Botswana - Okavango Delta and Kalahari
Botswana is magic! Imagine herds of over thousand buffalo stampeding across a swamp escaping the threat of hunting lions; elephant mothers gently guiding their tiny calves across the deep waters of an Okavango Delta channel; or a concert of lions roaring and hippos grunting at night near your camp; not to forget the breathtaking experience of African wild dogs organizing a fierce hunt for impalas. There is not a dull moment while being on a game drive in comfortable open Land Cruisers or while silently drifting in a dugout canoe on one of the myriads of Okavango channels, not knowing what surprise might await around the next bend. Being on an African safari reminds one of watching a thriller. There is constant anticipation and tension. And during moments where you might not be surrounded by wild animals you will take in the aromatic smell of sage or listen to the hundreds of bird species that are home to the Okavango Delta.
Our first stop is a visit of the Makgadikgadi, one of the largest salt pans on earth that was once a huge inland lake. For much of the year, the salt pans glimmer in white, parched by the sun and the salt and allowing little more than algae to grow. But during the rainy season (roughly November to March), the area can be transformed into a crucial wetland. Water can flow in from the Boteti and Nata rivers, filling ephemeral ponds, watering holes, and shallow lakes and creating short-lived but abundant grasslands. The event draws migrating wildebeest and zebras, as well as the predators that hunt them. The waters fill with ducks, geese, pelicans, and flamingos—one of just two breeding spots in southern Africa for the long-legged birds. We however will be there during the dry season when the pan resembles some otherworldly landscape bar of any life. To get a feel for the emptiness and vastness of this place we will have the opportunity to use ATVs that will take us far away from the shore into total silence, surrounded only by blazing white.
A stark contrast to the lifeless salt pan are the lively and extremely cute suricates who live at the fringes of the pan. We will watch them coming out of their burrows early morning when the sun starts chasing away the coolness of the night. One after the other of these little creatures will pop out of the ground, standing straight up, absorbing the warming sun while always on alert looking out for birds of prey.
A charter flight over the northern Kalahari will take us to the edge of the wildlife rich Okavango Delta. Usually a river spills its water into an ocean. The Okavango River however flows into the sand of the vast Kalahari where the water disappears underground. The Okavango Delta is a unique pulsing wetland that is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion. More correctly an alluvial fan, the delta covers between 6000 and 15 000 square kilometres of Kalahari Desert in northern Botswana.
Here in Moremi Game Reserve, the easternmost extension of the Okavango Delta we will enjoy a quiet and peaceful time in a private mobile tented camp situated near a lagoon where hippos hang out during the day and elephant breeding herds may come to drink and bath. In the mornings and late afternoons until sunset we will explore this wildlife rich area by safari vehicle before returning back to the camp where a cozy campfire atmosphere is awaiting us with cold drinks and snacks.
After two days we will be spoiled by magnificent views while flying a long distance over the Okavango Delta. Below us stretches a mosaic of waterways and lagoons in all shades of green and blue interspersed with with islands that found their origin in the activity of termites. The following 3 days we will explore the papyrus-fringed delta channels near our camp by mokoro (dugout canoe) and motor boat.
We cannot leave Botswana without having experienced Savuti, a place that occasionally is dominated by the water-filled Savuti Channel that empties into a vast marsh. For decades the channel had been dry until about 10 years ago when it started flowing again. Due to tectonic movements and the resulting upheaval of the land NW of Savuti the channel once again is dry. Nevertheless this doesn't prevent large numbers of elephants gathering around the few waterholes every evening. Savuti though acquired fame because of its large number of lions. Having been to Eastern Africa and other parts of Botswana many times we can surely say that Savuti has never disappointed us with excellent lion sightings. Actually the most exciting lion action we have witnessed has been in Savuit which covers the southern part of the vast Chobe National Park. Here once again we will enjoy the privacy of comfortable private tented camp and will be happy to see friendly staff again who looked after us in the Moremi Game Reserve.
Please read the REVIEWS of our previous Botswana expeditions!
