Luxury Hidey Hole in the Delta

“A day dream, an idea, a concept can come to fruition if there is a driving force strong enough to make it happen.” — Erwin Viktor Bursik

THE think tank at Gondwana Collections had a dream — a floating houseboat stationed in a backwater canal in the Okavango swamp where a couple could be safely ensconced overnight in complete luxury with all the modcons yet in total solitude with no means of “escape”.

After a few days spent training the Gondwana Collection skippers it was time to relax again, and some of that time was spent aboard the realisation of the houseboat dream ...

The Namushasha River Villa was built in Windhoek and is now anchored in a small backwater cove in the delta. The aft deck overlooks the grass plains of the Bwabwata National Park and its abundant wildlife, and the front deck has views of a magnificent papyrus swamp which boasts an abundance of bird life.

It’s a wonderful place to spend some time — fascinating and relaxing during the daylight hours before they bloom into magnificent sunsets, and haunting as darkness descends surrounding one with Africa’s night noises. Many of those sounds floating across the water are made by the ever-present hippos and, depending on the season, elephants and other terrestrial beasts of Africa which come to quench their thirst after dark.

The narrow beam of light from a handheld spotlight not only adds visuals to this “sound vista”, but also creates a million minute “stars” as the numerous flying insects take to the air over the glittering waters.

Spending a night on the floating villa is a unique experience that would be hard to emulate even in a luxurious African bush environment.

The Namushasha River Villa is something special and fully complements the environment in which it has been situated. It is constructed on a large aluminium double pontoon base with two-storey deck, with a curved roof cladding the entire craft. The accompanying photographs show more detail of the craft itself.

Our first sight of the villa as we rounded the bend in the river was breath-taking; no literature nor photograph we had seen prior to that moment could portray the magnitude of the first viewing from the craft ferrying us to the villa.

Having boarded the houseboat on her aft deck and vaguely taken note of the gas braai and open fire pit, our attention was immediately drawn to the vista of the deck-level lounge and living area. It’s all five-star luxury, and we were totally enthralled as Namushasha River Lodge Manager Annetjie Theron showed us all the facilities and the abundant provisions for our night on the villa. Food and beverages were way beyond expectation and way beyond what we could consume. We could have been marooned on this craft for a week and still have had surplus provisions.

Climbing the flight of stairs led us to the vast bedroom and bathroom that was superb to say the least. Both rooms have unmatched 270-degree views of the surrounding vista. It was complete luxury in an environment that blew our minds.

Despite a lifetime of memories of incredible trips in Africa, Dick and I and our wives all agreed that a night on the Gondwana Collection Namushasha River Villa was an exceptional experience that will never be forgotten. Indeed, we have a fervent hope that we’ll be able to repeat it.