Mamili National Park should be visited with an experienced local operator due to difficult road conditions. The Mudumu National Park can be visited at the same time. Allow for an activity of a day or half a day.

There are very no facilities within the park. The closest accommodation establishment is located in the Mudumu National Park.
Lianshulu Lodge >>
9 luxury chalets and 1 luxury family chalet, overlooking the Kwando River and Lianshulu Lagoon.

The Park must be entered by at least two 4 X 4 offroad vehicles per party due to the difficulty of the roads.

Mamili is a national park, and subject to a number of rules. Most importantly, although there is a picnic spot in the park, do not leave the car at any other point, especially when there are elephants present.

Cool box
During summer, temperatures can reach up to 35 degrees Celsius and the air is very humid, so a cool box is essential for comfort. The cool box must be stocked with plenty of water. Refreshments can be purchased in the camps.

Photographic supplies
Ensure that enough flash memory cards or film stock is on hand. There are excellent opportunities for photography and filming.

* Bird watching
* Game viewing
* Trips through the flood plains of the Okavango Delta
* Possibility of sighting hippos, crocodiles, buffalo and elephants
* Slender possibility of sighting sitatunga and lechwe

Mamili is dominated by the flood plains of the Okavango, swamps and small lakes. The bush is very dense and there are vast reed beds. The park lies where the Mashi and Linyanti Rivers meet and feed into the flood plains. There are two large islands in the park, Nkasa and Lupala Islands. During the rainy flooding season up to 80 % of the area is under water and the parks are completely cut off from land, however in the dry season, the parks may be reached by tracks across the dry parts of the flood plain.

The area is rich in wildlife. In the rivers, visitors may see hippos and crocodiles. There is a possibility of sighting lechwe, and a very slender possibility of seeing sitatunga. Other wildlife includes elephant, buffalo , warthog and giraffe. Predators in the park include lions and leopards, but sightings will be fleeting.

The level of the water influences which species will be seen.

In the rainy season, species such as  Rufous-naped Lark, Little Button Quail, Red-faced Cisticola, and Harlequin and Common Quail may be seen. When the plains are flooded, species such as Slaty Egret, Black Coucals, Pink-throated Longclaw and Wattled Cranes may be seen, but with difficulty. Other wetland species include Red-headed Quelea, Red-shouldered and White-winged Widows, Thick-billed Weavers, a number of firefinch species and a range of  herons, ducks, rails and weavers. During the drier periods the extensive grasslands are good for Denham's Bustard, Kori Bustard and Black-bellied Bustard may be seen in the grasslands.

Due to the long drive through the Caprivi Strip, travellers should spend the night before and after a visit in Katima Mulilo or a lodge in the vicinity.

Other inclusions on the general route are:
* Mudumu National Park
* Bwabwata National Park (onward travel)
* Popa Falls (onward travel)
* Mahango Park (onward travel)
* Victoria Falls (onward travel)
* Zambia (onward travel)
* Botswana & Okavango Delta (onward travel)

Mamili must be entered in 4 X 4 offroad vehicles. Two vehicles are required per party.  Travellers should be encouraged to visit the park on an organised excursion with a local activity operator. Read the guidelines on offroad driving, here>>

Katima Mulilo circular route via Kongola

* Follow the B8 from Katima Mulilo to the intersection with the C49 (approx. 10 km)
* Follow the C49 along the northern border of Mamili National Park, through the Mudumu National Park to Kongola (approx. 187 km)
* Return to Katima Mulilo via Mudumu along the B8 (approx. 110 km)

There are no accommodation establishments within the Mamili National Park.

Lianshulu Lodge >>
9 chalets and 1 family chalet, located inside the Mudumu National Park overlooking the Kwando River and Lianshulu Lagoon. Offers boat cruises and game drives.

At the place where the Mashi River meets the Linyanti, on a huge flood plain, animals and birds gather from the surrounding areas, drawn by water, vegetation and prey. Amongst the rivers, lakes and swamps of Mamili National Park travellers can see an entirely different Namibia. Wildlife in Mamili includes elephants, buffalo, hippos, crocodiles and, if very lucky, a rare sitatunga, an antelope that spends most of its time in water or swimming, may even be seen.

Mudumu is regarded as one of the best birding spots in Africa. More than 70 % of all birds found in Namibia can be seen here. And, as it is a wetland, bird watchers also have the opportunity of seeing the species common to the Okavango Delta.

The name Mamili is actually one of the traditional names of inhabitants of the area. The name ‘Mamili’ means ‘land of the Mamilis’.

The weather is subtropical. During winter the temperature can fall as low as 4 degrees Celsius and rise to 28 degrees Celsius. In summer the temperature may rise as high as 35 degrees Celsius. During summer, the air is very humid, and large amounts of rain may fall.

When people think of animals that live in the water, they normally think of hippos, The last thing they expect is to hear about a waterproof buck. But, amazingly enough, one antelope has adapted to spending most of its life in the water.

Rarely seen, due to its habitat and its interesting adaptations, the sitatunga is one of the most amazing antelopes. In fact, if it really feels threatened, the most you will see of the sitatunga is a pair of nostrils sticking out of the water. 

Found in the swampy, wet areas of central and western Africa, the sitatunga is a fascinating example of adaptation. Not only does it have a shaggy, oily, water-resistant coat, but has also learned to swim well, although slowly. Most of the time the sitatunga stays half-submerged, but when threatened it dives into deeper water with only its nose out of the water.

The hooves of the sitatunga have also adapted. Most antelope have flat hooves for walking on sand. These would bog the antelope down if it entered water. However the sitatunga has developed long hooves with narrow points. These allow it to move through mud without getting stuck. They also splay, spread apart, which helps it when it swims. However, this means that the sitatunga is clumsy on land.

Sitatungas prefer dense reed beds when they do have to emerge from the water, for instance to rest. They make tunnels through the reeds. The fact that they live amongst these dense reeds makes it yet more difficult to see them. When they need to rest, they find a patch of dry ground amongst the reeds, and trample the reeds down to form a small clearing.

Sitatungas are both grazers and browsers. Their diet consists of leaves, shoots, buds and grass. They are also known to eat fruit when they can find them, as well as bark. They use their long tongues to pull up grass or pull flowers from plants. If they need to reach food on higher branches, they stand on their hind legs. When necessary they will leave the water to feed.

Their swampy environment provides them with a good source of food. As a result of the rich source of food, they only need a very small area in which to live. They will normally stay in one area for a few days, and then move on.

Sitatungas are active during the day, and at night, but are most active at dusk and dawn. They are not seen in large groups as they are solitary creatures that normally only pair for mating. A male sitatunga will make a loud, barking noise, to warn other male sitatungas that it is in a specific area. Although they have long, sharp horns, other male sitatungas will then stay away, as they are not particularly aggressive. Sometimes males make sneezing noises and utter loud squeaks.

Female sitatungas are sometimes found in small, all-female groups. They use a single high-pitched bark to warn other sitatungas of danger. Sitatunga claves have been reported to sound like sheep.

Males and females only pair for the brief period of mating. Mating occurs throughout the year, but births are at their highest during dry periods when there is more dry land for the young.

One sitatunga is born to each mother after a gestation period of seven months. The female tramples a clearing for the young. The calf stays on this platform for several weeks. Its mother visits it on this platform for brief periods so that the calf can suckle.

At first the calf has difficulty moving on its long hooves, and often falls into nearby water, but the young sitatunga is less dependent on its mother than other young antelopes. Even when only half-grown, young sitatungas are seen grazing or browsing on their own after they are weaned between the ages of four and six months.

Female sitatungas reach sexual maturity between one and two years of age. Males reach sexual maturity between two and two-and-a-half years of age. The females keep their reddish colour, but the males turn greyish-brown, grow their manes and horns, and develop a white stripe on their backs.

The male normally grows to a height of a meter at the shoulder. They weigh up to 120 kg. The females are considerably smaller. Both male and females live up to 19 years.

The main natural threats to sitatungas are leopards, lions, crocodiles and pythons. However man is the worst threat. As sitatungas burrow pathways through the reeds, it is easy for hunters to set snares. A further threat comes from the fact that people are draining swamps, the natural habitat of sitatungas, for farmland.

Shy, retiring and threatened by humans, a sighting of a sitatunga is a very lucky event.