Nkasa Linyanti

an extraordinary conservation success, eight years in the making

Nkasa Linyanti sits on Nkasa Island, wrapped by the Linyanti and Kwando river systems in Namibia’s far northeastern corner. The camp looks south across open marsh plains to the Linyanti River and the Botswana border on the horizon. The island holds two habitats, wetland floodplain on one side and open savanna on the other, a useful contrast to the more uniformly wooded Botswana Linyanti.

Opened in May 2026, it is a Natural Selection property, developed with conservationists Brent and Chantelle Cook. What makes it genuinely interesting, even by Natural Selection’s standards, is the conservation story.

The park sits at the heart of the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area and forms one of the most important elephant corridors linking Botswana, Namibia, Angola and Zambia. When the Cooks first reached Nkasa Island in 2019 the floodplains already held elephant, buffalo, lechwe and hippo, but the area was under heavy poaching pressure; a sustained monitoring presence since has driven a marked recovery, with lion and elephant bulls bouncing back in particular, and staying here feels like a small part of that process.

The wildlife is now genuinely rich: a strong resident lion population and healthy leopard, the largest buffalo concentration in Namibia, exceptional red lechwe and impala, elusive sitatunga in the reed channels, the occasional wild dog, and over 430 bird species. On a recent visit the lions were found on a warthog kill within sight of the tents.

The camp is an authentic, understated tented affair built low on decks beneath a large mahogany tree, all canvas with mesh sides and not a glass panel in sight, so the breeze moves straight through.

The main area is two tents with an open deck between: lounge, bar and maps on one side, covered dining and a tea station on the other, with steps down to a sandy fire pit and open kitchen where every meal is cooked over fire, the inventive menus consistently excellent. The pool sits opposite room 5 with covered loungers and fine plain views.

Rooms

The camp has six tents, four to one side of the main area and two to the other, each raised on stilts with a wraparound deck and marsh views. There are no family or interconnecting tents.

Interiors are spacious and calm, with an extra-large cast-iron king bed, soft linen and two chairs facing the deck. A wardrobe holds the safe and dressing gowns, and a desk provides USB, USB-C, international and South African sockets. A cooler box and hot-water flask are kept stocked. The en-suite has an indoor rain shower and separate outdoor shower, with the loo private behind the indoor shower.

Activities

Nkasa Linyanti combines wet and dry activities across floodplain, channel and savanna, with a single guide throughout your stay and, numbers allowing, a private vehicle experience. The camp runs three vehicles, five mekoro and a boat.

• Vehicle safari
• Night vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Motorboat safari (water levels permitting)
• Mokoro safari (water levels permitting)
• Community and cultural visits (the Sangwali villages, partners in the conservation project)

The motorboat safari is the standout, running out onto the Linyanti between Kings Pool and Duma Tau with Namibia’s marshes on one bank and Botswana on the other; on a recent visit we watched elephant herds swimming across into the mopane, giraffe, big crocodiles and hippo.

Walking safaris cross the marsh islands with an armed ranger, relaxed and open rather than dense bush, while the mokoro glides onto the marsh as the flood arrives in August and September.

The Mudumu and Mamili areas feature relatively rarely in trips, since epic self-drive trips are inherently not for everyone.

The usual stay duration is 3 nights.

Seasonality

The wildlife viewing in Mudumu and Mamili is usually strongest during the Jul-Oct dry season, but there are very good reasons during other months.

Getting there

Access is usually by self-drive vehicle on the long traverse between Namibia and the Victoria Falls, or vice versa.

accessed by road along the Caprivi Strip