The Okavango Delta

As the world’s largest inland delta the Okavango offers a unique wildlife spectacle. Rain falling in the mountains of Angola reach the Delta in May, morphing the landscape. Swamps, plains and forests laced by papyrus edged channels are home to 122 species of mammals, 71 species of fish, 444 species of birds, 64 species of reptiles and 1300 species of flowering plant.

The Delta covers an area of approximately 6,000 square kilometres. It is a vast network of lagoons, channels and marshland created when the Okavango River’s original passage to the Indian Ocean was blocked by geological movements thousands of years ago. It is estimated that over 2,000,000 tonnes of silt per annum are washed down into it, causing the bed of the river to constantly change as it searches for a new path. It is this change that over time have created such a huge wetland. It is estimated that less than 5% of the water that enters the delta flows out the other side, only to evaporate in the arid wastes of the Kalahari Desert.

Camps in large unfenced private concessions offer high standards, low visitor numbers and a fanastic variety of activities.

Camps are often grouped as ‘wet’ or ‘dry’.

Wet or island based camps tend to offer boat-based activities and a quintessential wetland experinece with exceptional scenery, birdlife and a chance to see shyer species like sitatunga. The traditional form of transport is the mokoro, a hollowed-out tree canoe that is poled along the shallow channels and lagoons. Some of these experiences are seasonal.

Dry camps, in contrast, focus on land-based safaris including walking, with a focus on seeing the big predators like lion, wild dog, leopard and cheetah.

It is worth saying that a handful of Okavango camps, like Shinde for example, offer a bit of both.

Wherever you choose to rest, you’ll quickly notice that the delta’s swamps are dominated by two plants; the papyrus and the phoenix palm. Hippos wallow in the cool waters and crocodiles feast on the fish and any grazing animals they can catch drinking from the maze of waterways. The forest and grasslands that surround the swamps are home to a diverse range of grazing animals enjoying the lush vegetation provided by the natural irrigation. This in turn attracts the predators; lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dogs and hyena all live here on the open savannah, as do elephant and giraffe.

**You may also like to see Moremi Game Reserve – Moremi covers one third of the Delta on the eastern side**