Travel – Chobe Water Villas
A trip to Chobe Water Villas in Namibia once again confirmed KEMONG MOPEDI’s belief that exploring Africa always feels like home away from home!
There are a few unintentional instances that taught me how to process the unfamiliar and the unknown, which I’ll forever be grateful for. One of them was — without the slightest idea what it entailed exactly — signing up for anthropology in the first two years of my undergrad studies.
In the very first lecture, we were introduced to two terms that I now pack along with my luggage whenever I travel. The first is ethnocentrism, which is the concept of judging other cultures through our own biased, cultural lenses. The second is cultural relativism, which suggests that a person’s beliefs and values are usually determined by their own culture or environment in which they live, therefore should be judged accordingly, and not through the eyes of our own personal experiences.
THE WILDER, THE BETTER
These two concepts came in handy once more on my trip to the Chobe Water Villas, cosily nestled along the Chobe River banks in Kasika District, Namibia. Firstly, getting to this stilted boutique lodge was an adventure worthy of it’s own story. So yes, the lodge’s tagline, “The adventure is getting there; the romance is being there”, isn’t an exaggeration. Established in 2016, the venue can only be accessed through the safari-famous Kasane, a small town in Botswana, with an airport close by should you wish to fly in.
After the two-hour flight from Joburg, we drove a short distance to the Kasane Immigration Office to declare that we were exiting Botswana and making our way to Namibia. When we arrived, we drove past the Chobe Water Villas – getting a magnificent view of our home for the next few days – on our way to the Kasika Immigration Office (to once again declare our arrival). This admin was all worth it when we finally set foot at the dreamy reception area, where the staff welcomed us in song and dance. A brief afternoon high tea followed, then a butler escorted each guest to their room.
THE VILLA LIFE
The lodge only has 16 villas, which, when fully booked, only hosts 32 guests. None of those long queues during mealtimes, or feeling pressure to interact with hordes of guests. One of the lodge’s most striking features is the impeccably curated interior design, with each decor piece telling a unique
story about the continent. We’re told Cape Town interior design genius, Jan Lewis, actually crept out of retirement to curate the look and feel of the entire lodge. The general aura at the reception area feels like a trip around contemporary Africa, what with the buffet station sliding door that’s painted in Namibia’s Herero tribe’s patterns, and lights designed to resemble an elephant’s footsteps.
All 16 villas offer unobstructed views of the Chobe River, with the Sedudu Island smack bang in the middle. With views like those, you’ll want to spend the bulk of your stay on the deck admiring the sunrise and sunset, or the animals lazing about on the island. But, if you desire a more upclose encounter with the river, there are morning and afternoon safaris to indulge your curiosity. Hippos are known to make their way to the lodge in the evening and as one guest who’s a light sleeper said, “I could hear them grunting from right underneath my villa!” When the river views get too much (doubt this will happen), the infinity pool deck area is also available for guests’ pleasure.
VIEWS FOR DAYS
Namibian locals commute to and fro work, and run their errands via boat taxis that run along the Chobe River, which is home to a large population of rhinos and crocodiles that often crawl out to bask on the banks. How’s that for an adventure?
As if that wasn’t enough, the Chobe National Park lies on the opposite side of the Chobe River. After crossing back to Kasane from the Namibia side, the expansive park (think 11 700km2) is a mere 15-minute drive away, and is home to antelope species, giraffes, lions, leopard, cheetah, hippos, elephants and zebras. Perhaps the most mind-boggling wildlife stat to come out of this park is that it’s currently home to 120 000 elephants, which also happens to be the biggest population in the world! At the risk of sounding like I don’t appreciate nature [chuckles], safaris can quickly get tedious, especially if you’ve been on a couple of them — but the Chobe National Park ecosystem looks like a scene out of National Geographic – it doesn’t feel like the animals have been strategically placed there to pose for guests. During our drive, we spotted a few fly-ridden carcasses of elephants and also witnessed vultures feasting away on one of them. My favourite part of the game drive, after the part where our car got stuck in sand [chuckles], was that it never took long for us to spot the next animal, or a unique bird species to marvel at.
We wrapped up the trip at Kabuta Village, which is a stone’s throw away from the Chobe Water Villas and is home to about 30 residents. Here, roosters still crow to alert residents to the time of day, the water tap is communal and so are the plans to flood-proof the houses. There’s just something about the serenity of the Chobe Water Villas that I wish I could’ve bottled and brought home with me, to sprinkle around on those days when Joburg’s hustle and bustle threatens my sanity. More info from www.chobewatervillas.com