenge the world-famous Tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus) and specimens of up to 20 lbs. have been caught in the adjacent waters over the years. Each year sees a mammoth specimen of 17 - 18 lb. being taken. Excellent floods from 2007 onwards have produced excellent fishing during the last few seasons. While each year sees some fortunate anglers winning tussles with Tigerfish of double-figure status, the more usual catch is for tigers of between 2 - 6 lbs.
It is not only the magnificent "striped water dog" that lures anglers from far and wide but also the beautiful nembwe - the olive bream - that grows up to 7 lbs. In addition, incidental captures may include pink happies (bream), threespot tilapia, thinface and humpback largemouths and the ubiquitous catfish. The catfish, also known as 'barbel' in Southern Africa grows to over 20 lbs. and is a reasonably common catch.
Conventional fishing with artificial lure and bait, have traditionally been the mode of pursuit for the Tigerfish but Ntwala and nearby Impalila Lodge have the facilities to take advantage of excellent fly fishing, in particular, as the tiger takes a fly ferociously. Indeed this area provides for world-class angling for Tigerfish in the good months.
Tigerfish can be caught all-year round, but the fly/lure period is generally regarded as being from June - November. This is after the annual floods (January - April) have begun to recede. During the 'season' (there is no closed period) the water levels drop consistently, providing various challenges during this time as the conditions change e.g. the catfish congregations, floodplains fishing and rapids fishing.
This is fly fishing at its most exciting.
Guided Walks
Ntwala island as well as the nearby bigger Impalila island is rich in history. It has a varied flora and the guided walks around the island furnish a closer insight into the background of the area as well as the life of the local people. These morning or afternoon walks may also include a visit to a 2000 year-old baobab tree on the island. From its lofty heights all four surrounding countries (Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia) can be viewed, as well as the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers.
For those interested in the culture of the island, the chosen outing may include a visit to a nearby village or centre around an Afro-botanical experience which provides a fascinating insight into the local and traditional medicinal uses of plants and trees in the area. Further reading
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