INCHL
Inchingo Lodge
Ichingo Chobe River Lodge is a secluded and private, owner managed lodge, offering, together with The Ichobezi Houseboat, the ideal personalised venues to get away from it all, for families, couples or small groups who wish to experience Africa at its finest and enjoy all that it has to offer. Ichingo Chobe River Lodge is situated on Impalila Island in the very northeastern region of Namibia and because of its location can be considered as a Chobe / Victoria Falls destination.
- Tented accommodation
- House boat
- ChobeRiverboat cruises and fishing
- Children of all ages accepted
Impalila Island lies at the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers, which is also the meeting place of the four countries, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The nearest town is Kasane in Northern Botswana and the Victoria Falls are only some 80 kilometers downstream.
Ichingo is a luxury-tented lodge accommodating a maximum of sixteen people in twin bedded large Meru tents, each with cupboards, tables, electric lights etc, its own private thatched en suite bathroom and balcony. All tents overlook the river with the main lodge buildings being built over the river and consisting of a lounge and bar with a separate dining room, all under thatch and situated under large shady trees.
Game viewing can be done by boat into the Chobe National Park where huge herds of elephants come down to drink together with an extensive array of other game such as buffalo, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck, puku, lechwe, impala, baboons, etc. The evening boat trip, with quiet sundowners on the river surrounded by elephants is an unforgettable experience.
Fishing for Tiger fish and Bream in both the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers. The Lodge is particularly renown for the quality of its guides and their success in landing Tigerfish, especially when fly-fishing. High quality tackle is available for guest use.
There is fishing access to over 30 kilometers of Chobe River, over 120 kilometers of Zambezi River and many, many kilometers of waterways in the Kasai wetlands. Each of these areas offers a different fishing experience providing excellent fishing in what is undoubtedly the premier Tiger fishing water in Africa.
The Chobe is a smaller graceful river with deep pools and a lot of still water combined with a series of rapids and white water in front of the Lodge. It has firm banks and is bounded on one side by the Chobe National park where in the evenings vast quantities of wild animals, especially elephants, come down to drink.
The Lodge has two unique jet boats that allow for particularly fine fishing in both the rapid systems on the Zambezi and Chobe rivers. These are the best fly-fishing venues for Tigerfish with fish in the 3 to 6 kgs range and offering a great challenge in the fast flowing streams. For this we usually fish a maximum of two to a boat.
The Zambezi is a large free flowing river with areas of wide and deep water, fairly swiftly flowing, and the home to the large Tigerfish. It has essentially reed banks but interspersed are wonderful white sandbanks for the crocodiles and hippos to rest on. In the deeper waters we tend to find the small shoals of the large 6 to 9 kg Tigerfish.
We have a series of good quality boats all with 75hp or 90 hp motors, which allows us to access the whole stretch of the Zambezi from Mambova rapids to Kalimbeza sandbanks - about 120 kilometers.
The major fishing attraction is Tiger fish. These legendary fighters are equipped with an extraordinarily large tail and a specialized bone structure allowing them to accelerate like a rocket and hit your bait like no other fish of equal size. Their teeth are formidable and they prey on other fish up to 40% of their own weight. They grow up to 18 lbs but even four-pound specimens fight like champions. Tiger are essentially a summer fish being more active in the warmer water so the traditional season is September through to February when the rivers are also low and clear.
They do catch a range of Bream (Yellow bellied, Thin face, Hump back, Three Spot etc) - they get up to three kilograms and being predatory fish give a good account of themselves. These are generally winter fish with June through to August being peak time. We from time to time, also target Barbel [catfish] that go up to 18 kilograms.
Some fishing is done from the banks and rocks in the rapids but we are always careful about the potential hazard of crocodiles. When clients arrive they are allocated a Guide and boat and then free to do whatever fishing they would like for the duration of their stay. We fish two to a boat for fly-fishing.
Bird watching is a year round pleasure with over 400 recorded species and a combination of water birds and good dry land birds on the island. It is an excellent place to see all the summer migrants from September through to March.
Excursions by Mokoro (dugout canoe) into the small islands that exist in the Chobe River and form part of the rapid system. The experienced polers are also knowledgeable in all the various bird species to be found during the trip. This is subject to river conditions.
Guided walks on the Island are very interesting as there is a varied ecology and the villages offer an insight into traditional African life. From the top of an ancient Baobab tree one can view the meeting place of the four countries.
The lodge also operates a four roomed, eight bedded, luxury Safari boat - The Ichobezi - in the Zambezi and Chobe River systems. This offers two dedicated tender boats with all the activities and hospitality standards of the lodge plus the added excitement of cruising and overnighting in some of the remote areas of the Caprivi.
The Lodge collects its clients by boat from the Kasane immigration office in Botswana for the short trip across the river to the island. Kasane is readily accessible by road from both South Africa and Namibia and in addition there are now frequent flights from Johannesburg to Kasane. Private charters regularly fly directly onto the Island where there is an excellent 1400 meter all weather gravel airstrip.
