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The Okavango Delta : One Of The World’s Greatest Mysteries
Author Victoria Langmead

Okavango DeltaVictoria reports on this paradise of palms, papyrus and crystal clear waterways

Referred to by many as the jewel of the Kalahari the Okavango Delta is a totally unique natural phenomenon. The world’s largest inland delta, it is a magical and spellbinding maze of lagoons, lakes and channels in the middle of a desert that covers an estimated area of around 15,000 square kilometres.

The first thing that struck me is possibly the most obvious: water in a desert! Once I had got over this fact, I was amazed at how remote the majority of the camps here actually are. In many cases access is only possible by light aircraft and you really do feel off the beaten track.

I was also struck by the sheer amount of game.  In a week or so I was lucky enough to see all the wildlife I could wish for and more including mating lions, young lion cubs,  leopard, cheetah, sable antelope, pods of hundreds of hippo - the list goes on.  The bird life was also striking, with two sightings of the elusive Pel’s Fishing Owl, a pair of Verreaux Eagle Owl, countless raptors, kingfishers, herons, storks, beaters and rollers added to my bird list.  Pure heaven for a birder.

The Delta is such a unique and mesmerising place and will stick with me forever.  Since selling safaris I have learnt that everyone wants to get something different from their safari holiday. My visit to the Delta has shown me that this spectacular wilderness is so diverse and full of variety that it meets everyone’s wishes with its variety of habitats, scenery, game, birdlife and choice of places to stay.

Among the highlights of my trip were:

1) Gliding though the silent and crystal clear channels of the Delta in a mokoro (dug out canoe) with only the far-off cry of the fish eagle, the quintessential African sound.
2) Seeing my first sable antelope.
3) Camping on a remote palm island in the heart of the Delta feeling as if we were the first people to have ever trodden it.
4) The African sky with not a single artificial light to ruin it.
5) Tracking (unsuccessfully) sitatunga, the elusive aquatic antelope.
6)  Flight transfers from camp to camp which gave me a truly unforgettable to view of this vast wilderness and its hundreds of islands as well as the animals that inhabit them.  I spotted elephants drinking, giraffe, buffalo and many other animals, as well as the myriad of ribbon-like paths made by the animals through the water and grass.


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