Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve

Botswana is home to the unique Okavango Delta, a large part of the Kalahari Desert, Chobe National Park and the beautiful and diverse Moremi Game Reserve.

Although often referred to as separate destinations within Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve together form one of the most interesting areas – in terms of geology, flora and fauna.

The Okavango Delta takes up much of the north-west corner of this otherwise dry country, and covers some 16,000 square kilometres, making it the world’s largest inland Delta. There is a maze of channels, lagoons and palm-covered islands, and water levels vary on a seasonal basis, as the rains in the Angolan highlands actually contributing more water than the rains falling on the Delta during the November to March period. Thus the annual flooding of the delta, which usually starts in April or May, can continue for some months. The Delta is fed by the Kavango River (renamed the Okavango in Botswana). The waters are crystal clear, and are best navigated by traditional mekoro (dug-out canoes), many of which are now made of fibre glass, to preserve the majestic trees in the Delta, that were traditionally used.

The Moremi Game Reserve covers much of the eastern side of the Delta, and combines permanent water, with drier areas – making for some startling, and unexpected contrasts. In the Moremi you can experience excellent savannah game viewing from a 4x4 vehicle, as well as bird-watching on the lagoons. There are also thickly wooded areas, which are home to the shy, and rare, Leopard. To the north-east lies the Chobe National Park which borders directly on to the Moremi Game Reserve.

Although just under 5 000 square kilometres in extent, the Moremi is a surprisingly diverse Reserve, combining mopane woodland and acacia forests, floodplains and lagoons. Only about 30% of the Reserve is mainland, with the bulk being within the Okavango Delta itself.

The Moremi Game Reserve was set-aside in 1963, by the local Batawana community and is named after Chief Moremi. It was designated a Game Reserve in 1965, and Chief’s Island was added in 1976. The Reserve, now run by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, was further extended in 1992, and the boundaries now include some 20% of the Okavango Delta itself.

The Okavango is the last surviving remnant of the great Lake Makgadikgadi whose waters once covered much of the middle Kalahari. It also is closely associated with the Kwando, Linyanti, and Chobe River systems and marshes to the northeast of Botswana. It is probable that the Okavango, Chobe, Kwando, and upper Zambezi waterways flowed as one massive River across the middle Kalahari, to join the Limpopo River and then into the Indian Ocean.

With minor seismic shifts, a rift was formed, which impeded this flow. As the Okavango River left the highlands of Angola, and entered the arid flatness of the Kalahari, it slowed and deposited much of its sediment load. Channels became blocked and the water was forced to find alternative courses and, over time, tons of sand and debris were deposited, creating the existing fan shape of the Delta that we see today.

A number of fault lines now effectively control the direction of flow of the Okavango River, from the Panhandle, to the Maun area – where the Thamalakane fault forms a natural dam, some 240 kilometres in length. It is here that the channels change direction, and form the Boteti River.

The Delta is a breeding ground for several hundred species of bird, including many migrants, who visit from November to March, making the area a bird-watchers dream destination. It is not uncommon to see hundreds of members of one species, in a morning.

The Moremi Game Reserve, although not one of the largest Parks, never fails to impress even the most experienced of travellers. Home to nearly 500 species of bird (from water birds to forest dwellers), and a vast array of other species of wildlife, including buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyaena, jackal, impala, and red lechwe. Wild dog, are regularly sighted, and have been the subject of a project run in the area since 1989 – thus these animals are often seen wearing collars placed on them by the researchers. It is claimed that the Moremi area contains upwards of thirty percent of all living wild dog.

The Reserve offers the opportunity to explore not only in 4x4's but on foot and by mokoro - a dug-out canoe, hewn from either ebony or sausage-tree, and poled by your personal Guide. Although, today most of the mekoro (plural of mokoro), are made from fibre glass, thus helping to preserve the magnificent, and old, trees of the delta.

Game viewing is at its peak from July to October, when seasonal pans dry up and the wildlife concentrates on the permanent water. From October until the start of the rains in late November or early December, the weather can be extremely hot.

Botswana has been able to develop its tourism without the urgent need for revenues that face many other African countries. An eco-tourism policy of high yield, but low impact, has resulted in visitors being able to experience an Africa at its most natural, unspoilt and stunningly beautiful.

Malarial mosquitoes are prevalent throughout the Reserve and it is strongly recommended that visitors should take precautions before, during and after a

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