Remembering the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Yes, February prompts this Spaswinefood enthusiast to remember earlier travels in the Okavango Delta. Botswana's Okavango Delta, one of the world's largest deltas, is really an oasis produced by seasonal rains, with most of the rain falling between January and April. This amazing ecosystem, with a diversity of flora and fauna, is home to wildlife such as hippos, crocodiles, elephants and big cats. I still remember riding through the Okavango Delta in a mokoro, a dugout canoe, with hippos grunting nearby. Our Okavango Delta canoe safari was an adventure of a lifetime.

Remembering the Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Botswana's Okavango Delta 

Our journey to the delta took us along the Okavango Panhandle to Seronga, our pickup point. Part of our Okavango Panhandle travels included a ferry ride with our overland truck. 

Okavango Delta Ferry © Spaswinefood

Boarding the Ferry, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Truck driving onto Ferry, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Boarding the Okavango Delta Ferry © Spaswinefood

After we crossed the waterway we continued onto Serongo, arriving around lunchtime. Soon our cook Simon had the mobile restaurant all setup. 

Preparing Lunch, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

We had a delightful lunch before beginning a canoe trip to our bush camp.

Loading Mokoros, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Bush Camp, Hippos and More

I suspect that tourists are often a little scared to ride in a mokoro. The mokoro that I rode had a hole near the front. It also had our guide's name, Lets written on the bow. All the guides had cool names like Michael Jackson, Tony Blair and Lets. Yes, we felt totally at ease riding through the delta in a mokoro. 

View from Mokoro, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Into the Okavango Delta We Go © Spaswinefood

Exploring the Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Our guides (sometimes called polers) grew up in the delta and they how to navigate these waterways with ease. While the traditional mokoro is made of wood today's mokoro is most likely made of fiberglass.

Mokoros, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Riding across the water, setting right at water level, was an amazing journey to bush camp on a nearby island. 

Mokoro Ride, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Relaxing Ride, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Our guides navigated the mokoros through lily pads and reeds. 

Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

Lily Pads, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

As we rode through the reeds insects and birds often took flight. 

Frog, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

In a short time we arrived at bush camp where we unloaded camping equipment and supplies from the mokoros. Next, our tents and the kitchen were setup. 

We engaged in various activities during our bush camp stay. One of these activities was a boat ride where we observed the hippos close up. While we had seen hippos up close before we were not in a mokoro nearby.  

Hippos, Botswana © Spaswinefood

Fortunately our guides knew how to navigate these waters, home to hippos and crocodiles. It was so cool to watch about 6-8 hippos while we hung out, just at the edge of the reeds.

Hippos, Botswana © Spaswinefood

During our Okavango visit our cook prepared great meals for us. As night fell at camp that evening we ate dinner by the light from our geek lights. 

Dinner, Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

After dinner the local guides provided entertainment. We were able to interact with our guides who live in the Okavango Delta. Social interaction with the locals was a valued part of our overland travels in Botswana.

Okavango Delta © Spaswinefood

After the entertainment was over we settled into our tents for the night. We were given careful instructions, as to what to do if animals visited out tent site at night. That night it rained and our tents were quite wet in the morning. In the morning we joked about the animal noises that we heard during the night. After breakfast there was a guided nature walk before we left.

Later we journeyed back down river to Umvuvu Camp (Hippo Camp), a rustic tented lodge, where we spent our last night in the delta. We were so happy to have a facility with showers. An Okavango Delta canoe safari is a unique opportunity to experience a little of the Okavango Delta world. 

Onwards to Umvuvu Camp © Spaswinefood


Our canoe adventure was part of an overland travel experience; so our accommodations were on the rustic side. For those might not like such rustic accommodations the Okavango Delta offers other options. If you are would like to visit the delta in a peaceful relaxing way, via mokoro then check travel sites, like Safaris and Natural Travel. A description of the Okavango seasons provides suggestions on when to visit. During our travels to and from the Okavango Delta we stayed at the Rainbow River Lodge in northeastern Namibia.

Okavango Delta visitors will easily see why it is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa. It shares this title with the Nile River, Sahara Desert, Seregenti Migration, Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Red Sea. I invite you to join me in my travels in Africa and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.

Sharon

February 2017

Buenos Aires, Argentina

© Spaswinefood

Botanical Gardens, Buenos Aires © Spaswinefood

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