Aug 31 – Camp Okavango, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Some pretty clouds at sunrise.  Not colorful but pretty.

This morning was another walking safari.  But they had to take a boat our to where they would be walking.  Paul dropped his glasses into the water right at the boat launch.  The guides went fishing for them.  And got them.

Some photos of the walking safari.

 The highlight of the day was an afternoon helicopter ride over the delta.  

The delta looks so different from above.  While on boat safaris from the camp everything looks green and wet.  From the air there is a lot of green and wet but also a lot of brown and dry.  There are islands throughout the delta area as the water is somewhat low.  They didn’t get the usual big flood in the spring as the rains in the mountains of Angola weren’t as great as usual.

It was easy to make out many of the animal trails...particularly in the drier areas. 

We were low enough that we could see many of the larger animals. 

Some of the islands had termite mounds in the center.  When the rains come these mounds slow the water flow which means many of the sediments settle out, building the island bigger and bigger.  Such an interesting place. 

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More Okavango Delta from Above
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In the evening we had another boat safari.  

Some picturesque papyrus along the waterways. 

We saw a lot of these yellow flowering plants along the canals.

And the water hibiscus was blooming.

Sunset over the reeds was very colorful this evening.

In the evening some of the staff gave us a nice concert before we all headed in for dinner.