 |
Home>Botswana>What to see | 
|
|||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||
| Botswana: What to see | |||
| The Okavango Delta | |||
>see photographs Overview It is this oasis that has made Botswana known on the world map, a watery wonderland set ironically amidst the dry Kalahari desert. The Delta is flooded every year by the Okavango River, at 1300 km the third largest in Southern Africa. The river disperses 11 billion cubic metres into a maze of lagoons and islands, filtered by the papyrus to crystal clarity. The Delta covers an area of 15000 sq km, about the size of Switzerland. It is a rich source of life to a teeming range of wildlife as noted below. It can be roughly divided into the Panhandle at the top (resembling a pan handle from the air), the central and southern Okavango, and Moremi Game Reserve in the east. Wildlife A plethora of wildlife including predators - wild dog, lion, leopard, hyena, crocodile and antelope - the rare sitatunga, lechwe, giraffe, buffalo, impala, kudu, waterbuck, tsessebe, wildebeest, zebra. Others include hippo, warthog, and baboon. The birdlife is truly excellent, you can expect to see 200 species in a week, see Birding. The best birding is in the Panhandle in the northwest. Vegetation The central Delta comprises huge lagoons, floating islands, narrow winding waterways and small permanent thickly wooded islands fringed by palms. The dense riverine vegetation and long stretches of papyrus are reflective of the Panhandle as well. In the Moremi Game Reserve, dense mopane woodlands and riverine forests lead to the open grasslands of the floodplains and aquatic vegetation in wetter areas. When to go The best time to visit is between July and December when it is cooler. Activities Excellent game viewing and birding, leisurely canoe trips by makoro, horse riding safaris, boating and fishing. Accommodation A wide range of upmarket and exclusive safari camps: Moremi Game Reserve Camp Moremi, Khwai River Lodge, Xakanaxa Camp The Panhandle Drotsky's Cabins, Shakawe Fishing Lodge, Xaro Lodge Central Okavango Camp Okavango, Guma Island Lodge, Mombo Camp, Jao Camp, Xugana Island Lodge Southern Okavango Delta Camp, Gunn's Camp, Oddball's Palm Island Luxury Lodge How to get there By road The central and south Delta are impassable due to the flooding. Obviously some of the camps and campsites on the fringes of the Delta and in the Moremi Game Reserve can be reached but depending on water levels. For more info on Moremi, see Moremi Game Reserve. By air A number of private charters fly from Maun into all the private lodges in the Okavango, just a 30 minute flight in most instances and the main method of transport. |
|||
| TOP | |||
|
||||||
|
||||||
 |
||||||
|
||||||