The Okavango River flows in from the highlands of Angola and soaks into the sands, forming the 15,000 sq. km network of water channels, lagoons, swamps and islands. The Okavango is the largest inland delta system in the world. The north eastern region of the Kalahari Basin contains the Makgadikgadi Pans - an extensive network of salt pans and ephemeral lakes.
okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is one of the worlds largest inland water systems.
It's headwaters start in Angolas western highlands, with numerous tributaries
joining to form the Cubango river, which then flows through Namibia (called the
Kavango) and finally enters Botswana, where it is then called the
Okavango.
Millions of years ago the Okavango river use to flow into a large inland
lake called Lake Makgadikgadi (now Makgadikgadi
Pans).
The deltas floods are fed from the Angolan rains, which start in October
and finish sometime in April. The floods only cross the border between Botswana
and Namibia in December and will only reach the bottom end of the delta (Maun)
sometime in July,
Taking almost nine months from the source to the bottom. This slow
meandering pace of the flood is due to the lack of drop in elevation, which
drops a little more than 60 metres over a distance of 450 kilometres. The deltas
water dead ends in the Kalahari - via the Botetle river, with over 95 per
cent of the water eventually evaporating.
During the peak of the flooding the deltas area can expand to over 16,000
square kilometres, shrinking to less than 9,000 square kilometres in the low
period. As the water travels through the delta, the wildlife starts to move back
into the region. The areas
surrounding the delta are beginning to try out (the rains in Botswana
occur approximately the same time as in Angola) and the wildlife starts to
congregate on the edge of the newly flooded areas, May through
October.
The delta environment has large numbers of animal populations that are
otherwise rare, such as crocodile, red lechwe, sitatunga, elephant, wild dogs,
buffalo, wattled crane as well as the other more common mammals and bird
life.
The best time for game viewing in the delta is during the May-October
period, as the animal life is concentrated along the flooded areas and the
vegetation has dried out.
The best time for birding and vegetation is during the rainy season (Nov
- April) as the migrant bird populations are returning and the plants are
flowering and green.
Safari activities by water are the primary speciality of the Okavango -
the mokoro - a dug out canoe which is 'poled' along by your Guide is the most
evocative way of exploring the numerous waterways. Motor launches travel on the
main waterways and lagoons.
Traditional 4x4 Game viewing vehicles are used on the main islands, with
night drives available in the private concession areas - not allowed within the
National Park.
Walking Safaris are available from most Camps and Lodges - perhaps the
most exciting way of viewing Game - stalking and tracking wildlife with an
expert Guide.
Game Viewing flights are available by both light aircraft and helicopter,
but hot air ballooning is not allowed.
moremi Game Reserve
Botswana Safaris
South Africa Africa and Botswana Safaris
Overland Adventures
Africa Budget Overland Adventures
Moremi, hunted by the Bushman as long as 10,000 years ago, was
initiated by the Batawana tribe and covers some 4,871 km2, as the eastern
section of the Okavango Delta. Moremi is mostly described as one of the most
beautiful wildlife reserves in Africa. It combines mopane woodland and acacia
forests, floodplains and lagoons. It is the great diversity of plant and animal
life that makes Moremi so well known.
Hippo Pool lives up to its name, as there is an abundance of those
creatures in residence. They can be viewed in comfort from an observation
platform overlooking the pool. It was near here that the Bugakhwe people used to
have their village, but, with the creation of the game reserve, they were moved
in 1963 to their present location near north gate, which is known as Khwai
Village. The village boasts a population of only about three hundred people.
There are a few basic supply stores in the Khwai Village, which can be very
useful if one runs out of something or would like the luxury of an ice cold
drink! A few of these villagers have attractive basketwork for sale to
visitors.
Moremi is best visited in the dry season and game viewing is at its peak
from July to October, when seasonal pans dry up and the wildlife concentrates on
the permanent water. The winter months of May to August can be very cold at
night, but pleasantly warm, under clear blue skies, during the day. From October
until the rains break in late November or early December, the weather can be
extremely hot - both day and night.
Mosquitoes are prevalent throughout the reserve and it is strongly
recommended that visitors should take an anti-malarial prophylactic before,
during and for four weeks after their visit, especially during the rainy season.
Water for drinking should be boiled or chemically
treated.
The
reserve enjoys a wide diversity of habitat and is well known for the height of
the trees in the mopane tongue, which covers the central area. However, the
mainland part forms only about thirty percent of the reserve and is, in many
ways untypical - the remaining area being part of the Okavango Delta. Birdlife
is prolific and varied, ranging from water birds to shy forest dwellers.
Elephants are numerous, particularly during the dry season, as well as a range
of other wildlife species from buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild
dog, hyaena, jackal and the full range of antelope, large and small, including
the red lechwe. Rhino, both black and white, were here in the past, but most of
the few remaining have been sought out for translocation to the protection of a
sanctuary, away from the attentions of illegal hunters. Wild dog, whose numbers
are so rapidly dwindling elsewhere, are regularly sighted in the Moremi and have
been subject to a project being run in the area since 1989 so these animals are
often seen wearing collars placed on them by the researchers. It is claimed that
the Moremi area contains about thirty percent of all living wild
dog.