Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
reedbucks, gemsboks, roans and the rare oribi antelopes. Although Nogatsaa/Tchinga
lacks a permanent source of water, the pans (sometimes called 'dams') present in the area
store water for months after the rains have stopped.
The clay around this region is popularly known as 'black cotton', and it often defeats
even the most rugged of 4WD vehicles. If you're planning on exploring the area in detail,
it's best to first seek local advice, especially during the rainy season.
Savuti
Savuti, in the southwestern corner of Chobe National Park, is one of Africa's great safari
destinations, its flat, wildlife-packed expanses awash with distinctly African colours and
vistas. With the exception of rhinos, you'll find all of Africa's most charismatic mega-
fauna in residence here or passing through, and the return of waters to the Savuti Channel
has only added to this area's considerable appeal.
The area contains the remnants of the 'superlake' that once stretched across northern
Botswana, although the modern landscape has a distinctive harsh and empty feel to it. Be-
cause of the roughness of the terrain and the difficulty in reaching the area, Savuti is an
obligatory stop for all 4WD enthusiasts en route between Kasane and Maun. Although
home to its share of elite lodges, there is also an excellent campsite for self-drivers.
THE SAVUTI CHANNEL
Northern Botswana contains a bounty of odd hydrographic phenomena. For instance, the Selinda Spillway passes
water back and forth between the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Marshes. Just as odd, when the Zambezi River is
particularly high, the Chobe River goes ahead and reverses the direction of its flow, causing it to spill into the area
around Lake Liambezi. Historically, there was also a channel between the Khwai River system in the Okavango
Delta and the Savuti Marshes.
But the strangest phenomenon of all is probably the Savuti Channel, which links the Savuti Marshes with the
Linyanti Marshes and - via the Selinda Spillway - the Okavango Delta. Most confounding is the seeming com-
plete lack of rhyme or reason to the flow of the channel. At times, it will stop flowing for years at a stretch (eg
from 1888 to 1957, 1966 to 1967 and 1982 until 2008). When flowing, the channel changes the entire ecosystem,
creating an oasis that provides water for thirsty wildlife herds and acts as a magnet for a profusion of water birds.
Between flows, the end of the channel recedes from the marshes back towards the Chobe River, while at other
times the Savuti Marshes flood and expand; as a result, many of the trails shown on many maps were impassable
at the time of research. What's more, the flow of the channel appears to be unrelated to the water level of the
