A River Runs To It

The nearly 900 mile Okavango River begins in Angola and threads its way through Namibia to Botswana.

In Botswana, 2,900,000,000,000 gallons of water spread over the sands of the Kalahari Desert to cover 6,100 square miles. This area, the largest inland river delta in the world, creates a system of lagoons, channels and islands that support plant and animal life that otherwise could never live in the harsh Kalahari Desert.

Each year, from March to June, the rainfall from Angola causes the river to flood into the delta. During Botswana’s winter (June to August), the Delta swells to three times its permanent size. This abundance of water during the dry season, attracts animals from all over the region, creating one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of wildlife.

The lines in the photo running through the reeds are paths through the water created by animal trails.

There are estimated to be 200,000 large animals in the delta – some permanent residents, others who come during the annual floods. About 30,000 of these are large herds of buffalo and elephants who migrate to the Delta each year.

However, the most populous large mammal is the red lechwe antelope – about 60,000 live in the Delta. These animals are rare to spot outside of this area and are uniquely evolved for this environment – they have a water repellent substance on their legs that enables rapid movement through knee deep water. A handy adaptation when threatened by predators!

Some of the best views of the Delta are from above – flying at 500 feet.

It is from this vantage point that I was able to spot many animals including several herds of elephant:

giraffe:

rhinos:

and impala (who look very teeny from above).

Botswana, like many African countries, works hard to protect their wild animals and conserve the environment.

In 1954, the government erected a 1900 mile 5-foot high steel wire fence around the Okavango Delta. The goal was to keep wild buffalo herds (and other wild animals) separate from domestic cattle to prevent the spread of hoof-and-mouth disease.

Anywhere that a road passes through the fence, a veterinary check point washes and sterilizes all car tires and the shoes of those passing through in order to keep wild diseases and domestic ones separate. However, the Veterinary Cordon Fence, or “Buffalo Fence,” has been highly controversial. The fence was not built along the natural migration routes of the animals – the boundaries were determined after extensive discussions with the conservationists and park rangers as well as local ranchers. Local ranchers, who needed land for their livelihood, won and large herds were stuck on one side of the fence, unable to migrate during the dry season. In one example, in 1983, 65,000 wildebeest died during the drought of 1983 since they were unable to cross the fence and get to the river. Unfortunately, business and conservation often find themselves on different sides of an issue.

Another great way to see the Okavango Delta is by Mokoro.

The mokoro is a boat used for centuries by the local tribes for transport in the delta.

Traditionally, these boats are handmade from ebony or sausage-tree logs, but today are often made from fiber glass (but look very similar to their wooden predecessor). These boats are long and skinny which enables them to easily move through the reeds that cover the water throughout the delta.

The Mokoro is driven by a wooden pole rather than an oar. The driver poles (powers and steers) the boat from a standing position. I learned, after some practice, that keeping your balance and steering a mokoro is not nearly as easy as it looks!

Looking for animals from a Mokoro is a very different experience than looking from above.

It’s easier to spot smaller animals.

Painted Reed Frog

And looking at some animals at eye-level keeps you alert!

This guy blends into this surroundings pretty well!

You don’t notice that you’re being watched until they exhale!

But sometimes they’re hard to miss!

We spent the night on one of the islands in the delta (the islands can be differentiated from above because they have trees) -- falling asleep to the sounds of hippos bellowing takes a little getting used to!

The next morning, their tracks show that they were nearby. . .and that they’ve moved on.

Sadly, I had to move on too. . .

Being in the Delta was an incredible experience – it’s one of my favorite places in Africa. While the animals were great to see, what was incredible was being so far from “civilization” and enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. It was an amazing experience and one I hope to repeat! The Delta certainly has a beauty and serenity all its own. . .

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