Seronga, a small town on the eastern bank of the Okavango River in the northern Delta |
Cow checking us out, Seronga |
Dock on the Okavango River, Seronga |
Anne's Okavango Taxi - boat service at Seronga |
Anne's Okavango Taxi, Seronga |
Boat ride along the Okavango River through the northern delta to Guma Lagoon Camp |
Papyrus along the crystal-clear Okavango River |
Okavango River, Botswana |
African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) in flight over the northern Okavango |
African fish eagle in flight |
African fish eagle circling overhead, Northern Okavango |
African fish eagle in flight over the Northern Okavango, Botswana |
Palm island along the Okavango River near Seronga |
Okavango River near Seronga, Botswana |
Papyrus swamps along the Okavango River near Seronga |
Okavango |
Northern Okavango near Seronga |
Northern Okavango near Seronga |
Northern Okavango near Seronga |
Northern Okavango near Seronga |
A big crocodile, Okavango River, Botswana |
He ran into the water before we got too close |
After a couple of miles on the main Okavango River, we turned into a narrow channel cut through the papyrus swamps |
Channel cut through the papyrus swamps of the Northern Okavango Delta leading to Guma Lagoon |
Papyrus swamps of the Northern Okavango |
Cyperus papyrus, Botswana |
Papyrus reed swamp, Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Papyrus plant |
Papyrus |
Our group on the boat to Guma Lagoon, Northern Okavango Delta |
Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Occasionally, the channel was blocked by clumps of papyrus that had broken away |
The boat would just gather up some speed and ram its way through the barrier |
Small islands in the vast papyrus swamps support trees |
On the boat to Guma Camp, around a two-hour ride from Seronga |
The dock at Guma Lagoon Camp |
Tent at Guma Lagoon Camp, Northern Okavango Delta |
Toilet of a Guma Lagoon Camp tent |
Patio overlooking a hippo channel, Guma Lagoon Camp |
Guma Lagoon Camp |
Pleasant terrace at Guma Lagoon Camp |
White-Browed Robin Chat (Cossypha heuglini) |
Botswana10 751.jpg |
Blacksmith Plover (Vanellus armatus), Guma Lagoon Camp |
Blacksmith Plover (Vanellus armatus), Okavango Delta |
Botswana10 766.jpg |
Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus), Botswana |
Different bird - Angolan B747 passes high over the Okavango Delta between Jo'burg and Luanda |
The dog at Guma Lagoon Camp |
Big tree at Guma Lagoon Camp |
Old termite mount, Guma Lagoon |
Guma Lagoon Camp |
Guma Lagoon Camp |
Guma Lagoon Camp |
Bird nest, Guma Lagoon |
White Arabian horse running for the stable, Guma Lagoon Camp |
Horse, Guma Lagoon Camp |
Horse, Guma Lagoon Camp |
Guma Lagoon, Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Guma Lagoon, Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Guma Lagoon, Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Our group on the terrace at Guma Lagoon Camp |
Christian, Johannes, Stephanie, Reinhold, Ralph, Brian, Nicole, Anne |
Impressive tree at Guma Lagoon Camp |
Early morning, Guma Lagoon Camp, Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
The terrace at Guma Lagoon Camp |
Heading back through the papyrus channel to the start of our mokoro trail |
Botswana10 803.jpg |
Botswana10 805.jpg |
Botswana10 807.jpg |
Mokoro, the dugout canoe traditionally used for transport around the Okavango |
One of our mokoro polers |
Surprisingly, the mokoros we used were modern fibreglass boats |
The small chairs made the mokoro somewhat more comfortable |
Steffi & Johannes, Christian & Ralph |
Start of the mokoro trail through an area of large trees |
High water of the seasonal flood of the Okavango |
Mokoro through the papyrus, Okavango Delta |
Okavango Delta by mokoro |
Okavango Delta by mokoro |
Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis) in flight over the Okavango Delta |
Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis) roosting - I had never seen a goose in a tree before... |
Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis) in flight over the Okavango Delta |
Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis) in flight over the Okavango Delta |
Okavango Delta by mokoro |
Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Okavango Delta by mokoro through the papyrus swamp |
Okavango Delta by mokoro |
I was hoping to see some of the wildlife that makes the Okavango Delta famous... |
...but as the annual flood progresses, most of the wildlife retreats southwards as the water rises |
There is little wildlife to see in the northern area of the Okavango Delta |
To see the Okavango's wildlife, you need to spend the money and go to the Moremi Game Reserve in the south |
African Fish Eagle perched over the Okavango Delta |
African fish eagle |
Okavango Delta by mokoro, relaxing until the day got hot |
Okavango Delta by mokoro |
Okavango Delta by mokoro |
Grey Lourie (Corythaixoides concolor), also known as Go-away-bird |
Steffi and Johannes |
At our destination, a medium sized island where we hoped to see some wildlife |
One of the mokoro polers led us on a walk around the island |
An ancient baobab that just refuses to die, Northern Okavango Delta |
Baobab with a hollowed out trunk |
Baobab with a hollowed out trunk |
Inside the still-living baobab tree |
Two palms, Okavango Delta |
Baobab tree, Northern Okavango Delta |
Baobab tree, Northern Okavango Delta |
Baobab tree, Northern Okavango Delta |
These trees are so impressive |
Baobab tree, Northern Okavango Delta |
Baobab tree, Northern Okavango Delta |
A fallen baobab tree |
Walking safari on an island in the Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Baobab tree, Northern Okavango Delta |
Baobab tree, Northern Okavango Delta |
Elephant damage to a tree trunk |
Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Botswana10 900.jpg |
Lillies, Okavango Delta |
Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus), Botswana |
Another hardy tree that refuese to die, Okavango Delta |
Termite mound, Okvango Delta |
Wildlife - one of three elephants we saw on our walking safari |
Big bull elephant, Okavango Delta walking safari |
We have his undivided attention... |
We'd best keep our distance... |
Elephants, Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
Elephant, Northern Okavango Delta |
Elephant, Northern Okavango Delta |
Elephant, Northern Okavango Delta |
Elephant, Northern Okavango Delta |
Elephant, Northern Okavango Delta |
Elephant, Northern Okavango Delta |
Elephant, Northern Okavango Delta |
Elephant, Northern Okavango Delta |
Elephant raising his trunk |
Elephant sniffing for us |
Large nest, perhaps Hamerkop, Okavango Delta |
Back in the mokors after a light lunch on the island |
Ralph and Christian on their mokoro |
Mokoro, Okavango Delta |
Lilly, Okavango Delta |
Lilly, Okavango Delta |
Dragonfly, Okavango Delta |
It's getting hot... |
Nicole, Okavango Delta |
Nicole and her mirrored sunglasses |
Reinhold and me in our mokoro, Okavango Delta |
It would be great if more of the route was through the trees like this |
Mokoro trail - almost back to the starting point |
Mokoros among the shade of the big trees, Northern Okavango Delta |
Okavango Delta |
Palm, Okavango Delta |
Swamped mokoro - luckily Stephanie and Johannes got out before the poler lost his balance |
One of the mokoro drivers with a fresh Okavango hat |
Botswana hat made with a lilly pad and flower |
Botswana10 963.jpg |
Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus), Botswana |
Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus), Botswana |
Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus), Botswana |
Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus), Botswana |
Mokoro loaded onto the speed boat for the ride back to camp |
...it felt a bit like one of those chase scenes out of a James Bond movie |
Speeding through the papyrus swamps of the Northern Okavango Delta |
Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) in flight, Okavango Delta |
Papyrus Swamps, Okavango Delta |
Sunrise, Guma Lagoon Camp, Northern Okavango Delta, Botswana |
We had a big day ahead - flying back to Namibia via Maun so we had to get an early start out of Guma Camp |
Sunrise from the terrace of Guma Lagoon Camp |
Sunrise from the terrace of Guma Lagoon Camp |
Big crocodile near Seronga |
On the river headed back to the airport at Seronga |