Botswana’s Okavango Delta has to be Africa ’s most incredible wildlife and wilderness sanctuary. The Okavango Delta rests between shallow fault lines at the end of the Great African Rift Valley in the North Western corner of Botswana and is Southern Africa ’s largest wetland Delta.   The Delta covers a total area of 16000 sq Kilometers and that makes it the largest inland Delta in the entire world. What makes the Okavango most remarkable is that it is a wetland paradise located within the arid Kalahari Desert.

Deserts are low on annual rainfall and the Okavango Delta is no exception. However, each year floodwater flows into the Okavango from its source in the moist Angolan highlands over 1000 km away. These floodwaters, flow from the catchment area southwards and into the Kalahari Desert to create a unique wetland that supports and sustains a huge diversity of wildlife. This magnificent wildlife region of Northern Botswana, is one of the great conservation jewels of Africa.

As this region is referred to a ‘Delta’, the river source does not discharge into a standing body of water like a lake, or the sea.  The Okavango is a large alluvial fan, a broad low gradient conical surface, over which the river discharges.  The Okavango Delta consists of 2 regions, namely the upper linear panhandle sections and the lower delta shaped alluvial fan.

As is common in meandering rivers, the channel in the Panhandle is undergoing constant changes.  This manifests by the formation of oxbow lakes as well as by splitting of the channel at several points along its length.  The channels are characterized by permanent swamps in which the vegetation is dominated by Cyprus Papyrus and Phragmites Australis.  The Okavango River then divides into a number of distibutary channels on the alluvial fan shape.

The permanent swamps are characterized by a number of large lakes of which most are ancient oxbow lakes.  The lower regions of the delta are seasonally flooded and these are known as the ‘seasonal swamps’.  This region is not confined to channels, but proceeds by slow sheet flooding.  The depth of this flooding is normally around 1 metre, if not less and so the higher ground forms islands.  These islands become more abundant towards the seasonal swamp.

There are 3 main distributary channel systems which are separated by ‘tongues’ of permanently dry land.  These sandveld tongues separate the Thaoge and Jao-Boro systems, whilst Chief’s Island separates the Jao from the Boro system.

The rainfall in the catchment area during the summer months (December to April) is discharged into the Okavango River and peaks at Mohembo, which is at the top of the Panhandle, in April.  This is when the water level in the Pandhandle rises considerably and then filters through the rest of the delta.  The seasonal fluctuations in the water level decreases down the Panhandle and in the permanent swamps of the upper reaches of the delta, the seasonal fluctuations in water levels is smaller.

The annual seasonal flooding of the swamps occurs during July and August, which is a few months after peak discharge at Mohembo.  It takes approximately 4 months to filter through the Delta from Mohembo to Maun.  The reasons for this slow movement is due to the low gradient which results in slow advance of the flood; the movement of the water is slowed down by vegetation as well as topography being undulating and the flood water only being able to advance once lower lying depressions having been filled.  A lot of the water is lost to ground water re-charge as well as evaporation.

The timing of the maximum flooding of the Delta is ecologically important.  It occurs during the dry winter months, when the surface water in the surrounding terrestrial environments is in short supply.  In the past, extensive game migration routes existed due to this, however these migrations no longer occur, but local migration of game into the immediate vicinity of the Delta lead to high concentrations of game during the winter months.

Due to the unique beauty of the Okavango Delta, together with its vast wildlife resources, this area has resulted in the development of a thriving and rapidly growing tourist industry.  This industry has created employment opportunities for many local citizens and has led to a rise in the standard of living in the region.

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Access:
Almost the entire Delta is only accessible by light charter aircraft.  Therefore you can not drive into the inner Delta. Most of the lodges have their own airstrips or share the airstrips with other lodges in the area.

Vegetation:
Found in the area is mainly composed of marshlands, open grasslands, riverine areas, Mopane woodlands and dry acacia. With over 450 bird species recorded in this area, it is paradise for birders.

Wildlife:
The wildlife is also good in the Delta area, providing a true big five safari experience, with vast herd of elephant, buffalo and hippo making this fertile region their home, as well as numerous antelope, giraffe and zebra, followed by lion, leopard, cheetah and the stealthy crocodile.   This area is a popular destination for bird watchers.  The Delta also supports a diverse fish and fauna.

Apart from the beauty of the wetland habitat, game viewing is excellent right the year through, though the best time to visit is between May and September as this is the coolest time of the year, as well as it being during the dry season months.

Accommodation:
There is a wide variety of accommodation on offer in the Delta to cater for the wide range of tourists and their tastes.  These range from budget, to very up market lodges and camps. Due to the sensitive environment, the government of Botswana has set up a policy where only a minimum amount of beds can be sold therefore helping in preserving the sensitive eco-system found in the Okavango Delta.

There are no public camping sites within the inner delta, due to visitors not being able to drive into the inner reaches of the delta.  Access is by aircraft only.