Photo Album: Morkoro (canoe) Safari
Note: Click on any photo for a better view, tap "ESC" key to return.
Links for previous posts are on the left. Expand the month tags to see posts for that month.
The Okavanga Delta is a huge swamp, an inland delta fed by the Okavango River from the highlands of Angola through north eastern Namibia into northwestern Botswana, spreading palm like, over a huge expanse of land, 250Km in distance.
There are many private and public camps distributed in the delta, for visitors to explore and observe the abundance of flora and fauna. One of the most popular ways, is to take a Mokoro, a native canoe, carved out of a single, straight tree trunk.
Early in the morning, we were transported from our camping lodge by motor boats to the village where the Mokoros are launched.
The boat sped through some wide channels of the marshes, creating a spectacle of waves and swirls, not to mention the wind chill effects for a winter morning.
There are many private and public camps distributed in the delta, for visitors to explore and observe the abundance of flora and fauna. One of the most popular ways, is to take a Mokoro, a native canoe, carved out of a single, straight tree trunk.
Early in the morning, we were transported from our camping lodge by motor boats to the village where the Mokoros are launched.
The boat sped through some wide channels of the marshes, creating a spectacle of waves and swirls, not to mention the wind chill effects for a winter morning.
We reached the village of Boro, where 30 -50 eager wannabe Morkoro explorers were gathered, awaiting an assignment of a Mokoro. I and two sisters, both are medical students from Germany, were assigned to go with young Jamy, our poler, we were the last group to go, as we were in the self-catering group, being too late in booking. As I am not particularly interested in BBQ meat anyway, I was quite happy just to go on tinned food for a night.
The Mokoro we were on, was slightly leaky, other than a little annoyed, I was not too anxious, as all my electronic gears are in a water resistant packing inside a water resistant bag. All fingers were crossed at this stage !!
Jamy the poler, stood at the stern, moving us through the shallow water, by pushing a long pole against the bottom. We were navigating through some narrow channels of reeds.
The water was quite clear, but brown in colour, most likely tainted by the tannin of the reeds.
We seemed to be the orphan of the day, soon, we were the only boat heading towards Jamy's secret patch, a little island.
Whilst we were busy setting up our tent etc., Jamy was busy collecting firewood and setting up the "facility" for us somewhere inside the bushes.
Soon we went on for a short walk on the little island we were on, straight away, we saw signs of elephants....and something else
However, midday is not a good time to track down wild lives in the heat, so after lunch, we went for a swim and practiced our skills in pushing Mokoro.
We were also assured that despite there are crocodiles in some of the deep waters, they do not like clear and shallow waters !! A bit late to find out, I thought.
By mid afternoon, we were on our way to explore and shoot animals with our electronic lens...
We spent quite a bit of time observing a family of hippos in a small open area, whilst we were hiding in the reed.....hippos can topple Mokoro, I figure.
From a distance, in a boat and through the reeds, that's the best picture I could have for the head of the family.
They were making loud nasal noises every so often, wonder if that was just our presence, however inconspicuous, stressing them a little..
Later, we enjoyed a glorious sunset as we navigated our way to to camp.
The Mokoro we were on, was slightly leaky, other than a little annoyed, I was not too anxious, as all my electronic gears are in a water resistant packing inside a water resistant bag. All fingers were crossed at this stage !!
Jamy the poler, stood at the stern, moving us through the shallow water, by pushing a long pole against the bottom. We were navigating through some narrow channels of reeds.
The water was quite clear, but brown in colour, most likely tainted by the tannin of the reeds.
We seemed to be the orphan of the day, soon, we were the only boat heading towards Jamy's secret patch, a little island.
Whilst we were busy setting up our tent etc., Jamy was busy collecting firewood and setting up the "facility" for us somewhere inside the bushes.
Soon we went on for a short walk on the little island we were on, straight away, we saw signs of elephants....and something else
We were also assured that despite there are crocodiles in some of the deep waters, they do not like clear and shallow waters !! A bit late to find out, I thought.
By mid afternoon, we were on our way to explore and shoot animals with our electronic lens...
From a distance, in a boat and through the reeds, that's the best picture I could have for the head of the family.
They were making loud nasal noises every so often, wonder if that was just our presence, however inconspicuous, stressing them a little..
I didn't think he would look upon us as being friendly if we were coming too close.
Later, we enjoyed a glorious sunset as we navigated our way to to camp.
Promptly, Jamy had the camp fire running to drive away the chill.
After a simple dinner, we were preparing for a quiet night with some fireside chit chats....just as Jamy was talking about his love life etc., first it was partying sounds from another island, then not far from us, another camp was having a party as well...Wow, its time to join them. We were led through the bushes in the dark by Jamy, there they were, this large group was enjoying an impromptu African singing and dancing party..
What a night....totally enjoyable, fantastic and unexpected.
I refused to let Jamy sleep in the open, as he had no tent, nor any sleeping bags save a tooth brush, he left the village in a hurry as they ran out of polers. No wonder we were the last to leave! So we shared my tent, and I gave him the blanket I bought in South Africa a few days ago. Fortunately, he was not a snorer.
But the night was not all quiet, there was a regular chorus of frogs, generally started by a single one, then all others joined in....then it all at a sudden, stopped for a few minutes....and started again. Somehow, I felt asleep without being bothered. And from afar, the roar of hippos can be heard from time to time.
And morning came...
From near and far, slowly, we can see Morokos were moving in all directions.
Jamy led us, with another family, for a walkabout through a large island, and tested our skills of long distance shooting....
And these elephants were busy going about their business. However, it was quite sure that they were aware of our presence, and were keeping a guarding glance.
And the beautiful and small Lilac Breasted Roller just landed,
And Jamy too...
Sadly, all good expeditions must come to an end. We returned to Boro in the late afternoon, and Jamy showed us his village and house.
Kids were gathering around us for a photo, and giggled seeing themselves on the screen, probably waiting for a lolly or two.
And then it was another speed boat ride back to the lodge, with occasional stops to observe wild lives,
Next Post : Okavango Delta from the air
What a night....totally enjoyable, fantastic and unexpected.
I refused to let Jamy sleep in the open, as he had no tent, nor any sleeping bags save a tooth brush, he left the village in a hurry as they ran out of polers. No wonder we were the last to leave! So we shared my tent, and I gave him the blanket I bought in South Africa a few days ago. Fortunately, he was not a snorer.
But the night was not all quiet, there was a regular chorus of frogs, generally started by a single one, then all others joined in....then it all at a sudden, stopped for a few minutes....and started again. Somehow, I felt asleep without being bothered. And from afar, the roar of hippos can be heard from time to time.
And morning came...
From near and far, slowly, we can see Morokos were moving in all directions.
Jamy led us, with another family, for a walkabout through a large island, and tested our skills of long distance shooting....
And these elephants were busy going about their business. However, it was quite sure that they were aware of our presence, and were keeping a guarding glance.
And the beautiful and small Lilac Breasted Roller just landed,
And Jamy too...
Sadly, all good expeditions must come to an end. We returned to Boro in the late afternoon, and Jamy showed us his village and house.
Kids were gathering around us for a photo, and giggled seeing themselves on the screen, probably waiting for a lolly or two.
And then it was another speed boat ride back to the lodge, with occasional stops to observe wild lives,
Here, a tiny and agile lilac breasted roller staring us from afar.....
The two day Mokoro Safari covered about 15 Km of the southern edges of the Okavango Delta, standing in store tomorrow, is a scenic flight over the southeastern part of the delta, I was really looking forward to seeing it from high up.
Next Post : Okavango Delta from the air
thank you for sharing best information with us i reffered this to my friends And i am providing tourism African Safaris
ReplyDelete