A Journey Through
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angola • botswana • namibia • zambia • zimbabwe a journey through KAZAKavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area introduction KAZA in focus Experience wildlife, safari adventure, community and culture in the heart of Africa The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation he KAZA Transfrontier T Conservation Area (TFCA) Area (KAZA) is the world’s largest transfrontier initiative is led by the governments of the five partner countries. land-based conservation area. Its mission is: “To sustainably manage the Kavango Zambezi ecosystem, its heritage and Spanning the borders of five southern African cultural resources based on best conservation and tourism countries – Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia models for the socio-economic well-being of the communities and Zimbabwe – covering an area of over and other stakeholders in and around the eco-region through 519 000 sq km (200 387 sq miles) and boasting harmonisation of policies, strategies and practices.” three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it’s a A trip across the numerous borders within the KAZA area has treasure trove of natural and cultural wonders. any bucket list overflowing with possibilities: iconic wilderness settings that are home to the greatest density and variety of African animals, the opportunity to meet locals in rewarding cultural Image: Björn Lauen KAZA’S UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES Image: Jacques Marais MOSI-OA-TUNYA / VICTORIA FALLS The Zambezi River is 1.7km (1 mile) wide when it plunges noisily into the gorges that make up the Victoria Falls. The spray’s iridescent mist, creating pockets of rainforest, can be seen 20km (12 miles) away. Image: Dietmar Denger Image: James Kydd interactions, experiencing real how to transform a trip into a more OKAVANGO DELTA eco-tourism and conservation in rewarding experience through Annual floodwaters fill this action, and visiting three UNESCO engaging with the community, unique inland delta, saturating World Heritage Sites – Mosi-oa- culture and conservation of KAZA. its sand basin to create a pristine Tunya/Victoria Falls, the Okavango This creates a holistic and fulfilling wetland that’s considered a site Delta and the Bushmen paintings travel itinerary that addresses the of Outstanding Universal Value. of Tsodilo Hills. sensitivities and aspirations of The Delta satisfies every safari desire to see diverse species and KAZA comprises a mosaic today’s travellers. endangered animals. of land uses, with 36 formally The following information proclaimed national parks and puts KAZA in focus and offers a numerous other protected areas selection of activities to get the and communal lands. The amount most out of a trip to the area. of flora and fauna is outstanding, This includes suggestions on home to nearly 75% of southern how to interact meaningfully Africa’s elephants, 24% of the with communities and their world’s remaining endangered wild rich cultural heritage, support dog and around 600 bird species. local enterprises, engage with But there is more to conservation projects, experience Image: Björn Lauen experiencing KAZA than wildlife, from safari drives to conventional safari activities fishing and birding, and visit TSODILO HILLS and wildlife encounters on game unmissable World Heritage Sites. drives, bush walks and boat Welcome to KAZA… This quartzite rock outcrop in the flat Kalahari Desert contains over excursions. This brochure shows 4 500 sacred and symbolic rock art paintings in their original state, recording human activity for more than 100 000 years. 1 introduction ost travellers are used to a the Okavango, Zambezi, Chobe and M landscape that remains fairly Kafue swell and spread across vast Visiting constant, with perhaps a mountain floodplains, wetlands and swamps. or lake creating a detour from the Local rainfall from November most direct route. In KAZA, nothing to March is not what saturates is constant. The conditions are the Okavango Delta, inundates KAZA forever changing when rivers like the Chobe and Zambezi River floodplains or makes the Mosi-oa- Tunya/Victoria Falls gush with fury. Understanding the These spectacles are caused by the arrival of floodwaters from the landscape of this five- Angolan and Zambian highlands, country conservation and which have travelled south for about four months to reach the development initiative KAZA region, before spreading out across the Kalahari sand basin. makes travel easy. This enormous volume of water, filling rivers and submerging KAZA UNIVISA ANGOLA Menongue ZAMBIA While wildlife can migrate through Cuito Cuanavale Kafue corridors uninterrupted, humans Kafue Lusaka still have to stamp in and out of NP KAZA’s five countries. Aimed at growing tourism in the region, the KAZA UNIVISA was first rolled out in 2016 as a 30-day visa for unlimited travel between Zambia Mavinga NP and Zimbabwe, and with a limited Zambezi 24-hour trip into Botswana. There Lake Kariba have since been consultations Matusadona Sioma Ngwezi victoria falls aimed at implementing the UNIVISA NP erita NP h g ZIMBABWE across Angola and Namibia – and d e Luengue-Luiana NP Katima Mulilo l s r i t o e even beyond. On arrival at any w international entry point within Rundu Kasane Chizarira KAZA, enquire whether that country Livingstone NP Harare Bwabwata NP is offering the KAZA UNIVISA. K Mudumu Zambezi NP kavangozambezi.org w Cho e Victoria Falls a NP b n Major Town O d o ka Kazuma Pan v okavango delta NP a Nkasa n Port of Entry erita - g h g Lupala Chobe o e d Mangetti NP Khaudum l s r i t o e NP NP NP w Airport erita h g d e i l s r t he ag r i d e t l s o r i e t o e w w World Heritage Site NAMIBIA Hwange NP tsodilo hills Country Border Image: Craig Pusey Photography Nxai Pan Major Road NP DRIVING TIPS Maun Main Road Bulawayo Secondary Road Driving in KAZA is made easy by Makgadikgadi downloadable GPS maps and self- Pans NP Makgadikgadi Track drive guidebooks. Information on Pans border requirements, camping and National Park attractions can also be found online. Don’t forget to drive on the left. 0 50 100 150 Other Protected Area km BOTSWANA 2 vast grasslands, means that in a KAZA itinerary and enjoy the upliftment to local communities. the landscape in wet season is opportunities that this area has to This often involves mitigation of completely different to that in dry offer. human-wildlife conflict, especially season. Getting around, avoiding The brochure also identifies in Wildlife Dispersal Areas (WDAs). impassable roads, crossing rivers and KAZA’s objectives to manage the There are numerous innovative often country-hopping requires the Kavango-Zambezi ecosystem by examples in the following pages expert advice of ground handlers and putting into practice sustainable of how this is being done, such as tour operators. tourism and conservation models, building lion-proof cattle kraals This overview, presented in while at the same time providing and enlisting local communities chapters showing cross-border economic opportunities and to be wildlife guardians in return possibilities and highlighting the for financial benefits. Such freedom of travelling in KAZA, projects are intrinsically linked has specific examples of new and to KAZA’s efforts to facilitate free unique ways to enhance human movement of animals along six connections and intensify identified WDA corridors, allowing experiential travel. Follow wildlife to follow their instinct to these suggestions to migrate across great distances, include more variety irrespective of country borders. ANGOLA Menongue ZAMBIA Cuito Cuanavale Kafue Kafue Lusaka NP Mavinga NP Zambezi Lake Kariba Matusadona Sioma Ngwezi victoria falls NP erita NP h g ZIMBABWE d e Luengue-Luiana NP Katima Mulilo l s r i t o e w Rundu Kasane Chizarira Livingstone NP Harare Bwabwata NP K Mudumu Zambezi NP w Cho e Victoria Falls a NP b n Major Town O d o ka Kazuma Pan v okavango delta NP a Nkasa n Port of Entry erita - g h g Lupala Chobe o e d Mangetti NP Khaudum l s r i t o e NP NP NP w Airport erita h g d e i l s r t he ag r i d e t l s o r i e t o e w w World Heritage Site NAMIBIA Hwange NP tsodilo hills Country Border Nxai Pan Major Road NP Maun Main Road Bulawayo Secondary Road Makgadikgadi Pans NP Makgadikgadi Track Pans National Park 0 50 100 150 Other Protected Area km BOTSWANA 3 introduction KAZA is a colourful celebration of cultures, languages and traditions. There’s no one description that can define the tremendous diversity of this transfrontier area, inhabited by people who identify not just with five different countries, but with a multitude of tribes. People of KAZA Image: Carrie Hampton FOR THE LOVE OF LANGUAGE he many and diverse cultures spoken in parts of the Zambezi T of KAZA live side by side, each River Valley is different to that speaking their own language but spoken on the plateau, and is also those of their near neighbours, almost unintelligible to the Tonga and usually a couple of dialects, too. of Malawi or the Tsonga (Tonga) of Gilbert Kaimfa from Livingstone is Mozambique. a Tonga who also speaks Toka-Leya, Bantu languages often use Lozi and four other African dialects, prefixes to indicate a category for as well as English. With more than a noun, for example, ba- or mo- can 70 different tribes and many more distinguish people (Batonga), and vernaculars across Zambia alone, chi- or si- can signify the language, his eight languages will only get as in Chitonga. In Botswana, all him understood within a radius of citizens are referred to as Batswana, a few hundred kilometres from his one person is a Motswana and the home. One thing shared by most national language is Setswana.