At the far end of the Caprivi Strip the road finally runs out of Namibia. Katima Mulilo stands on the Zambezi River, a wide, slow, brown stretch of water that here forms the border with Zambia, and the town's name is commonly translated from Lozi as something like putting out the fire, a reference to the rapids upstream. It is the capital of the Zambezi region, with about twenty-five thousand people, and across the river and a short bridge lies Sesheke in Zambia, drawn in on every local conversation.
For a rider who has done the long haul from Rundu, Katima feels like civilisation. There is fuel, supermarkets, banks with machines, a good selection of lodges on the river bank, and a street life that is lively and friendly after the empty bush. It is a border and trade town: trucks bound for Zambia, Botswana and the Copperbelt rumble through, and the market is a good place to understand what ordinary life in this corner of Africa looks like. Expect a heat that sits on you like a hand, and mosquitoes after dark.
The riding in and out is straightforward tar through flat mopane and sand country, with the same animal warnings as the rest of the strip. Elephants wander the river margins and there are national parks in all directions, including Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara in the south and Chobe on the Botswana side. Hippos graze on the banks at night, and locals will tell you where not to walk. A short boat trip at sundown on the Zambezi is better value than most sightseeing, with fish eagles, kingfishers and lazy crocodiles for company.
History here is layered and quite recent. The strip itself is a colonial invention, designed to give Germany access to the Zambezi, and the area saw serious trouble during the war for Namibian independence, when the border was closed to ordinary travel. Today it is quiet and welcoming, and fishing, farming and the tourism trade keep the town moving. If you cross into Zambia, check current border formalities, insurance and bike paperwork well in advance rather than at the barrier. For most riders, Katima is a pleasant end to the trans-Caprivi run, with a cold drink and a river view as the finish.