The Okavango Delta - the perfect place to Safari or holiday? = Yes for me! Part 1/3

That magnificent bejewelled panhandle in the middle of southern Africa formed by the Okavango waterway expanding its tentacles to become the Okavango Delta, flowing straight into a sea of sand, the Kalahari Desert, and vanishing... completely disappearing into ‘a sea’ that can be up to 100 metres thick.

Tourism is a boom industry, big game hunters in the 19th century trekked into northern Botswana in search of elephants, crocodiles and lions, while for a century or so the country’s rich animal life seemed to be forgotten – not any more ... tourists are coming from all corners of the globe to witness the wild side of Africa, that is steadily disappearing elsewhere.

Map of the Cuando-Linyanti-Chobe river system in the region of Namibia’s Caprivi Strip based on a NASA satellite photo (note orientation with north-west at top). Water shows black. 1 The Cuando River; 2 Caprivi Strip; 3 Mudumu National Park and Lianshulu Lodge, the start of the Linyanti Swamp; 4 Linyanti Swamp and Mamli National Park, where a ridge of Kalahari sand blocks flow to the south-east; 5 Okavango River and delta which sinks into the Kalahari sands; 6 Linyanti River; 7 Lake Liambezi (dry when photo was taken); 8 Chobe River; 9 Confluence of Chobe and Zambezi at Kazungula; 10 Zambezi and Caprivi Swamps were experiencing an extreme flood at the time of the photo. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC.

Great efforts are being made to conserve this wild life heritage with a host of parks and reserves being established. Moremi Game Reserve, the reserve between Maun, the main town on the edge of the Delta and the sandy woodlands, waterways, islands, marshes and shallow lagoons that few westerners would understand or be able to survive in was once inhabited by the local Batswana, who fully understood the force of nature with its annual flood. John Khata, a local, will tell us his story in part two.

Moremi was created by the local people, who in 1961, worried by the increase in big game hunting and the devastating effects on wildlife – both the killing and the destruction of the habitat - decided that out of their tribal land s a game park should be founded and administered by them – this was the first time an African tribe had done such a thing.

The main entrance in to the reserve is from Maun especially if you are driving from South Africa via Francistown, and for my first trip we did – however there are other reserves and safari camps within the Delta able to be reached by plane, including Linyanti/Chobe National Park established on the flood plains of the Chobe River, which is now captured by the mighty Zambezi.

Map of Botswana - the Delta in the north west; the Zambezi in the north east; while the Limpopo forms the Botswana border with Zimbabwe and South Africa

Some 10,000 years ago the Chobe merged with the Okavango flowing south to join the green greasy Limpopo River on its way to the Indian Ocean in Mozambique, now due to earth’s upheavals the two systems have separated .. creating the unique wetland in the lower reaches of the Okavango, before disappearing into the sands, while the Chobe breaks into many channels and swamps (called the ‘Linyanti Swamp’) before joining the Zambezi 43 miles (70 kms) above Victoria Falls.

In times of extreme flood some of the Okavango’s waters escape east into the normally dry channels feeding the Linyanti Swamp and thus entering the Zambezi basin – otherwise today the Okavango has no outlet. The Great Rift Valley system stretching down Africa from the Middle East into Eastern Africa, where it is most active, contributes to the tectonic movement along the Zambezi and into northern Botswana – causing these relics of large inland lakes, while at the same time causing the zigzagging of the seven (so far) gorges at Victoria Falls.

A casual visitor could be excused for missing the real Botswana – he will see mile upon mile of flat, desolate scrubland stretching in every direction, little or no surface water and a climate ranging from freezing winter nights to roasting summer days. A wasteland. Or is it? Go further new visitor and experience the heartland of this country ... find the area where the summer rains of Angola reach a parched desert that springs to life five months later.

Mochudi - tribal village west of Francistown

The desert where you can find fish, where the birds find paradise, insects abound and the animals find the bounty of nature to ensure life continues. The slow trickle of water seeps down the various waterways bringing to life the surrounding areas, taking five months to touch the annual swamp areas or to refill the perennial channels.

It is a marvellous land of waterways, islands, marshes and shallow lagoons abundant with tiger fish, elephant, crocodiles, hippopotami, monkeys, snakes, giraffe, impala, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and the rare sitatunga and lechwe antelope all benefitting from the flooding waters.

Lions, cheetah and packs of wild dogs roam the open grasslands ready for the next meal. While the multitude of birds fly in and around the woodlands, papyrus reeds, savannah, winding channels, palm covered islands, thick forest and lily covered lagoons enjoying the luxury of this wildlife sanctuary and haven.

Mother and wild dog cubs - c/o Camp Okavango

In the late 1980s I’d been on a camping safari into the Okavango with twelve family friends & my mother hearing about this amazing trip via a 15 page letter with 3 maps!! decided that she too would like to visit the Okavango and so booked a posh holiday for the two of us – fantastic. John’s story (a Tswana tale .. a river Bushman) and more about our trip and the sights that we observed in parts two and three ..

Botswana now has much to offer despite being landlocked, especially since its independence in 1966, and is a regional leader in economic freedom. It has large mineral reserves and its new economy takes advantage of a fast-growing service sector, world-renowned diamond industry, tourism and manufacturing.

Aerial female Lechwe, who live in the watery reed beds

Competitiveness and flexibility are promoted by a sensible business regulatory environment, openness to foreign investment and trade, and relatively flexibly employment regulations. Botswana’s economic growth is roaring ahead with the World Bank citing Botswana as one of the world’s great development success stories. Add to this the jewel of the Okavango with its wildlife reserves, which for all its drawbacks is offering much to the world.

Dear Mr Postman – now that the warmer weather is here .. Mum is, I think, managing to throw off her bad cold ... but it’s a tough time for her. She again can’t hear .. so we’re back on the olive oil, and with time I expect them to clear. She is funny though .. she started speaking at me really slowly – as if I couldn’t hear!! Then later on told me I must listen to her when she’s speaking .. but she hadn’t been speaking out loud .. I have to laugh! She can read the odd word .. eg ‘tapestry’ when I expanded it on the iphone .. and laughed when she saw the picture, then said that Speedy Gonzales didn’t match up! But as I couldn’t explain the context as she can’t hear ... I’m somewhat stumped! Life is fun!! My father's sole surviving sibling died at the weekend and he would have been 96 yesterday!

Hilary Melton-Butcher
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