Botswana - Matt becomes Mr Mokoro Man

December 23-25

Hello everyone!

One of Africa’s iconic landscapes is the Okavango Delta, found in northern Botswana. A place of stillness and silence - unless you put me in charge of the boat…

Sitting in, not steering, a mokoro -
more comfortable for everybody 

Sunrise in the Delta

Normally, water that flows through a delta ends up in the sea. Think the Nile Delta in Egypt as an example. All of the water which reaches the Okavango, however, never reaches the sea again. Owing to the flat nature of the land (I read that its altitude doesn’t vary by more than two metres), it simply runs out of energy. Either the water is drunk by plants, or it simply evaporates or transpires into the sky. 

Approximately 11 cubic kilometres of water flows
into the Delta each year. That sounds like a lot...

The area of the delta is…massive. It’s area can cover up to 18,000 square kilometres. I’ll be visiting the delta a couple of times, as there are different focuses in different parts of the wilderness. My first stop was on the west, just below an area known as the Okavango Panhandle.

At its largest, it has almost the same area as Israel

The quality of the roads in Botswana had impressed me up to this point Specifically, up to the town of Gumare. After that it seems that this particular road is a no-go zone for the road authority. A 50km drive ‘on road’ took 2 hours. We did see some wildlife on the way, at least.

Ostrich crossing!

After that we transferred equipment onto a 4x4 truck which drove us, through driving rain, to the Guma Lagoon. Worth it when you see the water for the first time…

A positive effect of the rain

The lagoon looked like glass as daylight faded

I spent quite a lot of time at this viewpoint, waking up each morning for sunrise and seeing a technicolour transformation of the landscape as the sun set on the unseen side.

Sunrise was generally at about 5:45am

Stunning serenity - a great way to start each day

Of course, the Okavango Delta is so much more than a small lake. The easiest way to explore is using a motor boat. This allows you to snake through the papyrus-lined waterways and venture further into the wilderness. You can get up close and personal with some wildlife as well, though I wasn’t too keen on being about a metre away from a crocodile…

A croc's gender is determined by the temperature
at which its egg was incubated

One issue with using a motor boat is the noise it generates. The obvious downside is that it scares away many of the bright, beautiful birds which call the delta their home. 

A fish eagle is the national bird of four African
countries...but Bostwana is not one of them

The African jacana has long, slim toes to help them 'walk on water'

There are other, quieter methods of transport. WIth the delta’s water level being a bit lower at this time of year, you can walk around on some of the islands which get created by the waterways. These have steadily been developed over millennia by millions of tonnes of sand being carried down the Okavango River from Angola. It’s slightly surreal to think when walking that you would be underwater in that very spot later in the year.

This land is underwater in June, apparently

Many islands are actually too salty to support plants

Shallower water also means that you are more likely to see one of my favourite animals: the humble hippo. We spotted a raft of them on our walk and got reasonably close, albeit with a very restricted view. The fact that most of the people in my group had never seen a hippo before made it a pretty exciting experience.

It's called 'kubu' by the Tswana, meaning 'rebellion'

The main method humans have used to enter the depths of the delta, however, has been using a mokoro. This is essentially a canoe which has been fashioned out of the trunk of a tree. Government restrictions to protect the environment mean that modern mokoros are made of fibreglass but they still work in the same way.

Very similar to punting

Water lilies were ubiquitous in areas with more water

A mokoro is narrow enough to penetrate the ever-thinner waterways as you move towards the heart of the delta. They aren’t particularly comfortable (my legs went numb after about ten minutes) and can only fit two passengers plus a driver. They also can be tricky to steer (more on that later). But a mokoro ride is…just…lovely…

A mini-lagoon in the Delta

There is a stillness and an aura of calm which comes over you as the boat silently glides through the shimmering water. The only noises are the harmonies of various bird calls or the rustle of the overhanging papyrus plants with the breeze. This is an experience to have if you need to switch off from life.

The grass grows well over a metre tall

I’ve mentioned birds a couple of times. All colours and sizes, there are apparently over 450 different species! Personal favourites we spotted include the malachite kingfisher and red breasted barbet. Their calls and hoots added to the atmosphere as we filed slowly through the watery channels.

Malachite is a green mineral but they are not green

It took me ages to spot the barbet

They probably had a right hoot when watching some of us attempt to control the mokoros. My balance isn’t fantastic. Trying to keep a long, narrow canoe upright whilst standing up was initially a bit intimidating. Pointing your left foot forward and your right foot 90 degrees clockwise behind you, the driver uses their long pole to push along the sandy bed of the waterway.

Mokoro man!

Great fun. Needless to say, we weren’t allowed to drive them back to base. Instead we got to once again take in the tranquility.

Boats are also used by locals as a way
of moving around the swamp

Gliding around in a mokoro in the Okavango Delta demonstrates its serene, tranquil side. I’m looking forward to seeing larger wildlife on the other side of this fascinating landscape. Either way, a lovely place in which to spend Christmas.

Christmas brunch - after my Christmas
pudding/custard breakfast

'Pula' is cheers! It also means rain...

Love you all,

Matt