Okavango Delta

The delta is one of the most incredible natural wonders I've ever seen. The annual flooding of the Kalahari by the Okavango river is one of the Earth's greatest events, and the diversity of animals and plants is just awesome.

The Okavango Delta is by far the most visited of the two WHS’ in Botswana, but still there aren’t many people that have visited it. We visited the Okavango delta from both north and south in April 2019. It was the dry period between raining season and the yearly flooding of the delta.

While visiting Tsodillo Hills we stayed at a lodge at the riverside of Okavango Panhandle. The northern part of the Okavango site is quite different from the south. It is not yet a delta but more like a couple of rivers.

We had two afternoon boat rides on one of the rivers with a local guide. As a native he could tell and show us a lot about the area, the animal life and the delta in general. He really cared for the place. He thoroughly picked up garbage from the water while telling his stories. The river is a bird paradise - a heaven for ornithologists! Our best catches were a “hard to see” Pel's fishing owl and a shy Sitatunga. Last sunset was amazing, a kind if Africa-on-fire experience! We didn’t have high expectations, but it turned out to be special.

About a week later we visited the delta from the southern side. We stayed in Maun and did one long daytrip into Moremi Game Reserve and one Mokoro trip. Moremi is great for animal spotting. We hoped for "the big five" and a lion in particular. We made 4/5 wich is …

The Okavango Delta was the 1000th WHS on the List, it “… has long been considered one of the biggest gaps on the World Heritage list” and was deliberately planned to gain this milestone marker at the 2014 WHC. Almost the same amount of coordination was done by me in my 2019 travel planning to let this magnificent and truly unique site be my 700th visited WHS. I stayed there for 4 nights: 2 in a lodge near Chief’s Island and 2 nights camping in Moremi Game Reserve.

My first acquaintance however with the Delta was on the way back by helicopter from the Tsodilohills. We flew south-eastward along the water channels. This central area of the Okavango turned out to be pretty dry as well. What you see from the air is a patchwork of coloured ‘islands’ among dried-up land and trails made by animals. Animal sightings included pools full of hippos, slowly moving elephant trains and crocodiles sunbathing on beaches.

On the next day, I was transported by one of these lovely bush planes to Oddballs’ Enclave on Chief’s Island. Oddball’s Enclave is a more recent (and even more expensive) offspring of the historic ‘hippy’ camp mentioned by Solivagant in his review of a visit in 1988. In the shoulder season of May, the rack rate here is 510 USD per person per night. For that, you sleep in a tent and have to use a bucket shower. Yes the tent does have a real bed …

We visited the Okavango as long ago as Aug 1988. A review of that trip and comparison of it with what now appears on the Web for the area has identified things that have changed and things that have not! Hopefully the following will still provide some valid information and pointers for any WH enthusiasts thinking of visiting the area. No photo yet - my slide scanner isn’t working but, in all honesty, there are none of any great interest anyway!

The first aspect to note is that Botswana has long targeted the upper end of the eco-tourism market – a trend which has multiplied since 1988 with massive increases in park fees and lodge tariffs. That is not to say that it is impossible to visit “cheaply” but, for the majority of people, a “full experience” visit to the Delta is going to involve a safari company, probably a flight in and out on a small plane and a stay at a “Luxury lodge” (though how “luxurious” it will be is another matter) and/or the rental of a 4x4! The easiest way to enter the inscribed areas from Maun by road is from the western side off the road up to Tsodilo and the “panhandle” (which I understand can now be done with a saloon car – unfortunately the road was very bad when we were there and we missed it out)- there are a number of "fishing lodges" along this road (though whether the game viewing is good …