Savuti

Savuti Map

In the southern stretch of Botswana's Chobe National Park lies a dynamic wilderness - a sweeping expanse of savannah brooded over by seven rocky outcrops guarding a relic marsh and the unpredictable channel that was once its lifeline.

This is the geologically diverse and zoologically fascinating Savuti region. The area - all of 10,878km² - is covered with spectacular rolling grasslands and an amazing abundance of wildlife.

The Savuti Marsh is a remnant of a vast inland lake, cut off from its main water supply aeons ago by the same movement of the earth's tectonic plates that gave rise to the Okavango Delta. It's part of the Mababe Depression and is fed by the temperamental Savuti Channel.

Savuti is home to a multitude of animals. Dry season game viewing reveals herds of elephants bullying each other around half-empty pans while thirsty warthog, kudu and impala wait in the shade. The rains bring hundreds of birds, and a feast for lions and hyenas as thousands of migrating zebra assemble in chaotic patterns on the marsh.

Savuti Channel

The channel has a bizarre history of drying up during good rains and flooding at other times. A striking if somewhat puzzling feature of the channel is its hundreds of dead trees. These arise due to the channel's erratic flow, which sometimes stops for years on end and later resumes, seemingly inexplicably. Years of scrutiny have determined that the channel's fickle nature is due to tectonic factors.

When to Go

The best months for viewing these migrations are November/December and February/March, though this depends on the weather. Visiting birds swell Savuti's 300 resident species and thrill bird-watchers with their peculiar antics. This is Africa at its most opulent - wild animals, ancient rock paintings, tranquillity and endless horizons embellished with countless birds. What more could you be looking for?

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