Zambia's Okavango Can't Find The Ocean
- Date: 2008-07-12 - Word Count: 286
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The Okavango River never reaches the ocean, instead it spreads out over the Kalahari in an astounding maze of waterways, separating the vast landscape into a patchwork of islands, crystal clear lagoons and meandering channels.
One of Africa's most precious natural resources, the water of the delta is a magnet for wildlife including elephant, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, hippo and crocs! Not that the presence of predators seemed to worry our local guides who steered us through this reedy maze in traditional wooden mokoros.
As our guide poled his way through the dense papyrus reads further and further into the delta, the incredible scenery and birdlife kept us utterly enthralled. Hours later it occurred to me, "How does he know where he's going?"
Our guides must have some kind of built-in natural satellite navigation, because as the water lilies began to close for the night our group suddenly arrived at one of the delta's many islands to set up camp. After a brief inspection to make sure hippos had not checked-in before us, we pitched our tents and after another delicious meal drifted off to the sounds of the African wilderness.
Early morning is one of the best times to see the delta. As the sun rose we were back in our mokoros making our way to a nearby island, to then head off on foot in search of wildlife. After a few minutes our guide's pace slowed and all of a sudden we found ourselves face to face with a family of giraffe!
This was an absolutely fantastic encounter that I will never forget, and it's just one of the many reasons why my Okavango adventure is still one of my all time favorite travel experiences!
One of Africa's most precious natural resources, the water of the delta is a magnet for wildlife including elephant, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, hippo and crocs! Not that the presence of predators seemed to worry our local guides who steered us through this reedy maze in traditional wooden mokoros.
As our guide poled his way through the dense papyrus reads further and further into the delta, the incredible scenery and birdlife kept us utterly enthralled. Hours later it occurred to me, "How does he know where he's going?"
Our guides must have some kind of built-in natural satellite navigation, because as the water lilies began to close for the night our group suddenly arrived at one of the delta's many islands to set up camp. After a brief inspection to make sure hippos had not checked-in before us, we pitched our tents and after another delicious meal drifted off to the sounds of the African wilderness.
Early morning is one of the best times to see the delta. As the sun rose we were back in our mokoros making our way to a nearby island, to then head off on foot in search of wildlife. After a few minutes our guide's pace slowed and all of a sudden we found ourselves face to face with a family of giraffe!
This was an absolutely fantastic encounter that I will never forget, and it's just one of the many reasons why my Okavango adventure is still one of my all time favorite travel experiences!
Related Tags: adventure travel, ecotourism, travel africa, africa vacation, intrepid travel, ecotravel, travel zambia, tour zambia, zambia travel
Intrepid Travel is one of the world's leading small group adventure tour operators, with 19 years experience.Adventures are focused on having real life experiences. Intrepid offers over 450 itineraries to more than 90 countries worldwide in various travel styles. Intrepid is also known for its environmental program and its responsible travel efforts to preserve local cultures.For more information see:intrepidtravel.com/destinations/Zambia/articledashboard Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
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