Okavango delta in north-west Botswana comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains. It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system that is almost intact.

One of the unique characteristics of the site is that the annual flooding from the River Okavango occurs during the dry season, with the result that the native plants and animals have synchronized their biological cycles with these seasonal rains and floods. It is an exceptional example of the interaction between climatic, hydrological and biological processes.

The Okavango Delta is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion.

The magical and world famous Okavango Delta is one of the absolute highlights of a trip to Botswana. In the Okavango Delta, the Okavango River meets the Kalahari and forms the world’s largest inland delta, one of the last great wilderness paradises of our planet.

Geography and climate of the Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta consists of a large number of main channels and tributaries of the Okavango River, forming lagoons, floodplains, smaller islands and larger mainland areas. In general, a distinction can be made between the permanent wetlands, which carry water throughout the year, and the temporary wetlands, which are flooded annually from March to July.

The climate of the Okavango Delta is characterized by long, hot summers (November – March) and short, cooler winters (June – August), as in the rest of Botswana. However in the Okavango Delta, the winter nighttime temperatures are not as low as in the Kalahari. In August, the temperature drops to around 11 ° C in the night.

Flora and fauna of the Okavango Delta

The permanently water-bearing swamp areas are dominated by forests of wild date palms and papyrus, which stand on islands and lagoons. Water lilies often cover these lakes and offer great photo opportunities.

In the seasonal wetlands, there are more open, grassy areas that are filled with water during the winter flood season. On the edges of these plains fan palms, sausage and fig trees are growing in large numbers.

The Okavango Delta is famous for an incredible abundance of. Over a hundred species of mammals, more than 400 species of birds, dozens of reptile and amphibian species are found in large numbers.

Buffalo, zebras, elephants and huge antelope herds, giraffes, predators like lions, leopards, cheetahs and the rare African wild dogs, aquatic animals like crocodiles and hippopotamus and of course a very high density of birds make the Okavango Delta a kind of garden of Eden in Botswana.

Places of interest – Okavango Delta

In the Okavango Delta region almost everything revolves around game viewing in this fascinating natural paradise. The enormous wealth of game can be discovered best from the air (flight or hot air balloon ride), in the water (boat or dugout canoe) or on land (4×4 game drive ).

Self-drive Botswana safaris in the Okavango Delta are limited as there are hardly any paved roads. Almost all activities are organized by the accommodations in the Okavango Delta itself.

African Oasis: The Okavango Delta

At the height of Botswana’s six-month dry season, rainwater from Angola’s lush highlands spills into the heart of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, setting in motion an ecological spectacle unlike anywhere else on Earth.

With the influx of 2.5 trillion gallons of water, the Okavango Delta—a permanent swamp surrounded by one of the continent’s driest expanses—doubles in size. Fueled by the promise of a fertile floodplain, some 200,000 large mammals return to the delta, now an oasis roughly half the size of Massachusetts.

The floodwaters usher in more than 700 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles. African fish eagles soar above prides of lions and the continent’s largest population of savanna elephants.

Wild dogs prowl through thorn scrub as cheetahs stalk warthogs and wetland antelopes. Hippos and Nile crocodiles lurk among reeds and papyrus. The delta hums with life for several months until the floodwaters evaporate or recede into the red desert sands.

The Cubango-Okavango River Basin covers 125,000 square miles in Angola, Namibia and Botswana and provides water for 1 million people. Widespread poverty plagues the upper basin, and the majority of people rely on livelihoods like agriculture, fishing, forestry and tourism that draw on the region’s natural resources.

The delta itself is largely protected by a mosaic of game reserves, wildlife management areas and community trusts, but most of the biodiversity-rich lands, rivers and lakes in Angola that feed it are not.

And as the country emerges from decades of civil war, more than 50 large-scale water infrastructure projects are under consideration, including dams for hydropower, commercial irrigation works and municipal water storage.

These projects could divert floodwaters away from the delta, disrupting one of the most magnificent large-animal migrations in the world and crippling the livelihoods of the people who depend on it.

Now is the time to act to protect the Okavango by creating viable alternatives for Angola to grow and develop, says Matt Brown, regional managing director for The Nature Conservancy in Africa. “If we can get it right now, we can save one of the most amazing natural places in the world, before the threats become a reality.”