We were so thrilled to see so much at Chobe that we were really sad to leave.  Fortunately the next part of our safari was to be a similarly awesome (though quite different) experience.  We were headed into the Okovango Delta (after another day’s worth of driving) – a place that is unique in the world for both its ecology and its culture.

En Route - Early and Cold

The Okovango Delta is the world’s largest inland delta – it is a huge area whose geography changes with the seasons.  In the low season, it behaves much like a normal river plain would – grasses and a few river channels (along with wild animals) can be found then.  But in high-water seasons (We were there in August which has a high water level) the islands sink under water and become marshes separated by hundreds of small islands.The river’s ebb and swell means that normal transportation like roads and ferries are unpractical since the river’s course and depth are constantly changing, and even the islands change reasonably frequently.  So traditional transportation still reigns here: the mokoro.  A cross between a canoe and a punt, these long and skinny boats are propelled by a pole and traditionally carved out of a tree trunk.  We got fiberglass ones as the trees are now an endangered species in the area and protected.

Mokoro Station

Another interesting fact about going to the Delta: You camp on an island with no facilities and you go where the locals take you.  Even the tour guide didn’t know precisely where we’d go that day.  We ended up going really far!  We had one long stop while supplies were taken from another group leaving the delta but total poling time was over 2 hours!  In fact Hazel and I were both rather burnt by the harsh African sun by the time we arrived – you could see lines separating where our attempts to cover up worked and where it didn’t.

Leaving the shores

The trip was a surreal experience.  Each boat was loaded with 2 passengers, a poler, and some baggage, and our sleeping mats were arranged so that the passengers had a nice reclining seat from which to enjoy the scenery.  Since your head is only a few feet above the water level you get an interesting perspective on the place!

Crocodile's eye view of the delta

Hazel and our poler Zero

Spotted! Elephants in the Reeds

The wildlife experience in the Delta was different, too.  You actually had to look around for animals!  We didn’t see that many on the way in but it was clear when you saw one that it was there because it wanted to be.  We even managed to see a hippo!  It was reasonably close, swimming through the water and loud – we found it because it was breathing loud enough to be heard from 50 feet away.  It swam away too quickly to get a photo, but we were surprised how different it feels to be close to a dangerous animal (hippos cause more fatalities in Africa than any of the other animals and are known as the most aggressive animal in the world) in a small canoe rather than a big riverboat with hundreds of other people.

Serene Environment

Nevertheless, we all felt relaxed by the peaceful motion and quiet provided by the mokoros and their drivers.  The only downside to being in the front of one of these is that there are spider webs and bugs everywhere in the delta!  I felt completely covered and even got a preying mantis and a few grasshoppers for friends for a while.

Camp

We eventually made it to “camp”, which was no more than a clearing on one of the islands.  When I say no more, i mean it, because the first thing we did when we arrived was to dig a hole in the ground and dub it toilet!  We even hung a roll of toilet paper on a tree which served as the “lock” – TP there, toilet free.  TP gone, toilet in use.  Most of the people on the tour had never experienced this and it was kind of nice to get out of the nice lodges we’d been staying at so far – this was real camping!  We set up our tents and began to take in our new home for 2 more days!