Africa

THE OKAVANGO DELTA AND THE MOREMI WILDLIFE RESERVE

There are several names associated with incredible wildlife areas, such as the Serengeti, the Galapogos, the Great Barrier Reef. The Okavango Delta is one such. One of the largest inland deltas in the world, the Okavango is a birdwatcher’s delight, a fisherman’s challenge, a romantic’s Eden. Spilling down from the highlands of Angola, the third largest river in southern Africa winds its way south west into Botswana’s dry Ngamiland, where it hits a fault line and sprawls like an outstretched hand into the ancient, bleached sands of the Kalahari. Gradually the waters deposit their silt and thread their way through thick mats of papyrus and sedge, getting ever clearer, ever quieter, feeding huge riverine trees and lush water meadows which support a plethora of creatures.

It is thought that the Okavango River once flowed to the sea through the Limpopo valley via Lake Makgadikgadi. In recent geological times the upliftment of the northern Botswana plateau has turned the area into a vast flat basin which now easily gets rid of the Okavango’s annual flow by evaporation. Most of this water loss now takes place from the Okavango delta itself , although in good years Okavango water can still reach Lake Magadigadi via the Boteti River. Mankind is not a newcomer to the delta. There is evidence that stone age man was associated with the area 800 000 years ago or more. Stone tools from the early, middle and late stone ages have been found around the delta. It is probable that the San people (or “Bushman” groups) specialising in a riverine environment, unlike their desert adapted kin, provide some kind of continuity between stone age populations and iron age Bantu speaking people, who arrived in the area around the first century. Today existing “River Bushmen” are not readily distinguishable among many other groups of people who inhabit the delta.

Elusive sitatungas, hooves deeply splayed to cope with marshy ground, splash startled through a reed-bed and in the following stillness the contented grunting of hippo echoes across the rippling water. A crocodile lies immobile in the shifting sun-dapples of the shallows, as green and yellow as a tangle of reeds. A jacana lifts delicate spider-like feet through the scented water lilies and the icy tinkle of painted reed frog’s hush as your dug-out mokoro is poled silently trough tousle-headed papyrus stems. It is a wonderland of water and wildlife, among the most beautiful anywhere in Africa.

Days are spent mainly with a water focus, and the richness and diversity of the area is best appreciated from a boat along the channels. Motorised viewing craft chug gently through the waterways, and guides are always equipped with fragments of fish to toss to the imperious fish-eagles, which stoop to lift the offering with deadly precision and a silken rustle of powerful wings. Often referred to as a swamp, the delta is a patchwork of fringing forest and savannah woodland, and endless grassy meadows periodically inundated with crystal clear, tea coloured perennial floodwater. Though summer temperatures are high in the day, the heat is offset by greenery and water, and in winter the cooler days turn into cold, clear nights. December to February is the height of the wet season. For the adventurous, a combination of back-packing by foot and mokoro is a wonderful way to experience a week or so in the delta. Camping under the stars in a velvet African night with the scops owl calling is a never forgotten pleasure. Various tour operators specialise in this kind of action trip, and supply varying degrees of ruggedness.

Bream and tigerfish abound in the clear waters, and most camps have fishing equipment for hire. Dedicated fishermen will find the north-western area, the ‘panhandle’ of river that spreads into the delta, the best spot for serious fishing, and Shakawe, a “conglomeration of huts, reeds, dug-out canoes and ant-hills” is Botswana’s best tigerfishing spot and is geared for the angler. The best fishing is said to be in August and September. It is wise to check before making a commitment, as fishing varies with the locality within the delta, the time of year and with the time and size of the annual flood. Tigerfish are unequalled for sport fishing in southern Africa but bream are numerous, challenging and delicious. Barbel are common and, if gutted quickly enough after being caught, do not have the so called “muddy” taste of which they are unjustly accused. In October or November, in the upper reaches of the Okavango, some weeks before the rains arrive, barbel sometimes collect in vast shoals. Why they do this is not really understood but, suddenly, hundreds of thousands of them will congregate in the shallow areas and begin to move like a living silvery brown mat towards the main channel. This migration-like move attracts considerable attention and becomes a feast for every fish eating bird in the delta. Often a barbel ‘run’ can be located from the swirling mass of birds that circle above it.

The birds are perhaps the greatest drawcard of the Okavango Delta, with such attractions as the rare Pel’s fishing owl, the endangered wattled crane, and the only known breeding grounds of the slaty egret, to mention just a few. Even visitors who are not specialist birdwatchers will see amazing birdlife, the avian fauna being almost unavoidable with more than 400 species recorded here. Kingfishers and bee-eaters are favourite subjects for photographers, and can provide wonderfully satisfying opportunities to exercise those skills. The number of bird species is greatest between October and February.

The huge-and-hairy wildlife is more dependent on the water, and has a different pattern of frequency. The rains begin in late October, and the dry Kalahari springs to new life. Migratory wildlife such as elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and eland moves northwards from the delta towards the Chobe and Linyanti Rivers. But the rains that fall in Angola take time to make their way down the Okavango River to the delta, and the height of the flood arrives only around mid-winter – June/July. Water elsewhere in the Kalahari hinterland is limited, so the wildlife moves back to the “swamp”. As the floods recede there is a constant supply of new grazing exposed by the falling water level, and the wildlife is increasingly visible. When the rains begin the cycle of movement starts again. Although game populations move out of the delta towards the north-east, their movement south is limited by the veterinary cordon fence. Apart from keeping the wildlife in and disrupting migration lines particularly of wildebeest, it also serves to keep the cattle out – which is no bad thing. With the onset of the rainy season access around the delta becomes increasingly difficult for visitors. Roads are often impassable.

The north-eastern sector of the delta is protected by the Moremi Game Reserve. Central and surrounding areas are divided into numerous Game Management Areas leased out by the Tawana tribal authorities for various types of tourism concessions, mainly photographic and hunting safaris. The Moremi Game Reserve was originally set aside as a sanctuary by the local Tawana tribe. Its management has since been taken over by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in collaboration with tribal representatives.

The reserve is unfenced and covers about 1800 square kilometres. The area is completely flat, with a network of waterways between reed beds and islands of mixed woodland, mostly mopane in the eastern region. A good third of this area is comprised of Chief’s Island, flanked by the two largest rivers in the delta, the Boro and the Santantadibe. No camps or human habitation is permitted on the island.

Though generally not seen on the delta it is estimated that as many as 50 000 elephant roam the Okavango and Chobe to the east, and are a fairly common sight in Moremi, especially in the dry season. Hippo are also common, but thick reedbeds make viewing difficult. Large herds of buffalo occur, also warthog, tsessebe, kudu, impala, roan, reed- and waterbuck. The floodplains are the habitat to look for lechwe. Predators such as lion, leopard and wild dog are present as well as the smaller serval, African wildcat and water mongoose. Hyenas are particularly common in the area. For birding enthusiasts, not only does the woodland offer a wide range of species but the chance to drive to the edges of large lagoons which offer fantastic birding. There are many species of ducks and geese, as well as an amazing variety of heron and other water birds.

A number of safari companies operate lodges on the edges of the reserve, and take their guests on game viewing trips by mokoro. Such trips can be of any length and vary by arrangement from a morning’s outing to two, three or four day safaris. The local guides, who pole the mekoro, are usually hand-picked men with an interest in and a good knowledge of the environment whose judgement can be relied upon.

Several luxury lodges are dotted through the reserve, with the almost legendary Mombo Camp (run by Wilderness Safaris), as the probable apex. Pampered clients have been known to see four or five major predators before breakfast in this beautiful and remote camp, and it’s said to be good all year round. There are many lodges along the Boro River in the south and the Kwai in the north. Names such as Xaxaba and Xugana may be hard to pronounce but once visited never forgotten. Kwai River Lodge in the north-east benefits from the proximity of the more arid Chobe National Park for a constant stream of thirsty animals drawn to the Kwai River in the winter months. There are three Government-owned public camping sites, two at North and South Gate with basic but overworked ablution facilities and piped water, and one at Third Bridge with a few pit toilets and the river as sole water supply. Beyond that you will be expected to be self-sufficient. Like the rest of Botswana the delta is a summer rainfall area, and the months from October to April can get hot and humid. Winter months are warm, but cold at nights

The more jaundiced tourist might say that only Botswana could make a tourist attraction of Tsodilo Hills and Drotsky’s Caves. And there is no doubt that if the landscape was less featureless these rather subtle beauties might go unnoticed. However, there are some of us who have actually been to Tsodilo Hills who are continually warmed by memories of the experience, and have no hesitation in suggesting the place is worth a visit.
Be warned. There is no infrastructure at all. It is four-wheel drive country. You must be entirely self-sufficient. It is recommended that you travel at least in pairs, so that there is a back-up vehicle in case of break downs. Fuel and supplies are scarce, and it’s not unusual to find a tiny rural petrol station without fuel. It’s an arid region, water is scarce. Do not undertake this trip lightly. There is a rough air-strip (maintained by the Museum, but not manned) which can bed used by fly-in/fly-out day trippers, but getting around the hills without transport requires a fair level of fitness, so don’t regard this as a soft option.

Brought to world attention as the “Slippery Hills” in Sir Laurens van der Post’s Lost World of the Kalahari, four small hills of micaceous quartsite schists make up the group. These seem to float above the eternal rolling fossil dunes, and create an impression of profound intensity – a sense that here something of grave importance has/could/did or may happen. This atmosphere has generated a series of indigenous myths and legends that surround these hills, ranging from the site of man’s creation to the dwelling place of a fierce snake-headed monster. Certainly the hills have been – if not venerated themselves – the site of veneration for centuries, and almost every other rock-face is graced with delicate San art, some huge and visible from quite a distance, others that seem to whisper privately to a single observer.

Named “The Male”, “The Female” and “The Child”, the fourth hill is barely more than a rise above the undulating grassy ridges and remains unnamed. The largest, The Male, is bare rock rising 300 m above the plain. This stark blue-grey presence is the first seen on driving in and gives Tsodilo much of its sense of enigma and mystery. Most of the paintings – some 2 700 have been counted – are on the smaller and more gracefully wooded Female Hill, where little secret springs of water can still be found, and must have been one of the reasons for the importance of the Hills to ancient man. (Don’t rely on finding these tiny little seeps, you must carry your own water supply.)

Between the two hills there seems a preternatural silence, as if the hills are listening, perhaps for a far-off snatch of song. Where many wilderness areas seem to demand the very absence of humans, the Hills feel welcoming. This sense of man being so much an integral part of the hills has probably ensure that it is so, for there is a permanent settlement of Hambukush, a Bantu people, near the Male Hill, and they have been there for at least a thousand years. The San probably lived in the area for even longer.

The wealth of rock art has ensured that Tsodilo Hills gain some protection as a National Monument for Botswana, and a Museum employee is stationed at the site. However, its remoteness and difficulty of access are not sufficient to prevent busloads of school pupils from descending on the area periodically, and some modern scrawls deface the old and beautiful paintings. Hopefully this will be seen as a serious threat to the country’s heritage and controlled very rapidly.

The area may well fall within one of Botswana’s hunting-concession areas, and it is certainly not a recommended game-viewing destination. You may be lucky enough to spot a zebra or two, perhaps a very shy kudu, but game is generally not much in evidence. If you are content with the small fry, the little yellow mopane squirrels are entertaining to watch. The Hills are known to provide a home to a very healthy society of wild honeybees, and great care must be taken while climbing.

Although not far from the Okavango Delta on a map, the dirt roads to Tsodilo Hills are not easy going, though the main route along the western edge of the delta is now tarred. Plan your trip carefully, take absolutely everything with you – it takes a minimum of three days to explore the Hills – and take absolutely everything that you brought in back with you when you leave.

Near the Namibian border in western Botswana is an extraordinary series of caves named after Martinus Drotsky, who was shown them by local San hunters in the early 1930’s. This is an attraction for the speleologist and rugged off-road specialist only. This is not a game-viewing destination, and there are no facilities. There is even less here than at Tsodilo Hills – no water at all, and no people living in the immediate vicinity. The nearest fuel is at Maun or in Namibia. The caves themselves can be dangerous: there is no lighting, natural or artificial, and it is recommended that no one enter the caves without a secondary, emergency light supply about their person. There is little airflow through the caves, and disturbed dust will hang in the air for long periods. Special care should be taken to protect photographic or other delicate equipment.

However, the lack of facilities has ensured that the caves are undeveloped and quite unspoilt. On the banks of the dry bed that was once the Kwihabe River, a low outcrop of dolomite just protrudes above the endless corrugations of ancient dune fields. This long dead river once flowed strongly, and the region was wet enough to dissolve great winding passages and domed caverns through this rock. In drier times rainwater percolating through the rock left wonderful fluted shapes of lustrous white flowstone. Though not as extensive as South Africa’s Cango Caves, Drotsky’s Caves have a reputation for breathtaking stalagmites, stalactite, flowstones and caverns. A map of the caves is available from the Botswana Society at the National Museum in Gaborone