Botswana

Okavango Delta

WHS Score 4.15
rate
Votes 34 Average 4.54
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Votes for Okavango Delta

3.0

  • Carlos Garrido

3.5

  • Rickard Alfredsson

4.0

  • Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero
  • Els Slots
  • Joyce van Soest
  • Krijn
  • Philipp Leu
  • Randi Thomsen
  • Richard Stone
  • Solivagant
  • Svein Elias
  • Twobaconsandaboston
  • Wojciech Fedoruk

4.5

  • Lucio
  • Malgorzata Kopczynska

5.0

  • Csaba Nováczky
  • Deffra
  • Ellen Nielsen
  • Geert Luiken
  • giulio25
  • Jack Sherman
  • ko9757
  • lou1983
  • Monica66
  • phillipmeng
  • Preiki
  • Priyaranjan Mohapatra
  • Richardleesa
  • roxfts
  • Rvieira
  • Sutul
  • Thomas Kunz
  • Waters88
  • Zsuzsanna Forray

The Okavango Delta is a vast area of swamps and seasonally flooded grasslands that attract large numbers of wildlife.

This inland delta has no outlet to the sea, being formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough in the dry Kalahari desert. The annual flood peaks between June and August, when the delta swells to three times its permanent size and attracts animals from afar. The area is home to some 130 mammal species, such as white and black rhinoceros, elephant, cheetah, lion, leopard and lechwe antelope. The population sizes are especially noteworthy, including the world’s largest population of elephants. It is also an Important Bird Area.

Community Perspective: generally considered an expensive site when you want to have the full experience and visit for multiple days: “it is going to involve a safari company, probably a flight in and out on a small plane and a stay at a “Luxury lodge” and/or the rental of a 4x4”, but Solivagant managed to do it somewhat budget-friendly. Els enjoyed the helicopter flight and the walking safaris, and Svein describes visiting from the Okavango Panhandle.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Okavango Delta (ID: 1432)
Country
Botswana
Status
Inscribed 2014 Site history
History of Okavango Delta
2014: Inscribed
Inscribed
2013: Incomplete - not examined
Type
Natural
Criteria
  • vii
  • ix
  • x
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
Official
All Links
UNESCO.org
Official Website
News Article
  • 2 Jul 2020 theguardian.com — Hundreds of elephants dead in mysterious mass die-off
  • 18 Jun 2019 whc.unesco.org — Angola, Botswana and Namibia co-manage shared river system of the Okavango Delta
  • 23 Jun 2014 iucn.org — Iconic Okavango Delta becomes 1,000th World Heritage site

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Wildlife habitat: Fauna
  • Natural landscape: Rivers, Wetlands and Lakes
Travel Information
Seasonal WHS
Seasonal WHS
Can be visited all year, but OUV is derived from "The annual flood-tide, which …
Recent Connections
View all (33) .
Connections of Okavango Delta
Individual People
Geography
Trivia
Ecology
  • Over 100 mammal species
    130 species of mammals (OUV crit X)
  • High-Biodiversity Wilderness Area
    Miombo-Mopane Woodlands and Savannas
  • African Wild Dog
    "substantial populations of Africa’s charismatic large mammals such as ........Wild Dog" (AB Eval)
  • Hippos
    "the Okavango Delta has an exceptional diversity of plant, bird and mammal species, including viable populations of large mammal species .. such as... Hippopotamus" (AB ev)
  • Flamingos
    Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo

    See www.exoticbirding.com

  • Lions
    Large numbers and they can swim. The nom file reports several hundred from an aerial survey. More background is in the link.

    See open.uct.ac.za

  • Bird Migrations
    The African-Eurasian Flyway
  • Lagoons
  • Endorheic Lakes
  • Elephants
  • Rhino habitat
    White Rhinoceros, Black Rhinoceros (the latter have been evacuated temporarily from 2021 on due to poaching)

    See www.nationalgeographic.com

  • Floating Islands

    "Floating mats (sudd) occur in which the dominant plant communities are sedges such as Pycreus nitidus, Oxycarium cubense; these mats may be colonized by an insectivorous plant, Drosera madagascariensis. Occasional lumps of peat are dislodged from the bottom and float to the surface due to methane production. These peat sudd islands support Xyris sp. and Utricularia sp. along with various other sedges" (Nom file)

  • Swamps and Marshes
    "The natural habitats of the nominated area are diverse and include .., permanent swamps," (OUV)
Damaged
World Heritage Process
Human Activity
  • San
    Nom file: "The Okavango delta (panhandle) in Botswana have indigenous peoples who have inhabited the areas surrounding the delta over hundreds of years and they include the Khwe (//Anikhwe, Bugakhwe) communities." It goes on to list a series of San sacred, camping and hunting sites within the core area. IUCN also notes that it had "received representations from some San indigenous groups concerned about forced evictions should the property become a World Heritage site". See link for details from March 2024

    See storymaps.arcgis.com

  • Natural sites with indigenous human population
    San

    See www.osisa.org

WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Holocene
    During the Holocene both lakes dried up gradually
Visiting conditions
  • Seasonal WHS
    Can be visited all year, but OUV is derived from "The annual flood-tide, which pulses through the wetland system every year, revitalizes ecosystems and is a critical life-force during the peak of the Botswana’s dry season (June/July)"
  • Foreigner prices
    P120 for foreigners (cUS$12) and (probably) P10 for citizens
WHS Names
News
theguardian.com 02/07/2020
Hundreds of elephants dead in myst…
whc.unesco.org 18/06/2019
Angola, Botswana and Namibia co-ma…
iucn.org 23/06/2014
Iconic Okavango Delta becomes 1,00…

Community Reviews