Botswana's best known attraction, the Okavango Delta rests between shallow fault lines at the end of the Great African Rift Valley. Fed by the catchment area in the tropical highlands of Angola, the Okavango River broadens into a fan shape shortly after entering Botswana, forming an evergreen oasis of wetlands in the midst of the Kalahari called the Okavango Delta. These waters have created a sanctuary for animal and plant life to thrive where they normally could not exist.
The annual flood
This annual flood arrives in the Okavango Panhandle in the middle of the dry season, usually sometime between the end of January and February and slowly filters down to the southernmost part of the delta to reach Maun by June or July. This slow creeping front of water is filtered by the vegetation and eventually spreads a thin veil of crystal clear water over almost 6000 miles of countryside creating a maze of channels, islands and open water lagoons.
The south side of the Delta is seasonal swamp so the amount of water you will see will depend on the time of year you visit, the amount of rain experienced in the catchment area as well as the progress of the annual floods.