Opulent Okavango

Opulent Okavango

'Jewel of the Kalahari,' 'Inland Delta Oasis,' 'The Swamps': these are some of the names by which the Okavango Delta is known, and it is all of these. Situated in the northern reaches of Botswana, this delta exists where once there was a huge inland sea. Today it is only a sea of sand, which is precisely what causes the phenomenon of the Okavango Delta.

Rising in the Angolan Highlands, the Okavango River enters Botswana below Namibia's Caprivi Strip. Here, in the so called 'pan-handle,' it is still a wide, fairly swift, flowing river, but due to the overwhelmingly flat landscape and a series of geological faults, it soon starts to meander- forming graffiti-like, s-bends that wind sinuously through dense beds of Papyrus. This is the haunt of the Sitatunga, a superbly-adapted relative of the Bushbuck whose deeply-splayed hooves and swimming skills enable it to avoid both predators and competition for its use of permanent swamp. Another secretive and spectacular denizen of the area is the Pel's Fishing Owl, one of three fishing owls in Africa, and the only one to occur in southern Africa. The Delta is something of a mecca for this bird, and numerous birders visit 'the Swamps' every year hoping to catch a glimpse of it and other local specials, such as the African Skimmer, Lesser Jacana, Hartlaub's Babbler, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Brown Firefinch and Slaty Egret.

A River Runs Through It

Below the pan-handle, the Okavango River splits into three main channels, each one carrying water in a different direction into the thirsty Kalahari sands. The headwaters of each of these channels are situated in the permanent swamp, but further along their course, each penetrates into what is known as the 'seasonal swamp'. Life in the system is governed by two events: the summer rains and the winter floods. The extent and permanency of the water in any particular area governs the vegetation, and the Papyrus of the permanent and seasonal swamp is soon left behind and replaced by floodplain grasslands and their characteristic wooded 'islands.' The well-adapted Red Lechwe occurs in this transition zone, and sedentary herds occupy firm ground close to water where they feed and take refuge in the event of a Lion or Wild Dog attack. Summer rainfall fills seasonal pans and helps keep the channels full, but towards the end of summer the waters recede, only to rise again when the floodwaters from the Angolan Highlands eventually reach the lower delta.

Ebb and Flow

This ebb and flow of flood and rainwater mean that there are well-defined seasonal movements of the larger mammals, with animals such as Elephant and Buffalo moving out of inundated areas to frequent the fertile and nutritious grasses left behind by the receding waters; this pattern has been in existence for thousands of years in this true African wilderness.

CC Africa has two lodges in the Okavango Delta. Nxabega, situated on the western boundary of the Moremi Game Reserve, is in the core of the delta and provides spectacular and reliable viewing of the Pel's Fishing Owl and other delta birds. Additionally there is an excellent diversity of mammals, including Wild Dogs, Lion, Elephant and Tsessebe. Sandibe is more land-based, and located further south, on the southern boundary of Moremi. The lodge features the exciting annual migration of the Buffalo, in herds up to several thousand. These animals are followed, in turn, by various prides of Lions, offering the timeless and often wrenching interaction between predator and prey. Wild Dogs are regularly seen, and denned on the concession in 2001.

- Chris Roche -

Posted: Other by CC Africa, Date: 21 November 2006