OKAVANGO DELTA
BOTSWANA
Join professional wildlife and conservation photographer Roy Toft, in partnership with African Destination Specialist, Piper & Heath Travel, as he leads another Botswana Photo Safari!
On this ultimate Botswana photo tour we offer extraordinary opportunities to photograph abundant wildlife in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert and the northern Botswana’s Linyanti region.
Embark on a 12 day/11 night small-group photographic safari through the legendary Okavango Delta with celebrated wildlife photographer Roy Toft. Roy has been making this pilgrimage for over a decade. His itinerary offers the phenomenal opportunities in the photographic mecca of Botswana during the “secret” season of March, when babies abound and the lush green vegetation brings color to every image.
Kalahari Desert
Known as the “Thirstland”, the world-famous Kalahari Desert covers much of Botswana as well as party of Namibia and South Africa in Southwestern Africa. The Kalahari belies its designation as a “desert” as it is mostly semi-arid sandy savanna and produces expansive grasslands after the annual rains. These savannas support some of the highest concentrations of wildlife on earth. In the north and the east, dry forests grow Rhodesian teak and acacia trees. Covering about 360,000 square miles, the Kalahari region is world-renowned for its wildlife diversity and is home to some of Africa’s most indelible images. Lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, and packs of wild dog stalk the migrating herds of springbok, gemsbok, eland, wildebeest, hartebeest, kudu, and duiker. Herds of giraffe, elephant, and zebra traverse the plains in search of food and waterholes. Many birds of prey live here including the secretary bird, martial eagle, the giant eagle owl, falcons, goshawks, kestrels, and kites. The desert is still home to the remnants of its ancient human inhabitants, the San Bushmen. These hunter-gatherers now mostly reside in villages within the borders of the desert’s protected areas, and in some areas, are permitted to continue their ancient hunting traditions.
Linyanti
Like so many of Botswana’s regions, the Linyanti boasts an astounding concentration and diversity of wildlife. The Linyanti River (downstream called the Chobe River) forms a natural border between Botswana and Namibia, and on its southern side (in Botswana) are the picturesque lagoons, flowing rivers, open grasslands, riverine forests, and inland forests of the Linyanti—an environment where wildlife abounds. Especially in Botswana’s dry winter months, herds of Africa’s large land mammals congregate at the Linyanti’s rivers and lagoons. Zebra, antelope, red lechwe, and sitatunga migrated through these wetlands, always followed closely by lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, and hyena. Hippo and elephant also roam these lands but are in no danger from the predators. And of course, this oasis is also home to hundreds of bird species, announcing the dawn with their magnificent chorus. The last stretches of Africa’s Great Rift Valley here divide the forests from the river floodplains, and it is these ridges that provide not only breathtaking vistas but also unmatched wildlife observation opportunities. The unique landscape distinguishes it from the nearby Okavango Delta and Chobe River areas, and requires that the serious visitor include this region in their tour of Botswana in order to fully appreciate the country’s diversity.
Okavango Delta
As the largest inland river delta on earth, Botswana’s Okavango Delta is surely one of the seven wonders of the natural world. The delta is formed as the seasonal flooding of the Okavango River, flowing from the Angola highlands, empties into the Kalahari Desert basin. The flood waters cover an area of over 35,000 square kilometers and rise and fall as the intense heat of the region cause rapid evaporation only to have the delta resupplied by newly arriving flood waters. Landlocked and surrounded by higher altitudes, Botswana is a dry country, so the Okavango Delta truly is an oasis. However, contrary to what the foliage might indicate, this is not a tropical paradise. Rainfall is sparse most of the year and temperatures soar to about 40C during the summer. However, the winter floods (that peak from June to August) are sufficient to make permanent large swathes of lakes, channels, and lagoons. Not surprisingly, this oasis attracts some of the world’s highest concentrations of wildlife, including all the quintessential African mammals from lion to elephant to hippo to giraffe to rhino to zebra. The delta is also the permanent or seasonal home of hundreds of bird species as well. This diversity and concentration of wildlife make the Okavango Delta an absolute must-see for any serious African visitor!