Discover Kongola

Kongola combines local crafts with a cultural program in the surrounding area. The Mashi Craft Centre is in Kongola; the Living Museum of the Mafwe is 17 km to the north on the D3502. When choosing a hotel in Kongola, you can distinguish between these highlights: the crafts are in town, while the museum is a separate destination to the north. This gives you a clear guide to which cultural experiences you might want to include in your travel plans.

Crafts in Kongola

The Mashi Craft Centre in Kongola offers a range of handmade goods from surrounding communities: baskets, mats, pottery, and wood carvings. An earlier article describes Mashi Crafts in Kongola as an outlet for crafts made in the surrounding conservation areas. Production in surrounding communities and conservation areas is therefore as much a part of the story as the finished objects. If you are looking for a specific item, ask about the current selection in advance.

A description in the 2008/09 edition of Conservation and the Environment in Namibia mentions necklaces made from Mbono seeds at Mashi Crafts in Kongola. The seeds were ground and boiled in oil; the oil was used as a lotion for skin and hair. The same article describes reed mats and wood carvings displayed at Mashi Crafts. Materials and traditional uses are among the details that make the crafts particularly vivid.

Cultural program north of Kongola

The Living Museum of the Mafwe is 17 km north of Kongola on the D3502. The program combines a guided village tour, a short bush walk, and singing and dancing. The half-day program differs in that it offers insights into various everyday activities and the opportunity to take part. If you are planning a visit, confirm current visiting arrangements in advance.

A riverside trail for guests of Namushasha River Lodge

For guests of Namushasha River Lodge, a short walking trail follows the river to the Heritage Centre. It differs from the museum's guided program: rather than a village tour and everyday activities, the focus here is a short riverside walk. If you include this trail in your plans, keep in mind that it is intended for lodge guests.

Caprivi as a wider regional context

Two routes are also relevant for getting your bearings in the broader travel destination of Caprivi. The Trans-Caprivi Highway crosses the Zambezi Region and leads from central and northern Namibia towards the Chobe Game Reserve in Botswana and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The Four Rivers Route runs from Nkurenkuru in the northeast through the Zambezi Region to Victoria Falls. Both routes provide a regional context, while the craft and cultural destinations have a more specific connection to Kongola.

Discover more destinations: Lionga, Luzibalule, Sangwali, Photo, Katima Mulilo

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