Mangetti National Park in Namibia
Mangetti National Park is a national park in Namibia that is situated in the northern region. The park has a size of approximately 420 square kilometers and it was established and proclaimed in 2008. Mangetti National Park is situated in the eastern Kalahari woodlands about 100 kilometers south-west of Rundu.
The main goal of managing Mangetti national park is to increase and develop tourism in the region so as to reduce rural poverty in Namibia. The park is one of Namibia’s newest national parks and has a full potential of becoming a new tourism figure in the north east while protecting wildlife and vegetation. Before becoming a national park, Mangetti area was previously used for breeding rare and endangered animals.
Vegetation of Mangetti National Park
Mangetti National Park is made up of tree and shrub savannah biome which is known as the North Eastern Kalahari woodlands. The vegetation on dune crests is different from that of the dune valleys. There are various tree species in the national park including the Mangetti tree, silver terminalia, Commiphora species, camel thorn, variable combretum, black thorn acacia and others.
Vegetation of Mangetti National Park
Wildlife of Mangetti National park
Mangetti national park is a home to a variety of wildlife including the kudu, duiker, sable antelopes, African wild dog, leopards, hyena, blue wildebeest, caracal, African wild cat, occasional elephant, and others.
Lapped Faced Vultures
The national park also hosts numerous bird species like the lapped faced vultures, bateleur, striped kingfisher, tawny eagle, Meyer’s parrot, and many others.
The national park also hosts numerous bird species like the lapped faced vultures, bateleur, striped kingfisher, tawny eagle, Meyer’s parrot, and many others.
Safari activities in the park
Game viewing
Though Mangetti national park is small in size compared to other national park in Namibia, it hosts a number of wild animals that are sighted while having a game drive or a nature walk through the park. Among the animals to be seen include the hyenas, leopards, common eland, African wild dogs, impalas, kudus, sable antelopes, elephants, African wild cats, duikers, the blue wildebeest, giraffes and others.
Bird watching
Mangetti national park’s dense vegetation is a home for a variety of birdlife including the residential and migratory species. The migratory bird species fly into the park during the dry seasons and thus forming a large population of birds in the park. Among the birds to be seen include the stripped king fisher, the lapped faced vulture, the Meyer’s parrot, the Tawny eagle and many others.
Hiking through the park
Explore Mangetti national park to its top by taking part in the adventurous experience of hiking. These guided hikes and walks give you a great chance to know the different species like animals, birds and trees. When going for the hikes, it is better to put on long sleeved clothes and gumboots to avoid scratches.
How to get to Mangetti National park
The national park of Mangetti can be accessed by both air and road types of transport.
By Air: Fly from Windhoek the capital of Namibia and land in Rundu airport and then take an hour drive to the camp that is near Mangetti National Park.
By road.
The drive from the capital city of Namibia – Windhoek to the national park takes about seven hours since there will be a few stop overs. 4×4 safari vehicle is the best opted car to use while travelling to Mangetti national park due to the presence of sandy roads within the area.
A safari to Mangetti national park will be worth your money and time in the republic of Namibia and remember the more times you visit the park, the more you help the locals to uplift their life styles and also improve their standards of living and also have memory catching lifestyles about the safari.
