The Okavango Delta is a labyrinth of lagoons, islets and hidden channels covering an area of over 17,000 square km. Located deep within the landlocked, arid lands of Botswana, the area is a powerful magnet for wildlife. In addition to Africa’s big five (elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard), the Okavango Delta is home to cheetah, hyena, wildebeest, giraffe, African wild dog, and warthog as well as a myriad of antelope species include lechwe, majestic kudu and stately sable. The over 400 bird species in the area include the crested crane, the gorgeous lilac breasted roller and the aptly named hammerkop (kop meaning head in Afrikaans).
The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world. So how does an inland delta come about? Each year between about March and June, about 11 cubic kilometers (that is 11,000,000,000,000 liters) of water flow into the area from the Angola Highlands and literally dead-ends in here in the Kalahari sands. The Delta is incredibly flat and as the waters slowly meander through this mosaic of land and water approximately 60% of it is consumed by plants, 36% by evaporation, 2% percolates into the aquifer system, and only about 2% finally flows into Lake Ngami.
Sometimes called a ‘swamp’, the Okavango is anything but. The remarkably clean and pure water moves, mysteriously and placidly from a wide and winding channel before spreading through, almost unnoticeable channels that creep away behind walls of papyrus, into an ever expanding network of increasingly smaller channels. Here too we find crystal clear pools, forest glades and grassy knolls are shaded by palms, ancient leadwoods and stunning wild mango trees.
On many of our overland trips we visit this gorgeous environment traveling deep into the Delta on traditional mokoro safaris of 1, 2 or 3 days. Flights can also be arranged over this remarkable setting. Traditional mokoros are used to manouevure our way through the waterways. Traditional mokoros are made by digging out the truck on a large straight tree such as the African Ebony or the Sausage Tree, however for ecological reasons modern mokoros are increasingly made of fiberglass. The boats are propelled through the shallow waters of the Delta by the professional trained boatsmen who stand in the stern and pushing with a pole. As you travel deeper into this special ecosystem you can experience a beautiful silence, broken only by the swish of water on the sides of the makoro and the sounds of nature, the grunt of hippos and the call of a fish eagle. We stop on islets for guided walks before setting up our overnight camp in the midst of this watery wonderland. A mokoro safari is a very real African bush experience
For more information about overland trips that visit the Okavango Delta, as well as the best months to visit and other details for planning your Africa trip visit http://www.absoluteafrica.com/
