Explore Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is an area of unusual beauty and striking contrast – a must-see Botswana safari trip destination. Whilst the periphery is semi-arid, the Delta itself is a patchwork of cool clear streams, peatlands, back swamps and forested islands in the permanent swamps, and floodplains and ivory palm islands in the seasonal swamp.

In the dry winter season one of the most spectacular events in the natural world occurs, floodwaters that have traveled 1000 kilometers from the highlands of Angola infiltrate the delta inundating large areas causing a great concentration of wildlife.

Many species of wild animals, which move into the surrounding savannas during the wet season (summer months Dec-Feb), therefore, concentrate around the delta at this time. There are an estimated 9000 species of flora and fauna in residence in the delta throughout any one given year. The delta itself forms part of the Kalahari Basin, situated at the southern periphery of the Great Rift Valley (of East African fame), and covers an area of 22,000 square kilometres.

The delta can be divided into four regions; the panhandle, in the northern most reaches, the permanent swamps in the upper region, the seasonal swamps in the lower region and a large number of large landmasses, such as Chiefs Island, which occur as large islands or which extend into the delta from the surrounding mainland areas and are referred to as sand-veld tongues.