The Okavango Delta is one of the
world's largest inland deltas,
and without doubt Africa's most
beautiful oasis. The delta spreads over 16,000 sq km in Botswana's
north country. Surrounded by the Kalahari Desert
savannah, this lush
wetland is an affirmation of God's mercy for the hardy inhabitants of
these domains.
The
emerald green delta is an astounding phenomenon that evokes awe. It has
customarily been dubbed the jewel of the Kalahari and as the
miracle
delta. The Okavango delta is Botswana's lifeline and it is no
exaggeration that it is indeed its 'Garden of Eden'. In these
unadulterated
lands, all forms of life- man, wildlife, birds, and
plants - draw life from its pure waters.
The Okavango River,
which gives birth to the
delta after a journey of 1609 km, rises from
the highlands of central Angola. It begins life as the Cubango River,
then southern bound flows along the
Angola-Namibian border, and
eventually cuts across Namibia's Caprivi Strip before finally crossing
into Botswana. At each border crossing, the river
acquires a new name;
it is Cubango in Angola, Kuvango in Namibia and Okavango after it
crosses into Botswana.
In Angola, the Cubango, which is
fed by
numerous tributaries, floods after the summer rains, triggering a
steady southward flow. Flowing over flat plains, the floods roll in a
slow
journey. After about 850 km and 3 months, the floods approach
Mohembo at the mouth of the delta in Botswana, at the dusk of
February.
At
Mohembo, River Ferry boosts the Okavango as it ventures into the
Okavango basin. Safely in the basin, the incoming floods split,
twist,
turn and break, forming a maze of madly meandering waterways. This
results in a pan-shaped delta, with a handle and a somewhat
triangular
bowl called the Alluvial Fan. Thus this area to the north of the delta
is known as the Panhandle. It is dotted with thousands of tiny
islets,
rising to escape the waters.
The floods - their rage tempered by
the flat landscape, persist their progress in slow motion. The
waters
drag huge volumes of silt into the Panhandle, raising the outspread
delta bed by at least six inches and water levels by an average of 2
meters. The arrival of the Okavango deluge brings the delta to life.
Elephants can pick the scent of the waters from as far away as
five
kilometres. And midway down the panhandle, as the water creeps in
through the channels, the tiny river fish pop in and out the water
in
merriment.
The champagne coloured waters ignite a festival of
celebration. The cacophony of frogs fills the air; the ground vibrates
to
the thud of elephants, and the birds overhead swirl in joy. Even the
usually inscrutable hippos and crocodiles appear visibly moved. The
message is
unmistakable; with the waters coming, the good times have
returned to the delta.
The Panhandle, which is Okavango's
perennial canal stretches
for 97 km and is 14.5 km wide. Further down,
the waters become clearer, where papyrus reeds thrive together with the
lissom phoenix palm. The woody
phoenix belts the river edges and the
permanent swamps, and extends further south along the drying Thaoge
River. The papyrus flourishes more to the
delta's east along the
Moanatshira System. At the delta's unchanging centre, the Boro River
enjoys the lush of both vegetations. The waters slow
march; together
with filtration action in the papyrus groves makes the water
surprisingly clear.
Bypassing the areas of Shakawe,
Kaokwe,
Nxamaseri, Mawana, Sepupa and Dungu, the Panhandle opens up into an
alluvial delta. Crossing over the Rift Valley's Gumare Fault,
the
waters are broken into smaller channels and spread outwards, but still
moving in the characteristic sluggish manner. The channels further
break
and split at several points, snaking their way in as the water
levels step up. The fan soon becomes a spread-out maze of inland water
networks and ox
box lakes, islands and broad lagoons. The lazy waters
stumble over swamps and submerge some islands.
As the summer
rains end with April,
winter sets in; the Okavango has never known
better days. The heat of the day subsides and the nights are cooler.
The waters lethargically flow,
finding new paths and enhancing old
ones, totally changing the delta's landscape. The clear waters reflect
the sky and the bayou are covered with
water lilies. The birds,
grasshoppers, beetles and numerous insects are all ready to share in
the profusion of the delta, humming away the day as
nature's music.
Blue and green are the colours of the delta; the beauty is breathtaking
from the air. It is now about 4 months since the floods
entered Botswana
The
waters teem with crocodiles, which appear to enjoy the delta's best
views from the clear waters. The vegetation is lush
and the southern
game have come to the delta in their great numbers. There is plenty for
all and the Okavango basin flourishes in wild game, bird life
and
aquatic life. The lowlands have recorded over 450 bird species, over
250 different species of fish and reptiles, and an outstanding variety
of
almost every kind of African wild mammal. The winter - May to
August, is your best opportunity to loose yourself in the
Okavango.
Birding
here, especially at the Panhandle is rewarding. A variety of vultures,
fishers, eagles, cranes, storks, are but a few of the
species that
await birders. In particular some birds you find here include: Pel's
fishing owl, Kalahari robin, lesser gallinule, African crake,
secretary
bird, painted Snipe, longtoed plover, lesser Jacana, greater swamp
warbler, sacred ibis, Pygmy goose, wattled crane, slaty egret,
western
banded snake eagle, black coucal, brown firefinch and dwarf bittern.
The best time for birding is between November and April in the
rainy
season.
Fishing for sport is a treat you cannot miss, and the
Okavango is Botswana's best angling base. There is a variety to
catch:
barbell (catfish) and bream (tilapia) are the most common, while the
most challenging is the tiger fish.
There is a healthy
variety
of game in Botswana's Okavango. While on safari here, you will almost
certainly see the big five -lion, African buffalo, both white and
black
rhinos, elephant and the elusive leopard. You will also see hyena,
African wild dog, giraffe, cheetah, impala, wildebeest and the
chacma
baboon. The red lechwe, a swamp antelope, is also common in and around
the delta.
In addition to the usual vehicle mounted game
drives,
you can view game in other exciting ways. The intrepid are welcome to a
Mokoro ride, a traditional dug out canoe carrying one or two people
at
a time, poled by an experienced guide. You see the game as you
stealthily rove the water channels of the delta, sometimes sneaking up
and
surprising the animals from behind the reeds. Though less exotic,
you can alternatively enjoy a similar experience by taking a
river
cruise.
You
may also opt to see the animals as the birds see them from
light
aircrafts or helicopters. This is also the way you get the best aerial
views of the delta in its entirety, enjoying its extreme beauty
and
calm. Unlike in east Africa, hot air balloon services are not provided
in Botswana. Horseback safaris are increasingly becoming popular;
riding
skills are of course a must. Still, it is essential to have an
experienced guide. In addition, you also have the opportunity of a
lifetime experience
offered only by a few campsites - traversing the
wilderness and viewing the wild on elephant back!
Walking
safaris are also on offer, and are
usually taken by adventure types to
supplement the mokoro experience. On this pursuit, the fear factor must
be erased and it is prudent to follow the
instructions of your expert
guide. Tracking and sneaking behind the animals is most exciting, and
there is a pump of adrenalin with every step!
Chief's Island, in
the heart of the delta, is the prime tourist lodging centre. This is
Okavango's largest island, and covers about 1,000
sq km. It is slightly
higher than the surrounding delta's landmass and it is never on flood.
Accommodation here ranges from budget, standard, luxury
to superior.
Away from the island, there are many other lodging and camping sites
around the delta.
Maun is Okavango's commercial and human
life
hub. In the Tswana language Maun means the 'place of short reeds' -
though there are hardly any reeds left as a result of human
settlement
and development. The waters finally reach Maun around August. The
inhabitants of Maun have been long in waiting of the floodwaters
and
they show it on the first sighting of the flood's tip, by shouts of
jubilation: "the water is coming! The water is coming!" Business
almost
comes to a standstill as people rush to line the drying riverbanks and
await the slow flow. There is utter excitement! The floodwaters
have
taken nine long months, since they stared their journey in Angola.
Maun
is the most convenient entry to the delta and is the backbone of
the
Okavango economy. It harbours the delta's main and busiest airport, in
addition to shopping centres, tourist offices and travel help
desks.
From this border town, the rest of the delta is accessible mostly by
air. Situated some 250 km from Mohembo, Maun marks the culmination
of
the 1,600 km journey that is the Okavango marvel. Maun is 915 km to the
northwest of Gaborone, Botswana's capital city. For
international
visitors, the best way to get into Botswana is through Johannesburg,
the regional air travel hub.
In October, barely three
months
since the delta came into full flood, the unforgiving Kalahari slowly
regains the upper hand. The delta begins to dry up; the Maun
channels
are no more, and the Okavango begins to retreat, sometimes shrinking to
less than 9,000 sq km. 11 billion cubic meters of water vanishes
into
the ground and most of what remains evaporates into the atmosphere.
Thamalakane River, the delta's southern salvation retreats as well
cutting
its supply to Boteti River, which by then is bone dry.
The
animals depart, to seek refuge elsewhere. Many leave too late and do
not make it
for the next year's festival. In this season the horizon is
littered with bones, bones and more desiccated bones. The catfish
snuggle under the mud to
survive the uncouth drought. Hopelessness
grips the wetlands. But the cycle will be repeated, when the rains
return, and with them life back to the
Okavango Delta.
David
Livingstone - the celebrated missionary and explorer, is recognised as
the first white man to reach the Okavango Basin.
Arriving here in 1849,
he was astonished at the seasonal miracle entrusted with sustenance of
life in the harsh desert frontiers. But this man of God
would have been
slow to understand how the Bayei people viewed the Okavango spectacle.
Legend has it that at the peak of the Kalahari dryness, Chief
Mazzekiva
would sacrifice a human soul to appease the river gods. Upon accepting
his forgo, the gods would finally allow the river to once again
flood
and flow freely.
The Okavango Delta is home to 140,000 people.
The indigenous people classify into five ethnic groups:
Bugakwe,
Dxeriku, Hambukushu, Wayeyi and the Xanekwe. They have all
traditionally been under the political governance of the Batawana
people,
otherwise known as the Tswana. The Bugakwe and Xanekwe are
Bushmen peoples - otherwise referred to as San, while the rest are
Bantu. Bushmen are
hunter?gatherers, who do not plant but partake of
natures freely given bounty. The women mainly gather- eggs, roots,
fruits, nuts, while the men hunt
and fish.
Though modern
government and the cash economy have changed things, the people of the
delta were originally itinerants. They hunted
in the drought and fished
and farmed in the rainy seasons and floods, weaving basketry at their
leisure.
The delta nurtures other ecosystems
outside its bog
lands. It nourishes the Moremi Game Reserve and the Chobe to the
southern end and the Linyati wetlands via the Selinda Spillways to
the
east. Lake Ngami to the southwest and the Makgadikgadi Pans Wildlife
Reserve are other beneficiaries almost totally cut off in the
drought.
Otherwise, 97% of the water that flows into the delta is soaked into
the sands and lost through evaporation.
Well aware of this
fact,
the governments of Botswana and Namibia - both of which have vast
thirstlands- have at one time or another come up with schemes to pinch
some
of the waters flowing into the Okavango Delta. But local and
international conservation groups have -with success- strenuously
objected, citing
possible negative ecological and social impact to one
of the world's largest and most important inland wetland. As a result,
the three Okavango River
countries of Angola, Botswana, and Namibia in
1994 established a Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission to
seek harmony on the use of the
Okavango River waters.
The delta
is also under pressure from increasing human population, and water
abstraction for irrigation, mining and
domestic use upstream and around
the delta. The delicate ecological position was recognised when the
great Okavango Delta System was identified as a
wetland of
international importance and designated a Ramsar site in 1997. The
Ramsar Convention is an international treaty whose aim is to halt
the
worldwide loss of wetlands.
Botswana's climate is hot and dry
for most of the year. Summer - the season favoured by the rains,
runs
from November to March. Temperatures are then very high- up to 44°C,
though cloud cover manages to bring some cools moments. Winter
begins
in May and ends in August, bringing sunny and dry days. But nighttime
temperatures in winter can fall below freezing. If you have come
to
Botswana to see wildlife, your best time will be between April and
October. The weather is then good and viewing game is easy as animals
gather
around diminishing water points.
A trip to the Okavango
needs to be well thought out and planned, making your bookings well in
advance. It is
recommended that you take an organised
Okavango Delta
and Botswana safari package, which includes accommodation,
meals,
guides, and transport logistics. The peak season falls between May and
October.
You are advised to pack lots of sunscreen, very
comfy
walking shoes, at least a pair of snug waterproof boots, summer cotton
wear, a brimmed hat or cap to protect you from the scorching sun,
a
pair of good sun glasses and some insect repellent. Warm eveningwear is
advised, as the nights tend to get a little chilly. While out camping
in
the wilderness, note that smoking dry elephant dung could help to
keep away the nagging night insects.
Help and More Information for Botswana!
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