Trans Okavango from the top down

TRAVEL

Words: Chris Green | Photos: Chris Green & Richard Uren

Trans Okavango from the top down

The Okavango Delta and its continually shifting channels are a wonder; from the shifting plates that caused its formation, to the life it gives and the life it contains. It was recently included as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of its unique beauty

and importance to Botswana’s wildlife. I was offered the chance to travel on a boat trip from the Okavango Panhandle to Maun on what is called a Trans Okavango (T.O.) trip.

The elephant sightings were incredible.

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Trans Okavango from the top down

We find a sand bank on which to relax, as we take in the amazing spectacle that surrounds us.

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Trans Okavango from the top down

Our journey began at Nxamaseri Lodge, situated on an island in the Okavango Panhandle. It is a destination worth a visit, especially for fishing or birding enthusiasts.

I had the pleasure of spending a couple of indulgently restful days at the lodge, with my time spent alternating between fishing and lounging, while I waited for the rest of the group. Our group consisted of crocodile researchers (Adam and Erin Britton and Joey), Rich (a film-maker for NHFU Botswana and our guide for this trip) and myself.

We set out on a river hemmed in by a wall of reeds on either bank. The walls of reeds are intermittently broken by small islands, marked by a tree or trees.

Always the majestic fish eagles keep watch, they are the sentinels of the delta who marked our passing with their piercing calls. The reeds are also ablaze with a myriad of colours, as bee-eaters and other birds flit in and out. African darters and cormorants find their Eden disrupted and take to flight in front of the boat. In shallower sections, tigerfish are revealed against the white sands of the river floor.

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Our first crocodile sighting is an old croc sunning himself on an island bank. He reluctantly backs into the water as we draw closer, but seemingly lacks the energy to progress more than a foot into the river. Our crocodile researchers, of course, want to get closer, so we inch the boat right up to him. He is clearly an old specimen and has lost an eye. The experts on the boat speculate that he has not been able to hunt successfully for a while and is only months away from dying.

The harshness of nature is reaffirmed later in the day as we come across two hippo on the banks. The male is covered in wounds that stand out in vicious contrast, pink flesh against dark skin. The female dashes into the water, an egret taking flight from her back, and the weary male is left standing alone on the river’s edge.

In the afternoon we enter the smaller channels of the delta.

The wide main channel is fractured into ever-smaller versions of itself. We find ourselves on a landscape of shimmering water, its continuity disrupted by islands and reeds. Small channels provide a roadway that is often only just wide enough for the boat’s motor to pass through. We begin searching for the island where we will spend the night, following GPS tracks on an empty screen. As we arrive, we see an elephant happily splashing in the shallow waters of the island that is next to ours. The land is not quite an island, rather there are long fingers of land reaching out into the expanse of river.

Sunset from the boat.

Setting up camp is a simple exercise; find a spot not under a sausage tree or on the hippo path and throw down your pop-up tent. Soon after setting up my tent, I hear elephant moving close by, so I wander around the corner for a closer look. Despite their size, elephants are fantastic proponents of hide and seek; my heart receives a kick start when I suddenly notice an elephant just 20-metres away on my left. It is an incredible experience to watch an elephant, just you and this magnificent creature, and no one else in sight. It is uninterested in me and moves through the trees casually eating as it goes.

A little while later, while walking back to camp with a load of wood in my hands, I hear a loud crashing behind me and Rich flies past me shouting, “Elephant, run,” amongst other things. While this is all well and good, I quickly realise that there is no point of safety to run to. An elephant would find our boat only a minor inconvenience en route to securing my death, and a pop-up tent is definitely not elephant resistant, which leaves me the options of either trying to outswim or outrun it. I settle on swimming and begin the most important race of my life.

In just a few metres I overtake Rich, my panicked mind taking a while to realise that he has stopped. I regain a semblance of self-control and turn to watch Rich clapping his slops loudly together and shouting at the now fleeing elephant. Luckily, it was a young bull, so it could be scared off fairly easily.

After dinner is prepared on the fire, we set out to catch crocodiles for research. As we slowly chug along, a spotlight is shone, searching for the tell-tale reflection of crocodile eyes. Once found, the boat creeps up to them with a person leaning over the front. With the croc blinded by the spotlight, it is grabbed on the back of the neck and tail and lifted into the boat. It is then measured and a scale is taken from its tail for testing and as a record. (For more info on the work done by Adam and his team see the website listed at the end of the article).

On day two, we are no longer travelling along a clearly defined main channel and it is at times difficult to locate the correct route. We cruise along small channels, frequently hippo trails, which are often narrower than the boat. All around us is a landscape of water defined by reeds. Our path is determined by these reeds; whether those growing above head height, others seemingly like grass growing on the water’s surface or those below the surface that catch on the propeller.

There is a notable shift in the guide as we suddenly enter a thick wall of reeds broken only by the narrow channel of water we take. This is the most arduous period of the journey, with a barrage of obstacles, such as reeds caught on the propeller and flotillas of reeds across the channel and sand banks. The barge pole quickly becomes the most-used object on the boat.

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Trans Okavango from the top down

The female dashes to the water, an egret taking flight from her back.

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Trans Okavango from the top down

The very essence of the T.O. Photo credit: Richard Uren

As we break free of the reeds, a virtually instantaneous transformation takes place; the landscape opens up into a plain of water dotted with tiny islands. We have finally entered the floodplains, with water stretching to the horizon.

We meander along an undulating path around the islands. These islands are formed from termite mounds created during the dry months, silt then catches on them each year so that they are ever increasing in size. Birds land and disperse seeds, which result in the islands being covered in lush foliage and trees, to create dots of green on the savannah of blue. Elephant can also be seen grazing on some of these island, so we find a sand bank to relax on, with a couple of drinks, as we take in the spectacle that surrounds us.

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Almost driving over one of the numerous hippo along the way, we settle on one of the larger islands to set-up camp for the night. The birdlife here is remarkable. Unfortunately my birding knowledge is not sufficient to do it justice, but even my unknowing eye and ear took immense pleasure in the colour and sound they presented.

Our next day’s travel all takes place at a leisurely pace. We leave the expansive floodplain and find ourselves travelling along a river channel once more. There is too much water to be confined by the river banks and water still stretches a significant distance on either side of us. This is a landscape defined by water with hippo in their element.

On one or two instances we also see elephant grazing at the edges and are able to get close enough to them to get the adrenal glands secreting. It is important to bear in mind that a boat does not reverse very fast and so sudden movements, such as standing up to take a picture, are ill advised.

Our ambling pace downstream is perfectly timed and we arrive at a prime fishing spot in the afternoon and settle down to catch some bream. The first fish takes my lure, dangling above the surface as we shift our position, and the next hour is a frenzy of fishing heaven. With our dinner now stored in the hold, we set out to find our campsite.

The next day’s travel is our last. It is the most likely day for game viewing, as land is increasingly encroaching on our world of water. Once again we see elephant, as well as red lechwe and giraffe. However, it is the profusion of pygmy geese that are the highlight, as I sit at the front of the boat and attempt to capture their beauty in picture as they take flight. Land becomes ever closer on either side as the river delivers us into Maun and back to reality after four days spent in another, epic, world.

It is not the game viewing that makes this trip so remarkable, although the elephant sightings were incredible.

Rather, it is being immersed in this unique environment, with its incredible scenery and vibrant birdlife, the very essence of the T.O., and having the opportunity to experience the Okavango Delta water’s from the top down.

More information

For more information about Trans Okavango safaris, visit www.okavangostill.com or contact Richard Collins at richard@okavangostill.com.

NHFU Botswana has done remarkable work in the Okavango Delta. Their films have won numerous awards and capture the essence of the Okavango and the life which surrounds it.

Visit their website www.naturalhistoryfilmunit.com for more info. For more information on Adam Britton and his research, visit www.big-gecko.com

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