LINYANTI WILDLIFE RESERVE
|
LOCATION
The Linyanti Wildlife Reserve consists of 125,000 hectares of pristine wildlife area. The reserve is bordered by the Linyanti River in the north and the Chobe National Park in the east. Across the Linyanti River northwards lies Namibia's Caprivi strip. Two thirds of the Savuti channel is situated within the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve.
This area is very different from the Okavango Delta and should be included in every Botswana safari itinerary so that travellers have a more complete and varied experience of Botswana's different wildlife areas. The Linyanti is enormous and in one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Botswana. The region is one of the least visited and most pristine corners of Botswana and the concession owners intend to keep it this way. The Linyanti region is shared between a very small number of private camps, ensuring that guests are able to view the abundant wildlife privately and exclusively.
A WORLD RENOWNED WILDLIFE AREA
The Linyanti region in the dry season (June through October) see much of Chobe's wildlife, and huge concentrations of migratory species such as Zebra and Elephant can be seen. The Linyanti area is also renowned for its predators, particularly lions and hyenas. The Linyanti has a wonderful diversity of habitat that makes it a haven for wildlife. There are open grasslands and waterholes along the Savuti channel and along the Linyanti river. Inland are spectacular mature woodlands - towering mopane and leadwood forests which is where one will find the massive herds of elephant in the winter months.
The Linyanti's waters weave and meander as they make their way eastward towards Chobe and along its way form a myriad of pools and lagoons which are favored by Hippos, Crocodiles and incredible birdlife. These pools also attract game from the dry lands to the east, for out of the rainy season they hold the first permanent waters to be found. In the early evening several breeding herds of Elephant usually gather around the pools along the Linyanti to enjoy a drink and to wallow and frolic in the mudholes.
There are also large concentrations of Buffalo and the antelopes such as Red Lechwe, Tsessebe, Impala and Kudu to be found in the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve. The less seen species such as Sable Antelope and Roan Antelope are also regularly encountered in this area. The Linyanti also has high concentrations of Giraffe, which love to feed on the abundant acacia trees along the floodplains, while Cheetahs find the open areas of the Savuti channel perfect for running down their prey.
THE SAVUTI CHANNEL
The Savuti channel is a now dry 'waterway' that connects the Linyanti River with the interior of the Chobe National Park, ending at the Savuti marsh. The Savuti has only ever flowed intermittently; it last flowed from 1967 to 1981, but since then it and the associated marsh have been dry, a phenomenon that has occurred on and off over the centuries. Today the Savuti Channel is an open grassland and is home to numerous animals including large herds of Zebra, Impala and Wildebeests, as well as abundant predators such as Lion, Cheetah and Wild Dog.
The Selinda Spillway
The Selinda Spillway is a shallow channel connecting the Panhandle region of the Okavango Delta with the Chobe River system. The Spillway flows only in years of high waters and contrary to popular belief, the spillway flows only in one direction, from the Okavango to the Chobe.
|
 |
|
|
