A Week in Botswana’s Okavango Delta
It has been far too long since I was able to spend any time in one of my favourite destinations on Earth - Botswana’s Okavango Delta. I would go so far as to say it is my favourite wildlife filming location…shhh don’t tell Kenya!
But from a very young age, my family and I would spend quality time here and it has a special place in my heart. And probably always will.
In the middle of the vast Southern African Kalahari Desert, this incredible oasis is a wildlife paradise and spectacle unlike anywhere else in Africa. Offering a permanent water source to the parched earth surrounding it, it is a haven for wildlife - many residents, but many transients who rely on this supply for their migrations.
Every year in the Angolan highlands the summer rains fall, collecting in little rivers and flowing ever southwards and downwards towards Botswana forming the Cubango and Cuito rivers that, together combine eventually into the Kavango River. Unlike many water and river systems, the Kavango empties not into the sea or ocean but, after a 1200km journey, spills into the Okavango Delta creating a seasonally flooded grassland.
From May to Aug (winter) these flood waters spread out across the shallow basin, peaking over June and July before rapid evaporation begins to outpace the flood. With less than 2m in variation in the height of the Delta and a 60m difference in elevation across its 15,000km2 this slows the movement of water across the floodplains allowing life-giving nutrients to be absorbed before summer sun dries the flood.
In the hot summer months, massive thunderstorms provide temporary relief from the baking heat and keep enough water for the resident wildlife to survive.
It is an astonishing water cycle creating this natural, and stunningly beautiful, paradise. And is a haven for some of Africa’s most endangered wildlife. African Wild Dogs abound here and, apart from Zambia and some corners of South Africa, this is one of the few places you can relatively reliably spend time with these beautiful creatures. They den usually around July and we had planned our trip in the hopes of finding small puppies and luckily we had some truly special sightings of them. Some puppies for the first time coming out of the den.
Similarly, the Sable antelope with its long, curved horns and contrasting markings stands out as the paragon of African antelopes yet is limited to some few, select, areas. Seeing a big bull is always a thrill.
From a cinematography and photographic standpoint however, the one things that truly makes the Okavango special is the quality and depth of the light. Particularly in the winter months where lingering sunrises and sunsets combine with splashing, glistening water and, where the flood has not yet reached, parched, dusty earth to create scenes and colour-scapes that feel utterly surreal.
Never again will it be so long between visits to this incredible wilderness. I cannot wait to get back!
Filmed over the course of 1 week in July 2024 with Wilderness Destinations staying at Vumbura Plains and Chitabe camps.