History of the Okavango Delta

History of the Okavango Delta

The Okavango River is part of the great drainage system that used to flow into the enormous Kalahari superlake that covered most of northern Botswana millions of years ago. With the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers forced into ocean-bound detours by tectonic activity around three million years ago, the Okavango found its waters trapped by shifting gradients and, as the huge Lake Makgadikgadi slowly dried up, the Okavango Delta was born.

Archaeological evidence suggests the Delta has been inhabited by Khoisan tribes for hundreds of thousands of years while Bantu farmers, hunters and traders have been present for at least 2,000 years. Its lush appearance belies the fact that the Delta is a challenging environment and the area has always been a remote and neglected one. Population levels are still low and the area has been one of shifting and precarious habitation.

With the arrival of European colonialists, however, the delicate ecological balance began to shudder as the Delta's environment and wildlife reeled from rampant hunting and cattle encroachment. The local BaTwana people took a bold and far-sighted step to protect their land by creating the Moremi Game Reserve in 1962. Expanded several times, the reserve now covers nearly a third of the Delta. The Okavango region remains relatively untouched. There are few urban centres and, other than bush tracks, only a poor road system. The main town is the sprawling and dusty Maun, administrative centre for the Ngamiland district and traditional seat of power of the local BaTwana.

After decades of being hard to reach and easily forgotten, the tourist boom that began in the 1980s has transformed Maun into a bustling hive of activity based on the safari industry and related services.

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