More greetings from Maun, Botswana

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Greetings once again from Maun, Botswana.

Early starts here are the normal way of things, so by 7 o'clock we were packed; tents down; breakfasted; loaded onto a truck and off to the delta..

The Okavango Delta is unique as the only inland tropical delta. The rains of the Angolan highlands flow down to the delta where they get blocked by higher land. The waters spread out to form a network of rivers and lakes and island between them. Birds abound and it attracts wildlife from all around due to the abundance of water.

The only way into the delta is by light aircraft or the traditional little canoes, or mokoros. We took the mokoro option, with our kitchen and food for two days in its own mokoro and a further canoe for the tents. Soon we were being gently polled along reed lined channels and across lily covered lagoons. After an hour spotting frogs and birds, we were beached up on a small island were we were to wild camp for two nights.

Whilst there, we went on game walks and explored the delta in the mokoro, spotting elephant and zebra and just one hippo! Once again, bird life was abundant, from fish and snake eagles to little weaver birds. The whole delta was very quiet and tranquil with barely a nod to the 21st century. As we walked out at dawn there was something truly magically about the place. Similarly drifting back to camp in a mokoro at sunset was very beautiful, enhanced by the knowledge that there was still a little gin in the bottle at our camp.

On the last night, the polers entertained us with traditional songs and dances and even riddles!

We are off to Chobe national park tomorrow – no doubt early – and then we will pass out of Botswana and into Zimbabwe. More, we hope, from Victoria Falls.


Love, Gill and Alistair

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