MoKoRo Okavango

How unique is the Okavango, a huge delta of water flowing down from the hills of Angola and eventually disappearing into the sands of the Kalahari desert? A UNESCO world heritage site, it is one of the Seven Wonders of Africa; a place like no other, a garden of eden and one of my favorite places on earth. I was there with a photographic group, all passionate people enjoying the chance to be in such an amazing place. This particular morning was to be special.. we were up very early to go out into the delta in a MoKoRo, a local canoe, traditionally made of a hollowed out tree trunk but these days made out of fiberglass. After an hours drive we arrived at our destination and set off in our canoes. The water was shallow and we were punted around by a ranger. One or two per boat.

Being so low in the water gave us a wonderful angel for photographing wildlife.

One of the things we were looking for were the famous frogs. I was expecting something normal sized but no… they were tiny and really hard to spot.

Here is one of the little guys. It is called a Painted Frog and is VERY noisy.

The quiet of the canoe, the beautiful scenery, the amazing wildlife, the wonderful light… what more could you want as a photographer?

From left to right: A flock of Spur-winged Geese on the move, A Great White Egret in amongst the weeds and a Pied Kingfisher hunting overhead.

The Morning Lilies were just opening to add splashes of colour to the scene.

Monet anyone?

We could see some Red Lechwe in amongst the reeds to the right of us. They are endemic to Botswana and perfectly adapted to their water wonderland.

And in the Paypyrus a jewel of the tiny Malachite Kingfisher on the lookout for a meal. A Great White Egret takes flight and gives us a fly by. Heaven were in heaven.

Notice that the morning lilies were not open as we set out.