Oh-so Okavango!

When you stay at Feline Fields Vintage Camp, you're heading into the heart of one of Africa's most celebrated wild places - the Okavango Delta. A vast landscape of seasonal floodplains, permanent swamps and lush wetlands that's home to one of the highest concentrations of wildlife on the continent, it offers an overall safari experience quite unlike any other. Let's find out why... 

First up, let's do a spot of science. The Okavango is an inland alluvial fan or endorheic delta formed by a river system that instead of emptying into the sea, flushes its waters into the sands of the Kalahari basin. The entire delta floods every year in the dry winter months in what's known as the annual inundation, caused by rains in the catchment area of the Okavango River in the Angolan highlands region during the summer months (December to February).

The rains slowly drain into the river, reaching the north of the delta in late April before spreading south over the next few months, reaching its peak in the southern most parts around Maun in August. The area around the Khwai River on the eastern edge of the delta rises during the inundation, but is blessed with permanent lagoons and channels, creating a year-round wetland region.

It's these areas of permanent water that attract such a wide variety of wildlife and offer exceptional game viewing throughout the year, as well as the opportunity to explore the channels by mokoro - a traditional dug-out style canoe that's poled from the rear by an experienced guide.

This, then, is the incredible natural canvas on which Feline Fields Vintage Camp has been created.

In the thick of things

Strung out along the banks of a permanent channel of the Khwai River, the pioneer-style bell tents that make up Feline Fields Vintage Camp are designed to immerse guests completely into the lush and verdant environment that surrounds them.

This is one of the best-loved areas of the Okavango's eastern reaches and is inhabited by some of Africa's most iconic wildlife species as well as spectacular trees and plants that have made this pristine wetland their home, adapting their lifecycles to coincide with the annual inundation.

Renowned for its predators, there are high concentrations of lion, leopard, cheetah, painted wolf (African wild dog) and hyena here. The channels and lagoons are home to large pods of hippo, crocodiles aplenty and lots of fish, from tilapia, bream and bass to tiger fish. 

This makes the region a magnet for fish-eating birds like fish eagles, kingfishers and the enigmatic Pel's fishing owl. Indeed, birding in the Khwai region is spectacular all year round, but especially in the summer months when the migrant species are present. More than 500 species have been recorded in the area.

You'll also find plenty of plains game here, from antelopes like red lechwe, impala, kudu, waterbuck and sable to zebra and giraffe. This is an elephant stronghold and you can expect to see lots of solitary bulls as well as large breeding herds, as well as huge herds of buffalo.

Water activities all year round

The Khwai River region of the Okavango Delta stays lush and wet all year round with water levels sufficient to offer mokoro and boat-based safaris at times when camps and lodges in other parts of the Delta can't. The water is gin-clear, making for exceptional fishing both by humans (on a catch and release basis) and the myriad birds and animals who enjoy fish as part of their diet. Feline Fields Vintage Camp bases a lot of its activities around the river, lagoons and channels, including floating drinks stops and picnic lunches, which are especially welcome in the heat of the day when cooling off is just the ticket. 

Mokoro excursions are always a favourite as guests get to experience the sensation of gliding effortlessly along reed-lined channels in these traditional canoes. In days of old the mokoros were hewn by hand from local trees, but today they are increasingly made from fibreglass, helping to preserve the Delta's large trees. 

Being low to the water, navigating almost silently save for the gentle splashes made by the pole that's deftly driven from the rear, being used by the standing guide to propel the mokoro forward and steer, it's the perfect stealth approach to birding and game watching, offering you a unique viewpoint on the wilderness around you. It's also one of the most relaxing ways to enjoy the Okavango!

So, come and visit us a Feline Fields Vintage Camp and discover all of the things that make the Okavango so unique and special. And how Feline Fields is redefining safaris in this incredible part of wild Africa! Get in touch with us to find out more and make an enquiry.