Nkasa Rupara National Park, also called Nkasa Lupala National Park and formerly known as Mamili National Park, is a protected area in Namibia. It is located near the Nkasa and Rupara islands on the Kwando/Linyanti River in the south-western part of East Caprivi. Botswana is to the west, south, and east of the park, and the Sangwali village is to the north. This park is Namibia’s largest officially protected wetland area. It is one of Namibia’s protected areas that helps support communities living near the park. The park does not have fences, allowing wildlife to move freely between Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia. Nkasa Rupara is part of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KaZa TFCA).
History
Mamili National Park and Mudumu National Park were created together on March 1, 1990. In 2012, the government of Namibia changed the name to Nkasa Rupara National Park.
The old name, Mamili, came from a family of important leaders in the Mafwe tribe who shared that name. The new name, Nkasa Lupala, is based on two islands in the Kwando River that are inside the park.
Geography and access
The Kwando River flows along the western border of Nkasa Rupara National Park. It then changes direction to become the Linyanti River, which forms the park’s southeastern boundary. It is the same river, but it has different names in different areas. The northern border of the park borders the Balyewa, Wuparo, and Dzoti communal area conservancies. The entire area is flat. Most of the park includes channels with reed beds, lagoons, and islands. Nkasa Rupara has narrow, permanently filled main channels of the Kwando/Linyanti River and several channels that flood at times. The river’s catchment area is in Angola, and the amount of flooding changes from year to year. Some years have flooding, while others have dry periods. To reach Nkasa Rupara National Park, turn off the B8 Trans-Caprivi Highway and onto the D3511 road after the Kongola Bridge. The only entrance crosses a bridge over a back-channel of the Kwando/Linyanti River, near Sangwali village in Wuparo Conservancy. Rupara Island can be reached by a dirt road. Nkasa Island is not accessible because the path is flooded.
Climate
Rainfall: Each year, the amount of rain ranges from 600 millimeters (24 inches) to 700 millimeters (28 inches), and can vary. Temperature: The temperature ranges from 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
Biology and ecology
Nkasa Rupara National Park has the largest wetlands, marshes, and areas that flood seasonally in Namibia. Its ecosystems are similar to those in the Okavango Delta. Seasonal flooding shapes the park’s environment. Caprivi floodplains are the main feature. Small islands made of old termite mounds, called termitaria, support various types of trees.
The park is located in the broadleaved tree and wood savanna biome. The vegetation type is Caprivi floodplains. Trees and shrubs grow on higher ground that rarely floods. Common tree species include knob thorn (Senegalia nigrescens), paper-bark acacia (Vachellia sieberiana), large-leaved albizia (Albizia versicolor), monkey bread (Piliostigma thonningii), leadwood (Combretum imberbe), sausage tree (Kigelia africana), and silver cluster-leaf (Terminalia sericea).
Nkasa Rupara serves as a path for large mammals moving between Namibia and Botswana, especially African elephants and buffalo. The park is home to about 1,000 buffalo, the largest group in Namibia. Approximately 560 hippos and 500 crocodiles live in the park’s rivers and channels. Rare antelope species found here include sitatungas, pukus, red lechwe, reedbucks, and oribis. Other animals in the park include elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, spotted hyenas, African wild dogs, roan antelopes, impalas, kudus, warthogs, baboons, spotted-necked otters, rock monitor lizards, and water monitor lizards.
About 450 bird species have been recorded in the park. Some rare, vulnerable, or endangered birds found here include wattled cranes, Pel’s fishing-owls, black-cheeked lovebirds, and yellow-billed oxpeckers. Other bird species include Stanley’s bustard, rosy-throated longclaw, Dickinson’s kestrel, Allen’s gallinule, lesser jacana, black-winged and red-winged pratincoles, long-toed lapwing, Luapula cisticola, coppery-tailed coucal, and black coucal.
Fires
Lightning or fires caused by humans happen at certain times of the year. These fires are important for the park's ecosystem because they help control the growth of tall grass and stop woody plants from spreading too much.
Recreation
At least two all-wheel drive vehicles are needed because the ground can be wet and muddy. Nkasa Rupara is located in an area where malaria is present. Park fees must be paid before visiting at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) offices in Katima Mulilo, Windhoek, or when arriving at the park. Nkasa Rupara has few facilities. There are no stores, gas stations, or other services inside the park. Visitors must bring everything they need. A community campsite is located on the park’s northern border. The Nkasa Lupala tented lodge was built recently as part of a tourism agreement with the Namibian Government. It is operated in partnership with the Wuparo Conservancy, which also manages a community campsite outside the park.
Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have agreed to work together across country borders to protect nature through the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KaZa TFCA). Nkasa Rupara is located in the center of the KaZa TFCA and serves as a pathway for elephants, buffalo, roan antelope, and sable antelope to move between Botswana, Angola, and Zambia. KaZa includes 22 protected areas that cover 280,000 square kilometers. KaZa aims to expand the network of protected areas, increase the variety of plants and animals, restore old migration paths for wildlife, and attract more tourists to the region. In areas where people often face challenges from living near wildlife, KaZa seeks to make protecting wildlife and natural areas more beneficial for local communities.
Park management
Nkasa Rupara National Park is one of five national parks in north-eastern Namibia. It is managed together with Bwabwata National Park, Khaudum National Park, Mangetti National Park, and Mudumu National Park.
Since 2006, the NamParks Project (formerly BMM Parks Project), helped by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW, has supported the development of these parks. Funds have been used to create tourism and business plans, improve roads and buildings, move animals back to their natural homes, and build partnerships between the government and local communities to manage parks and other land areas together. Nkasa Rupara National Park is part of the Mudumu South complex. Complexes combine protected areas, conservancies, and forestry lands into one unit to manage resources across park and conservancy borders. Groups involved work together to prevent illegal hunting, control fires, monitor wildlife, and move animals between areas. This method is called integrated park management.
A park management plan helps guide activities in Nkasa Rupara National Park.
Park development
A ranger station is located at Shizinze. Staff from Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) perform patrols, check and count animals, and stop poaching. They work with local conservancies to manage and protect the park. NamParks Project and the MET built a new bridge to make it easier to reach the park and purchased cars and tools for patrols. Nkasa Rupara has several tourism and hunting areas that help earn money for the government and nearby communities. A lodge for tourists also helps the people living near the park.