Areas of the Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta changes dramatically with the seasons. It has a number of distinct areas, including the Moremi Game Reserve that makes up about a third of the Botswanan portion of the Delta and which is the undisputed jewel in the massive area's crown.

The Moremi Game Reserve

The sprawling Moremi Game Reserve - nearly 5,000km² of staggeringly beautiful wilderness - is an area dominated by wetland habitats: permanent rivers and lagoons, twisting channels and secret swamps. Seasonal rivers send lifelines of water into the drier reaches of the reserve and the winter floods transform dusty grasslands into shimmering floodplains.

Moremi will challenge and excite the traveller: its dirt roads are bumpy and often flooded; there are stretches of remote forest and floodplains that might not be visited for months; elephants wander through campsites and hippos graze lodge's lawns. It is a place where some areas may be inaccessible at certain times of the year, giving rise to the feeling that our presence there is temporary at best.

The Panhandle

Before the Okavango River fans out into its familiar delta shape, its waters are squeezed into a 120km narrow meandering channel - the Panhandle -and so the Delta takes on the appearance of a giant frying pan lying in the heat of the Kalahari. Parallel fault lines have created steep river banks and this part of the Delta is very different to the flat open wetlands further south. Nevertheless, on both sides of the river lie large areas of floodplains, lagoons and small channels alive with the flash of colourful birds and creaking frogs. The Panhandle, while lacking the abundance of big game that is so marked in the Delta, is a superb area for bird watching, fishing and water-based activities. Semi-aquatic lechwe and sitatunga antelope can be glimpsed in the quieter backwaters and crocodiles and hippos dominate the open waters.

Permanent deep water has encouraged the growth of villages and fishing communities, particularly on the western bank which is now served by a tarred road. The Panhandle does not fall under the ambit of a protected reserve or park, but there are still huge areas of unspoiled wetlands and a number of well-established lodges in its private reserves and concessions. It also gives the traveller an opportunity to interact with the local population, one that is lacking in the uninhabited wilderness of Moremi.

What is also special about the panhandle is its proximity to one of Botswana's secrets - the northwest Kalahari and its enigmatic Tsodilo Hills, one of the world's oldest historical sites and spiritual home to both San and Bantu peoples. A place of magic and mystery, the rock art found there moved Laurens van der Post to describe it as 'a Louvre of the desert filled with treasure'.

The Permanent Delta

Three main channels (Jao, Thaoge and Nqoga) are the lifeline of the permanent swamps, essentially the northern and central Delta. Distributing water over an area of 2,000 to 3,000², the clear, sparkling channels feed lagoons and dense stands of reeds and papyrus. This area supports a huge diversity of species of aquatic life and the biomass swells during the dry season when the more water-dependent species move out of the parched interior and animals are concentrated near the water. As a result many lodges are located on the central and eastern channels - Jao and Nqoga - where great game viewing and excellent birding is guaranteed.

The Seasonal Delta

The arrival of floodwater from March onwards changes everything. The once dusty channels and grasslands come alive in a frenzy of renewed life and activity.

As the rest of Botswana dries up with the end of the rainy season, the Angolan rivers deliver about 9.4³ of water, in addition to the 3.2³ of rainwater that has already fallen on the Okavango Delta. The volume is enormous - and the swamps swell to an area of between 4,000 and 8,000^km2. Floods of up to 12,000² occasionally occur. The bitterly dry month of August sees the floodwaters at their greatest extent - a perfect example of nature at its most benevolent.

The Kalahari sun is relentless however, and 96% of the water is lost to evaporation. A miserly 1.5% trickles out of the Delta into the Thamalakane River and, in exceptional floods, into the mysterious Boteti River and Lake Ngami, located deep in the Kalahari. By October the floodwaters are in full retreat, losing up to 10mm a day due to brutal evaporation rates and the Delta begins to recede. Local rainfall will go some way in maintaining water levels but the seasonal swamps must wait until the next floods.

Chief's Island

Marooned from the mainland by mostly inaccessible wetlands, Chief's Island is the largest island in the Delta. About 60km long and around 10km wide, the island is an inverted oasis of permanent dry land in a watery world. Its sandy soils are home to a range of habitats from open grassland and floodplain to acacia forest and stands of palms.

This is big game country, where the animals that need water - but don't necessarily like getting their feet wet - thrive. A walk on Chief's Island quickly reveals its inhabitants: torn branches and piles of dung tell of elephant; a sandy path shows the tracks of a pride of lions or a single big male on patrol; the sudden crack of a branch betrays a fleeing kudu.

Home to zebra, giraffe and many species of antelope, it's also one of Botswana's best areas for the endangered African wild dog. The other large predators are relatively common - lion, spotted hyena, leopard and cheetah.

Enquire now |  Add to my enquiry