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birdsong of some of the 400-plus avian species that call the Delta home, and the unmistakable grunting of a pod of wallowing hippos. And you will see hippos, their bodies hidden beneath the waters, their eyes and twitching ears visible. Suddenly the whole head disappears under the water and you wait, unbreathing, to see where the hippo will emerge, hoping it’s not too close to your slightly wobbly canoe. You’ll see crocodiles basking on the riverbanks, red lechwe wading through the waters and herds of elephant bathing, drinking or browsing on the banks. Sit back on your African gondola as an experienced poler punts you through the Delta – truly the most magnificent way to watch wildlife on the continent.
A Natural Labyrinth of Waterways Teeming With Wildlife
I first arrived in the delta by light aircraft. From the air is the only way you’ll be able to get a real feeling of the size and complexity of this enormous delta. The scenic beauty of it struck me immediately and I got excited when I managed to pick up some elephant backs wading through the water.
I got a completely different perspective when we set out by mokoro. Pushing through water lilies, making our way slowly through this vast labyrinth of channels that seemed to close behind us was an unforgettable experience. Back on land, the more conventional safari began and the Okavango is up there with all the great parks of Africa offering fantastic wildlife viewing.
Oasis in the Desert
After the dirt and dust of Botswana’s Kalahari Desert, the Delta is a welcoming green oasis. Stretching over 16,000 square kilometres and encompassing floodplains, lagoons, forest glades and savannah grasslands, this fertile inland wetland is as breathtaking as it is beautiful. Gliding through the reeds in a mokoro (dugout canoe) may seem a little like a tourist cliché, but it really is a must. Sitting low in the dugout you really do feel at one with your surrounds. The silence is only broken by the soft plonk of your guide’s oar as it breaks the water’s surface, the gentle rustle of the reeds as you slowly push your way through and the distant grunts of hippos happily wallowing in the shallows. While the rewards are plentiful if you choose either a foot or dugout safari – particularly for birders with more than 400 species recorded in the region – it’s only by air that you get a true sense of the full magnitude of the Delta’s expanse. It’s also the best way to see the vast herds that roam its wilds.