The Okavango Delta: African Wildlife and Bird Watching

The Okavango Delta is 10,000 square miles of lagoons, marshes, and papyrus channels, all dotted with wooded islands. Canoeing the Okavango provides the ultimate in African bird watching and offers opportunities for wildlife photography found nowhere else on the continent.

The Okavango Delta is fed by the waters of the Okavango River, which has no outlet to the sea. Technically, it isn't a delta but an alluvial fan. Since the river has no outlet, it has to empty somewhere, so when the water reaches the edge of the Kalahari Desert, it fans out onto the sands of the Kalahari, creating the large swampy area familiarly known as the Okavango Delta.

 

Countless islands make up the land portion of the Okavango Delta. As a result, several diverse ecosystems exist here which are home to a wide variety of birds and other animals.

Wetlands are great places for bird watching, with some 400 species already identified. You might spot a Painted Snipe, a Longtoed Plover, a Greater Swamp Warbler, a Pygmy Goose, a Wattled Crane, a Slaty Egret, a Western Banded Snake Eagle, or any of the many colorful and exotic birds that live among the reeds. African wildlife and birds are remarkable themselves—place them in the Delta and they become unforgettable sights to see. If birding is your hobby, you're sure to see many species you've never seen before.

If you enjoy wildlife photography, then you'll be delighted with your trip to the Okavango Delta. You'll see great hers of antelope, zebra, buffalo and elephants. If you take a night tour, you might spot a pangolin, aardwolf, genet or porcupine. Your can travel on the water or by land, and many tours take you through Chobe National Park. You can get some close shots of graceful antelopes, impalas and kudus.

 

A quick tip: if you're planning to photograph African people in the villages of the area, please ask their permission first. Botswana's policy of providing high-level tourism with little environmental impact means that many of the people you meet aren't used to the enthusiasm of the camera-snapping tourist. Be polite and friendly and you could soon be showing your friends back home how fascinating life in a Botswanan village can be!

Your range of activities in the Delta can be as varied as the ecosystems you'll see. There's something for everyone: