Okavango is a river that goes nowhere. Okavango - a river that goes nowhere

River A river is a watercourse of considerable size, flowing in a natural channel and collecting water from the surface and underground runoff of its catchment basin. The river starts from the source and is further divided into three sections: the upper, middle and lower reaches,

Drying seasonal rivers in Africa or in deserts on other continents you will not surprise anyone, but here is a special case. In all respects, Okavango is not a oud, but a normal river, which does not even think to dry out in the dry season. She briskly rushes along a narrow, rapids channel with savannah-covered shores of the Angolan Plateau Bie down in a southeast direction; overcomes the cascade of Popa waterfalls in front of the border with Botswana, the waterfalls blocking its channel in its entire width, which is 1.2 km in this place. Only on the plateau does the river acquire a flat character.
With a decrease in the slope, Okavango slows down and spreads in breadth, spreading through the labyrinths of branches, lagoons and lakes, which form the largest inland continental delta. Okavango has a solid annual flow at the mouth, about 10 thousand km 3 of water flows into the delta every year, but ... On this very giant delta, the river’s path usually ends. Okavango does not flow into a lake, nor into another river, nor into the sea, nor into the ocean. “Where does all this water go? Just some kind of mysticism! ” - exclaimed one of her researchers in the XIX century. In fact, where?
In floods, the southern arm of the delta feeds the fresh lake Ngami, the northern arm periodically, once every few years, gets to the Gwando River, a tributary, and then Okavango finds an outlet to the Indian Ocean for a short time. And the Botletle sleeve occasionally feeds the salt lake Tskau on the southern outskirts of the marshes, formed in the rainy season on the salt marshes of the Makgadikgadi drainage basin. But this is not more than 5% of all water falling into the delta.
Once Okavango was part of a large river system of the ancient Lake McGadikgadi, which supposedly had an area of \u200b\u200b80 thousand km 2 and a depth of 30 m, but gradually withered out about 10 thousand years ago.
The residual water bodies of the Okavango Delta are almost all that has been preserved from the huge lake. Now, in its hollow, in the dry season, huge lifeless salt marshes with cracked salt crust extend (very large reserves of potash), and in the rainy season two large salt lakes form in the depressions and life boils there: animals come, birds fly in, in some places the shores appear pink from thousands of flamingos. Rarely, once every 10-15 years, these swamp lakes in the rainy season connect to the Okavango swamp through one of the branches of the Botletle delta.
Recent studies have shown that of the total mass of water that falls annually into the shallow flat marshy Okavango Delta, about 60% absorb plants (thickets of papyrus and shrubs, algae, water lilies, lilies, etc.) and 36% evaporate from the water surface. Approximately 2% goes into the ground, and another 2% feed Lake Ngami during the full-flowing years. But this is not enough for the “blue heart” of the northern outskirts of the Kalahari desert, and Ngami dries out a little, gradually decreasing in size and turning from a fresh lake to a soda brine sump, with streaks of shallows and white shores.
And the Okavango delta, covering an area of \u200b\u200babout 15 thousand km 2, and after summer rains during the spill and all 22 thousand km 2, is not going to dry out and gives shelter to many birds and animals. In the northeastern part of the delta organized large reserve wildlife   Moremi (Botswana).
In the upper reaches of the Okavango (Kubango) river flows from the Bie Plateau to the plain - fast, narrow and rapids. Then it acquires a flat character and flows calmly, but in front of the border with Botswana, its channel across the entire width of 1.2 km is crossed by streams (in the dry season they protrude above the water), forming Popa waterfalls. After them, the river edge decreases by 4 m. In the lower reaches, the river gradually slows down as it approaches the northern edge of the Kalahari desert.
The shallow marshy and flat (elevation differences of less than 2 m) river delta, also known as the Okavango swamp, forms an oasis among the sands of Kalahari with a rich variety of flora and fauna. Here the path of the water flow usually ends.
On the map of the northwestern part of Botswana, the inner Okavango delta with its central marshy part and sleeves resembles an open palm, extended in the direction of Kalahari.
Okavango is the only permanent river in the vast Kalahari Plain, located between the Zambezi rivers and in South Africa. On maps, it is usually referred to as the “Kalahari Desert." But these places are not like the Sahara or the deserts of Arabia; compared to them it’s not even quite a desert. In summer, it rains heavily in Kalahari, from 250 mm in the south to 1000 mm in the north of rainfall per year. In addition to one permanent river, there are also temporary rivers and lakes (most of which, however, dry up in winter). In Kalahari, trees, shrubs and grasses grow, and in large numbers. Therefore, scientists will not agree in any way what is more correct to call it: “a deserted savannah”, “a green semi-desert” or, perhaps, “a steppe park landscape”. Sometimes its central sandy area is highlighted on maps as the “Kalahari Desert,” and its outskirts as the “Kalahari Basin.” And the vast green wetlands of the shallow flat Okavango Delta amid the sands of the northwestern sector of the Kalahari Desert are called the world's largest oasis. By its significance for the south-west of Africa, the Okavango is no less important than the Nile for the north-east. The life of all inhabitants of the environs directly depends on their waters.
Okavango swamps are teeming with all living creatures all year round. Here, in this giant green oasis, covered with reeds, shrubs, water lilies and algae, elephants, giraffes and antelopes, lions, leopards and hyenas and many others come to the watering place from far away. This is a paradise for waterfowl, hippos and all kinds of insects ...
Archaeological finds confirm that people in the lower reaches of the Okavango have continuously lived for 30 thousand years, but there have always been a few of them: perhaps just because of insects - carriers of malaria, sleeping sickness and other tropical ailments. Now mainly the peoples of the Bantu group live on the banks of the river, including those that gave the river the name kawango. Also here are the indigenous peoples of hunters and gatherers - the Bushmen (common name), who inhabited South Africa long before the Bantu migration. Tsodilo Hills to the west of the Okavango River Delta is the sacred site of the Bushmen and their ancestors, with this place they have many legends and the firm belief that the ancient gods still live in caves painted by their ancestors with thousands of rock paintings of the Stone Age.
Okavango in the upper, middle and lower reaches is divided among themselves by Angola, Namibia and Botswana. Moreover, they are dividing in the literal sense, seriously conflicting over precious river water resources in the arid area (these territories suffer from drought). Although directly along the banks of the river business activity   almost no water is being kept (thanks to which, incidentally, the river’s water is very clean), Angola and Namibia are trying to save the situation of existing farms: the first - through the construction of a dam, the second - due to the already constructed water discharge channel and the planned construction of the pipeline. In Botswana, there is a delta famous for its rich wildlife, ecotourism in the Moremi Reserve and the organization of safari make a big contribution to the state treasury, so the local government does not lose such an important source of income due to the threat of water shortages and, as a consequence, depletion of flora and fauna intends to. Therefore, now controversial issues on water consumption between neighboring countries are resolved by a special commission.

general information

Location: Southwest Africa, flows from the Bie Plateau in Angola to the southeast, ending with a vast swampy delta on the northern edge of the Kalahari Desert.

Way of food: mainly rain.

Basin: an area of \u200b\u200binternal flow that does not flow into any ocean.
Source height: 1780 m above sea level (Bie plateau).

Mouth: Okavango swamps (700-1000 m above sea level), in the past - Lake Makgadikgadi (dried up).

Other names: Kubango (in Angola).

Largest inflow: Quito (left).
It flows through the territory: the upper course in Angola, south of 400 km serves as a natural border between Angola and Namibia, then flows through the territory of Botswana.

Figures

Area of \u200b\u200bthe delta: about 15,000 km 2 (up to 22,000 km 2 in the rainy season) - the largest inland continental delta in the world.

Average water consumption: 475 m 3 / s.

Estuary mouth water discharge: 100-200 m 3 / s in the dry season (November), about 1000 m 3 / s in the rainy season (March and April).

Annual stock: about 10,000 km 3.

Solid runoff: about 2 million tons per year of solid precipitation (sand, etc.) and another 2 million tons per year of dissolved salts settling in the delta during evaporation of moisture.

Water level: drops 4 m after Popa Falls (in front of the border with Botswana).

Climate and weather

Hot and humid rainy season: December - March (humidity 50-80%, daytime up to 40 ° C, warm nights).

The most comfortable period: March - early June (afternoon at about 30 ° C, cool nights).
Dry and cold season: June - August (warm in the afternoon, at night the temperature can drop to 0 ° C).

Dry and hot season: September - November.

Economy

Agriculture: subsistence farming, hunting and gathering; livestock on dry areas on the outskirts of the delta.

Fishing.
Services: tourism (safari and ecotourism).

sights

Curious facts

The Okavango Delta is referred to only as a wonder of the world and an oasis among the undeveloped corners of the African mainland. The delta of this river is a truly unique natural formation. Okavango flows through the northwestern areas of Botswana, and the indigenous people have long called it the river that "can never find its ocean."

Okavango flows through Africa, then breaks up into sleeves, and then completely disappears in the hot sands of Kalahari (hence the curious name). Due to the rather slow flow of water, the largest inland delta is formed, which consists of a large number   canals and swamps.

The Okavango Delta has long been a haven for various species of animals and plants. In a word, the entire territory of the river is a colossal natural zoo reserve.

In the upper delta, reed beds and open areas shelter a considerable number of different birds, including a number of very rare ones. Ornithologists count over 400 species there. An African kite-fisherman, a bee-eater, an emerald kingfisher, and a fish owl live in this area.

The lower reaches are the place of floodplain meadows and prickly thickets of acacia. And accordingly, there, like a magnet, it attracts nomadic steppe animals - buffaloes, zebras, antelopes and elephants. Of course, there are predators - prides of lions, hyenas, as well as leopards. In addition, the river delta serves as a home for a fairly large population of hippos. What can I say, for them here are ideal conditions.

The Okavango Delta is recognized by travelers as one of the most popular tourist destinations. On occasion, you can stay in a comfortable lodge hotel. And after that, go on a safari. It is worth noting that as one of the popular services there are also elephant safaris.

Wayward Okavango River. It would seem that starting just three hundred kilometers from Atlantic ocean, there she would have to rush her waters. But no, Okavango turned away from him, as if drawing her to herself another ocean, the Indian, - there, in thousands of kilometers in the southeast. But the river cannot reach it: the greedy sands of Kalahari drain it all, without a trace. However, before sacrificing itself to the fire-breathing desert, Okavango spreads widely, forming the largest inland continent delta in the world.

A bit of geography

The Okavango Delta stretches over twenty thousand square kilometers, giving shelter to fish, birds and predators, and, last but not least, to humans. It is difficult for a person to wade through dense thickets of papyrus covering unsteady swamps. Vast expanses of the delta remain - its many islands and islets. Many of them owe their existence to hardworking termites: it is in dry time that they build high termite mounds and loosen the soil, into which the roots of the plant are then taken.

The face of the delta is constantly changing - every year and season. And the reason for this is the river itself and its original inhabitants. Termites build islands, and hippos lay channels to the islands - the places of new pastures. Along these channels, through reeds, rare visitors make their way to those deaf places. The only means of transportation are indigenous pies hollowed out of tree trunks - “wet”. Thanks to the narrow, elongated body, they can move among the thickets of papyrus, however, if the thickets are not too thick.

What is surprising is the ease with which other species of flora and fauna adapted to life in the delta (as I witnessed) and in the arid, almost anhydrous conditions of central Kalahari.

When they talk about Kalahari, the phrase “dead desert” usually arises. Desert - yes, but dead - no. There is water and, accordingly, life. That's right: water is hidden under the most powerful sand cover in the world, stretching for a distance equal to the space between the Urals and Poland. No matter what tricks the plants resort to, to get to the precious moisture and prevent it from going even deeper. The densely entwined root system of herbs traps rainwater. The roots of some acacia go to a depth of 30 meters. Large root vegetables manage to accumulate in themselves up to 10 liters of water. These tubers are not hidden very deeply, and, for example, springbok antelopes, tearing them out of the ground and eating, perfectly quench their thirst, even away from water bodies. Similarly, predators: they receive water from the body of their victims.

Another source of life-giving moisture in this region is rain. But he does not often endow the desert.
Two seasons are typical for Kalahari - dry and rainy times, although in the usual sense they cannot be called seasons. The dry period lasts from May to October; rainy - from November to April. However, the word "rainy" is quite possible to quote, since it rains almost no time at this time. And if the drought lasts several years in a row, then both animals and people are in poverty. But as life-giving moisture rush from heaven - a significant part of the Kalahari is transformed. Grasses appear on vast expanses, dried-up lakes are filled with water, attracting dissonant flocks of birds; animals spread over many thousands of square kilometers. It is not without reason that in Botswana both the monetary unit and the greeting use the same word: “pula”, which means “rain”.

However, what happens in the delta is partly independent of local atmospheric conditions. Okavango originates in Angola and flows hundreds of kilometers through mountainous terrain. In the mountains of Angola, during the monsoon period, which is usual for those subequatorial latitudes, a lot of moisture accumulates, and Okavango regularly carries it to the delta - after one and a half thousand kilometers.

Due to the flat nature of the terrain and the width of the delta, the river flows slowly - at a speed of up to one kilometer per day, so it also spills slowly. And new water needs almost five months to cover the distance from the upper delta to its lower, where it gradually goes into the sand. Leaves - but not quite. Okavango, as if not wanting to give up, gathers himself with the last effort - and flows with a tiny stream further through Kalahari, though under a different name - Botletle. Thus, the rainwater that feeds the Okavango in the mountains of Angola reaches the lower reaches of the delta in about six months - just in the midst of the dry season in Botswana. And the water in the delta is crystal clear: it slowly flows through papyrus and reed beds - a kind of "filter", and therefore is suitable for drinking.

Maung

Almost in the heart of the delta is the town of Maung. Once upon a time there was a small village huddled in its place, and this could not but affect the colorful appearance of the city. Near the tall modern building of the telecommunication center, characteristic African huts, the so-called "rondavels," nest here. Powerful diesel plants rumble on the embankment, where, according to the stories, crocodiles are sometimes chosen to devour negligent onlookers - several people a year. On the streets among passers-by dressed in ordinary summer clothes, one can often see herero in wide skirts, which are more suitable for ballroom dancing than for walking on the sands of Maung. Herero tribe once adopted this German fashion from German missionaries and are now unusually proud of their dress.

But what the inhabitants of the town are united in is their cordiality. Here everyone is welcoming - both black and white. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Botswana managed to avoid the worst forms of British colonialism and apartheid, carried out at the end of the last century by Cecil Rhodes in other countries in southern Africa. People of different colors here really live in friendship. I myself was convinced of this when I attended a meeting that took place in Maung. The members of the meeting examined questions about the rights to hunt and use the water of Lake Ngami, located south of the Okavango Delta.

The fact is that the banks of Ngami are the true kingdom of animals ... when, of course, there is water in the lake. In a drought, Ngami dries to the bottom.

Now life was in full swing there. However, despite the abundance of living creatures, hunting should be according to the rules. It is clear that hunting for local residents is an important source of food. But even for them it was necessary to establish restrictions - it is impossible to destroy animals indiscriminately! Not to mention foreigners: maybe they are forbidden to hunt at all? However, from an economic point of view, this would be unreasonable, since the visiting white hunters are prosperous people and for a trophy - for example, a zebra - they are ready to put out ten times, or even a hundred more than they are able to pay for the right to hunt that the zebra is a local resident ...
And where and how much water can be diverted so as not to upset the ecological balance in the Okavango Delta? ..

In general, the meeting lasted several hours. In the hall and the podium were both white and black; the white woman presided - she is a translator. It was clear that english   understandable to everyone, but some speakers spoke their native tswana, and then the word passed to the presiding translator. From the speeches, it was also obvious that whites were citizens of the Republic of Botswana. As far as I managed to find out, in Botswana no one and nothing can force whites to accept citizenship - neither the government nor the circumstances. Moving here from other countries, they completely voluntarily become citizens of the “Negro” state, which is not at all characteristic of whites in other African countries.

Honestly, I was not so much interested in the issues under discussion, in fact, I, a stranger, were incomprehensible as the people themselves - the expression of their faces, temperament ... The opinions of both white and black were treated with equal attention and respect. Of course, there were disagreements, but for all the time spent in the hall, I did not hear a single sharp attack - no one even raised his voice. In general, I left the meeting with a heartfelt feeling ...

Sitatunga and others

And the next morning, a small plane brought me and three of my companions from Maung to a campground, spread out over the blue waters of a creek bordered by thickets of papyrus. The camp was equipped with everything necessary - in short, complete comfort. True, occasionally he was disturbed by the tedious buzzing of tsetse flies. But here no one panics from them. These inconspicuous-looking dipterans sting quite painfully, but only one out of a thousand flies is a carrier of sleeping sickness. In addition, thanks to spraying, which is carried out under the supervision of the caretakers national park, tsetse abundance in the delta last years decreased significantly. So on the first night, driving a couple of annoying insects out of the tent, I enjoyed a peaceful sleep.

In the morning, pushing back the tent, I saw a whitish veil of fog, chest-high, is another climatic feature of the delta.
Plunging into the pie, we set off. The Mokoro, skillfully controlled by Manila, my guide, glided along clear water, then through the reed - and almost every., ten meters in front of us opened up new landscapes. Water lilies, blooming after a night's sleep, set their tender petals in the morning light. The foggy veil gradually dispersed - visibility gradually improved.

Something floundered in the thickets of the papyrus: it seems that we scared away some large animal.
“Sitatunga,” Manipa said, as if I understood what it was about.
- Such a big animal, how can it run straight through the thickets, and even through the water: is it not small here? I asked the guide.
“Not by water,” Manipa said. - This antelope stomps right on the papyrus ... of course, relatively thick. Stepping on unsteady places, she widely arranges elongated hooves. The sitatungs even take cubs on papyrus islets - there predators cannot reach them.
“I never heard of such an antelope,” I muttered in surprise.
- We are located in the reserve - only here they can also be seen. And in other places they are rare. Maybe that's why few people know about them.
“Sorry, I didn’t see her well.” And what are their sizes?
- Now it’s generally forbidden to hunt a sitatung, but before, my father sometimes brought them home and sold meat. Some weighed more than eighty kilograms.
“Eighty kilos, and like water on dry land.”
- I'm sorry, what? - did not understand Manipa.
- Nothing, - I say, - I am so ...

Sometimes, in order to shorten the path, Manipa sent our sharp-nosed "wet" through the thickets to an island. On the islands, the grass was already yellow, although in places it was still tall. This attracted the fast impala antelopes, and from afar they looked sternly at us at the large gloomy wildebeest, called the "vildebist" - a word borrowed from the Dutch language, which means "wild beast."
Having approached the shore, we entered the grove, and then larger herbivores appeared.

The terrain resembled the usual african savannah: bushes and trees gave way to the steppe, then again a grove. Trees attract animals: in the open space they are visible as in the palm of your hand. The first ones we saw in the grove were black, or African, buffalos. African buffalo is very different from its Asian counterpart ferocity and unpredictability. He is in the habit of attacking suddenly, due to his shortsightedness. Poorly seeing what his "probable" opponent is doing, a buffalo rushes at him for no reason at all, following the principle of "attack is the best defense." Whether it’s true or not, “black” is definitely more dangerous than a lion, which is usually indifferent to people.

A herd of buffaloes stomped away in the distance, but less than a hundred meters from us a large male appeared and, seeing us, froze in anticipation. Manipa did not like it.
“Come on and we will stop, we won’t tease him,” he whispered. - Who knows what's on his mind.
For a minute that seemed unusually long, we stood motionless, playing "peepers" with a buffalo staring at us.
“You know, you better climb a tree.” - The conductor pointed to a tree standing nearby, on which there would be enough space for only one.
- And how are you?
- Nothing, I'll be here to guard you down.

Without asking what he meant by the word “guard,” I obeyed the order and somehow settled down in the place where the tree trunk was bifurcated. Then I just remembered about the camera ... But the next moment the picture changed: two "ladies" appeared on the scene, which our gallant gentleman, apparently, considered it his duty to protect. Paying no more attention to us, he disappeared into the bushes with them.

- Come on, get down from the tree and sit in the "wet". Now we’ll go to the island of Chif - you will see elephants, and lions, and maybe hyenas.
We skirted Chif on the west side along the narrow channel that divided this neighboring island. Suddenly, loud splashes and squelching were heard ahead, some kind of fuss began.
“This is an elephant,” Manip assured me. - And maybe not one. Let's stop and take a look ...

Returning from intelligence, somewhat embarrassed Manipa reported that the big elephant had laid down to rest on the bank of the canal and even blocked it a little. So it’s hard to say when he deigns to free us the way.
And then he added:
- Although it’s generally possible to go there. But if we suddenly appear so close to him, the elephant may be frightened, and then only chips will remain from the “wet”, and from us - a wet place.
- Well, let's go back the other way, there are many different channels ...
- Weight is not so simple. To the right of this nameless island, an impenetrable papyrus cork will block our way. Bending around the Chief from the east is too far. We won’t have time to camp before dark. And the sun sets at six. Can you imagine what it would be like to be in this maze in pitch darkness? Then they will not stroke me over such a head.
“What if you frighten away an elephant from a distance?” I suggested. “Maybe he will rise and leave?”
“So he will not pay any attention to us,” Manipa reasonably remarked. - And let's get close - we can run into ...
- Here you go! What to do?
- There is only one thing left - to eat. Such a brilliantly simple answer puzzled me a little.
- Have a bite? So we already had breakfast ...
“So you have to have lunch.” Manipa was young, strong, and without batting an eye he could grind at the same time breakfast, lunch and dinner. With the dexterity of a real waiter, he quickly set up folding chairs, a table and laid out all the food. Opening a thermos with tea, I suddenly stopped and asked:
“But what if this thug comes to us for a cup of tea without an invitation?” This is not a buffalo to you. For example, he will break this tree like a match, if we climb on it.
“Of course it will,” Manipa impassively agreed. “But why on earth would he break it?”
- Why, elephants break trees all the time!
- They break it down to get to the branches they eat. Elephants just do not attack humans, just in case of a clear threat. True, there are exceptions - single elephants. Among them come true monsters. They basically attack. But this rarely happens. So pour tea and do not be afraid - the elephant will not encroach on it.

Having finished the meal, we, like clean housekeepers, went down to the duct to wash the dishes. Either our noise disturbed the giant, or something else, only he suddenly rose. Manipa told me to lie in the "wet", and he hid behind the boat. And we began to wait, what will happen next. To our relief, the elephant crossed the channel and began to climb the steep coast of the island of Chif. There he stopped, turned his back on us ... and did not notice how we quietly slipped past.

The biggest lions

Manila felt indebted to me, promising to show me a lion and a hyena during our walks, but, alas, nothing came of it: we still didn’t come across hyenas, and I only saw the lion halfway. The other half — the head and front of the body — was behind the bushes, and I could only guess that it was a male.

“Like a male,” Manip assured me. “Just look at his paws.” We have the largest lions in Africa in Botswana. In packs they attack buffaloes and even young elephants. And they retreat only in front of one enemy - the hyenas.
- Hyenas? - I was surprised. “But lions are incomparably stronger and bigger.”
“Yes, they never fight one on one - hyenas run away cowardly.” But when the hyenas gather in a huge flock - another question is who is who. It happens that lions shamefully take flight ...

In the end, we were lucky: during the next trip to the island of Chif, we clearly saw a lioness eating a wildebeest.
“Now there are much more wildebeests in Botswana,” Manila continued. - And a few years ago, during a long drought, it’s just the horror that was happening. Wildebeest perished by hundreds of thousands, and all because of hedges.

Manipa had in mind fences set up in different places in Botswana to protect livestock from wild herbivores, carriers of infectious diseases that can be transmitted to humans through food: foot and mouth disease is especially rampant.

"Fences" stretching through Kalahari for hundreds of kilometers, fenced off large pastures, where in dry times herds of buffaloes, wildebeests and other antelopes grazed from non-stopping water sources - and especially deltas. But a long-term drought struck — it had happened before — and herds of thousands of heads began to migrate along the familiar route to the north, to the water.

The main tragedy occurred in the depths of Kalahari, south of the delta. The hedge delta itself was very helpful. On the west side they stopped herds of cattle. If there were no hedges, cattle would invade the flood meadows of the delta and devastate them, leaving wild animals for extinction.

Now the delta is full of life - on land, in water and even under water, which greatly frightened one of the families of our camp. Father, mother and their sixteen-year-old daughter once went for a walk in two "wet". A pie with mom and dad safely left the creek near the camp, but something happened with the boat where the girl was sitting. “Mokoro” suddenly jumped in place - the conductor and the passenger were in the water, and the boat was in the mouth of a hippopotamus. Having bitten off a piece from the board and rendered the cake unusable, the hippo disappeared under the water. Another “wet” was already at some distance. Frightened parents, with horror, expected the monster to come up again and their daughter would be in his mouth. The conductor and the girl, as if racing, sailed to the shore, which, fortunately, was close.

The frightened guide explained that nothing like this had happened here, near the camp itself, but in other places such incidents are happening now - sometimes with casualties. The fact is that hippos love to graze at night, and in the daytime, when it's hot, they prefer to relax in water or under water.

On the same day, the unlucky family left the camp, leaving the following entry in the guest book: “The place is interesting, but very dangerous.”

Meeting with the "forest man"

I often molested Manipa with questions about the Bushmen. I was interested in the past and present of this people, which differs from most other African peoples not only in their external, physical, appearance, in particular, their skin color - they have much brighter color, - but also due to a number of linguistic features, anthropologists even refer them to some special race .

Bushmen (Bushmen, translated from English letters. “Shrubs people.” - are divided into groups: kung, kong (makong), khomani (nusan) and others. - Note red.) and the Hottentots, the original inhabitants of South Africa, settled here long before the advent of the tribes language group   Bantu inhabiting these places now. Even before the establishment of white dominion, the Bantu drove the Bushmen from the best areas of Kalahari to barren areas. But the “forest people” there showed extraordinary ability to survive, having adapted to find water and write in a hostile environment.

However, the harsh living conditions and the constant persecution of foreigners greatly reduced its number. Although today the Bushmen are assigned special settlements, or, quite simply, reservations, they practically do not live there: most prefer hunting and gathering - that is, leading the traditional way of life of nomads. The rest are self-employed - with the same blacks and whites.
“Why are you interested in the Bushmen?” Asked Manipa.
- I heard a lot about them and would like to see where and how they live.
- How do you live? Poorly. But, if you want to look at them, we can go to the village, at the very end of the delta.

The bushman skin color that Manipa introduced to me was, indeed, not black, but apricot, but otherwise, in appearance, our bushman was not much different from other Africans. What was surprising was his suit: a jacket and trousers of dark blue in a white strip. Such a couple is more likely to be seen at a diplomatic reception, rather than at a farm worker in the Okavango wilds. The suit was clearly from someone else's shoulder - unbuttoned, too big size, his jacket dangled strangely on his lean naked body, exposing protruding ribs. When I asked if he had gathered for an hour, the bushman replied that the visiting European had given him the costume, and he wears it, because now he has no other clothes left.

Then, looking me up and down, he suddenly asked:
“Could you give me a shirt?” Now is the winter time. And although the days are hot, it is cold at night.
Unfortunately, I could not satisfy the request of the "forest man", because I took with me only the most necessary things. And he left everything else in Maunge. But I still promised to send him some clothes from the camp — when I flew back to Maung.

“Tell me,” I in turn turned to a new acquaintance, “do you have relatives among the nomadic Bushmen in Kalahari?”
“What kind of relatives are there,” he answered grievingly. “Those who were long dead.” We had such a custom - in difficult times, leave the weak and old to die in the desert, in order to save food and water for the stronger. Old people themselves asked to be thrown.
“But did someone survive?” - I was amazed.
- Yes of course. Those of my kind who survived are now working on farms, as are my brother and me.

Then his brother approached him, and they spoke in their native language. I noticed that during the conversation they somehow smacked, but then did not pay it special attention. Later he learned that smacking is characteristic of a peculiar family of so-called "popping languages", common among the Bushmen and Hottentots. There are several types of clicking sounds - they all perform the functions of consonants (Linguists, powerless to label these sounds, use exclamation points and colons in the middle of the word. For example, “tzwa! Na.” - Note red.).

The Bushmen culture - their songs, dances, cave paintings - has now fallen into decay. 90 kilometers from our camp there were rare elevations in Kalahari - the Tsodillo hills dotted with cave paintings. These are very well-executed ocher images - mostly wildlife, and sometimes humans. There are a lot of drawings, maybe more than a thousand. Who created them? The Bushmen who live near Tsodillo have no idea about this ...

But, in general, I was left with a pleasant impression from this country, because people here build their lives in a civilized manner, without racial hostility, and carefully preserve the unique gift of nature, the Okavango River Delta, which flows into the sandy Kalahari Ocean.

Vadim Dobrov
Botswana