To arrive in the Caprivi Strip in northeastern Namibia we beat our record for longest drive in a day. In 8 hours we drove 443 miles, not bad from a 3-ton Land Rover that has a max cursing speed of 60 miles an hour. We took advantage of the nicely tarred (and extremely straight road) to write a couple scripts for the series that will air on Canal Futura in Brazil.

Arriving at our destination, we are greeted by a delightful couple, Peter and Robyn, lodge managers of Wilderness Safaris’ Lianshulu. Peter, from New Zealand, and Robyn, from Zimbabwe, are both passionate about the bush. We tell them about our expedition and Robyn particularly delighted about Nandi (our car) and asks us to follow her to the lodge’s deck that sits over the Kwando river lagoon. The view, especially during sunset, is spectacular.

Africa has given us tremendous sunsets. The reflection of the clouds on the glassy surface of the lagoon doubles the colorful effect (MC).

With a warm melodic voice, Robyn begins to call “Nandi, Nandi, Nandi.” She taps her fingers on the wooden railing, as if she was calling her pet. Soon we see the movement in the water and Robyn declares, “This is my Nandi!”  It was simply a 10-foot female crocodile. Huge!

Nandi lives in the lagoon in front of Lianshulu lodge. Since Robyn and Peter have managed the lodge Nandi is not feed – there are plenty of fish in the lagoon – but Nandi seems to have a good memory and still responds when she is called (HC).

We left the world of the dry deserts in southern Namibia and entered an area that is ruled by water. The Caprivi Strip is the crossroad for some of the continents most important rivers, such as the Okavango River (which forms the well-known Okavango delta in Botswana), the Zambezi River (which hosts Victoria falls bordering Zambia and Zinbabwe) and the Kwando River which comes from Angola. Peter points to a group of trees some 200 yards away, across the lagoon and the Kwando river, “Those trees are in Botswana, the Kwando river is the border between the two countries.”

Here, water is a synonym for hippo. We hadn’t seen any until now, mostly because the parks we visited didn’t have enough water. During dinner we heard some noises, like short grunts, which confirmed that there were hippos right by the lodge, hidden in the reeds.  “Many times we find hippos on the lawn as we walk back to the bungalows”, says Robyn. “The only come out of the water night, to feed”

The next morning was reserved to shoot these gigantic aquatic mammals. Hippos are said to be one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Incidents of hippos attacking small boats are quite common, boats are recommended to stay at about 100 feet (30 yards) from hippos, enough to always have an emergency exit. When we sighted the first group, which totaled some 13 animals, we didn’t hesitate to put the tripod on firm ground (on the Botswana side) to film with more stability. It is a waiting game of chance to get the right shot. You never know exactly when the alpha male is going to burst out with a huge yawn, or in our case a massive back flip, you just have to be ready on the camera trigger.

Maybe to show is strength and power, the male hippo does a back flip like a breaching whale. Various local guides noted this was a rarity. To different shots show the trick in action. (MC).

When they are in the water, hippos spend 99% of their time with only their nostrils and ears out of the water and they can dive and hold their breath for up to 5 minutes at a time. (HC)

Lianshulu lodge sits on a private concession in Mudumu National Park in Namibia, which hosts many mammal species besides the hippo. We take a game drive through the park and add a few more species to our list, which has now reach 32. One of the new species we saw – that will be very common from now on – is the impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus).

Haroldo gets a great shot of a male leaping for escape (HC).

Our interests are not limited to the African wildlife. During our journey through the Caprivi we had the opportunity to also visit a village called Lizauli of the Mayeyi ethnic group. The rounded dwellings are grouped together by clans or families and are surrounded by plots of maize, their stable food.

Women in the village are avid basket weavers. The crafts are carefully laced in the shade, preferably in one the round huts (HC).

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