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The Okavango Delta of the Republic of Botswana is a large wetland
surrounded by the Kalahari desert. Millions of years ago tectonic
activity and faulting interrupted the flow of the river causing
it to backup and form what is now the Delta. This has created a
unique system of waterways that now supports a vast array of animal
and plant life that would have otherwise been a dry Kalahari savanna.
It's headwaters start in Angola’s western highlands, with
offshoots joining to form the Cubango River. The water then flows
through Namibia (called the Kavango) and finally enters Botswana,
where it is then called the Okavango. Instead of flowing into the
sea, the annual flood of fresh water flows inland, spreading over
15 000km² of the Kalahari sand in a maze of lagoons and channels.
The Okavango Delta’s 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 m over a distance of 450 km. The
Delta’s water ends in the Kalahari – via the Botetle
River, with over 95% of the water eventually evaporating.
The best time for game viewing in the Okavango Delta is during
the period between May and October period, as the animal gather
along the flooded areas as the vegetation has dried out. The most
impressive month is August, when the champagne-coloured water is
at its deepest. The best time for birding and vegetation is during
the rainy season when most of the young are born. This is the time
between November and April, as the migrant bird populations are
returning, and the vegetation is lush and green.
The Okavango Delta presents a unique ecosystem with countless islands
that emerge from its waterways. The environment has large numbers
of animal populations that are otherwise rare, such as crocodile,
red lechwe, sitatunga, elephant, wild dogs, buffalo, wattled crane
and the water supports many kinds of fish and more common mammals
and bird life. Conservationists have taken a great interest in the
preservation of the Delta, as it is such an exceptional area.
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