Travel Guide Katima Mulilo

Located 1,208 km from Windhoek and 508 km from Rundu, this "big" city of 23,000 people acts as the regional capital of Eastern Zambezi and is experiencing considerable development, thanks to the growing economic integration of the countries in the region, but also thanks to tourism. Katima Mulilo, which only became part of Namibia at the end of the 19th century and hosted the South African Air Force during the civil war, sometimes seems to be living on the bangs of the real capital: many traders and lodges do not accept Namibian winter time and continue to live on the time of other southern African countries (which can be detrimental if you arrive a little late at a lodge and are told that it is past dinner time!) The town's residential areas are spread out around its two main streets, which correspond to the commercial and administrative center. A small market of local products spreads out on the central square. A place where people from all over the region gather and trade, the square is lined with supermarkets, bottle stores and music stores. A little further back, a small round building displays and sells local handicrafts; everything is sold at local prices, incomparably cheaper than in the souvenir stores of Windhoek. A tourist curiosity will not fail to interest the visitor: a giant baobab tree has been housing a toilet since 1939, in front of the colorful SWAPO building. Good news for the inhabitants of Katima Mulilo and for the region in general: a bridge, located a few kilometers from the city, allows access to Zambia since 2004. Katima Mulilo is now only 2 hours away from Livingstone and the Victoria Falls on the Zambian side. Financed in large part by the German government, this bridge, which spans the Zambezi over 818 m, cost around 30 million euros. This is an expense that will pay for itself: Zambia is already benefiting greatly from this construction, which opens up the country and gives it access to the port of Walvis Bay in the Atlantic. For the transport of exports to Europe, this represents a gain of five days. The city of Katima Mulilo is more than ever at the crossroads between Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia. French and European nationals who want to visit Zambia must acquire a visa which can be obtained at the border post for US$50. It is essential to have the authorization of your car rental company to take your vehicle to Zambia.