Self-driving through Bwabwata National Park

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
8
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
1
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
8
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
9
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
2
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
4
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
72 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
132nd/454
Top 30%
continent
Africa
country
Namibia
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$70 ($80-$160 in 2024 prices)
Time of year visited
September
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Adventure Driving River Experience
All Tags
4WD Bird spotting Boat trip Safari Sunsets Wildlife - Elephants Wildlife - Giraffes Wildlife - Monkeys
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

Bwabwata National Park is located in the Caprivi Strip, an area that faced continued troubles during the South Western Africa War and Angolan Civil Wars from 1964 to 2002 and with it large amounts of poaching making a bit of a deadzone for tourists and the animals. 

But since then, the wildlife has started once again to thrive.  Whilst the concentration of wildlife is nothing like that seem in Moremi / Chobe / Okavango / Etosha, the real benefit is the lack of fellow tourists, low prices and the feeling of experiencing something a little different (or at least until the area reclaims its former glory).

We really enjoyed the unusual nature of it, and would very much recommend, if making the trip from Etosha into the wonders of the Okavango etc, driving through the Caprivi route via Divundu rather than  the more direct route via Tsumkwe.

 

Bwabwata National Park in Namibia - giraffes at sunset

 

Top tips:

 

#1 There are two parks – the main Bwabwata National Park (Buffalo Park Entrance Gate on google maps) and the Mahango Core Area.  If driven this far, it make sense to experience both –  the main park has the abandoned village area which makes for being a little spooky at times, and Mahango has the more expansive views.  Mahango was our favourite because you could drive very close all the way along the waterline.

 

#2 Drive yourself – yes you could get a guided tour, but there was something magical taking advantage of the lack of fellow tourists and just doing it yourself. Just remember to have a general idea of what not to do near the Big 5, and how to 4WD drive off-road (especially in sand as there is quite a lot of it).

 

#3 Best route – we LOVED the main river route along the Mahango area.  Its fairly easy to see and the rangers will give you a map at the entrance, but basically turn left about 200m after entering from the north entrance, then follow along the river / road via the Kwetche Picnic Spot until you join the main road again.  We enjoyed it so much we drove it 3 times and was the highlight!

 

#4 Take a boat ride at sunset along the Okavango River – great for seeing the hippos and generally the river life.  You can arrange from the White Sands Lodge and was fairly cheap.  Bring a few beers for the sunset.

 

Bwabwata National Park Botswana - hippos in the river

Yeah, don’t go swimming

 

#5 Where to stay – I’d recommend the White Sands Lodge.  Rooms are nice enough, if a little expensive, but it’s the location that more than makes up for it.  Right on the water.

 

#6 Ideally, visit before you go to the Okavango and Moremi.  Yes, Bwabwata is a great experience, but its nothing compared to the area to the south and you may be a tad disappointed.

 

Babwata National Park Namibia, Catching a sight of the super shy dik-dik dear

Catching a sight of the super shy dik-dik dear

 

Highlights

IMG_0573-compressed-aspect-ratio-900-675

#1 Just driving on your own along the river route of the Mahango Core Area and seeing the elephants, buffalo, hippos, giraffes, antelope, baboons just chilling. A wonderful experience

IMG_0576-compressed-aspect-ratio-900-675

#2 Getting semi lost in amongst the shrub and abandonned villages of the Bwabwata main National Park area

IMG_0514-compressed-aspect-ratio-900-675

#3 An evening river cruise to see the sunset along the Okavango River

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Other Safari Trips

Self-drive Etosha National Park
⭐⭐⭐

Safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hanging out with the Masai in the Masai Mara
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Safari in the Okavango Delta and Kaziinkini Game Reserve
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Campervanning through Yellowstone National Park
⭐⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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