Okavango Panhandle Safaris
Botswana Safaris in the Okavango Panhandle
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Okavango Panhandle - Safaris in Botswana
The Okavango Panhandle is the beginning of the Okavango Delta. For most of the way, the water flows through the Panhandle along a single meandering channel surrounded by a braod area of marshes with papyrus and reeds being the dominant vegetation. Each year about 11 billion cubic meters of water flow through the Panhandle, its slowish flow reaching its peak level between February and March, many months after this water originated as rain in the Angolan highlands to the north.
The safari lodges along the Panhandle, most of which are accessible from the tarred road along the western edge of the Panhandle and Delta, cater mainly to fishing and birding enthusiasts. The boating is superb and trips to the nearby Tsodilo Hills are very popular.
Wildlife in the Panhandle is much declined due to the human presence. Aquatic animals such as crocodile and hippo are still found here in good numbers, but the antelope species consist only of the more elusive species, such as the swamp-dwelling sitatunga.
The
Tsodilo Hills
Forty kilometres west of the Panhandle lies the rocky outcrop known as the Tsodilo Hills. The hills rise 400 metres above the dry Kalahari landscape are they are renowned for their beautiful rock drawings portraying ancient hunters and animals and numbering over 3,500 in multiple galleries. Laurens van der Post described them as a 'Louvre in the desert' in his book, The Lost World of the Kalahari. The artists of these rock paintings are unknown, although it is assumed that they were of Bushman origin. The paintings are a reminder of the wealth of wildlife that this area once sustained; however today, the area is virtually devoid of wildlife.
Conservation and Tourism in Botswana
Northern Botswana is divided into parcels of land commonly referred to as concessions. Those in the Ngamiland District are identified by codes beginning with 'NG' and numbered NG1 to NG51 (not all shown on this map). Read more...
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