Latest Environmental Report

It’s been a busy couple of months at Orient-Express Safaris as we’ve recently become involved in monitoring the growth of Kariba Weed (Salvinia Moesta) in the Okavango Delta. The Weed was first observed in the Delta in 1986 and in 1992 was found in the Khwai River conservancy. Although no-one knows how it came to the Delta, its growth has been rapid as it is spread by hippos, elephants and boats.

Should the Kariba Weed growth continue, it will slowly start to block the flow of water through the channels of the Delta. Weevils love Kariba Weed - adult weevils eat the leaves while the larvae eat the root and thus the weed is destroyed. Two weevil breeding pools have been set up at Khwai River Lodge and Camp Manager Shaka will be working with the Department of Water Affairs to ensure that hungry weevils are deposited in any area along the Khwai River where the weed has manifested itself.

Throughout the region it would appear that the winter has proved kinder if compared to the same period last year. The lowest recorded temperature was at Savute Elephant Camp at
1°C. Generally early mornings and some evenings have been rather cool, with the daytime temperatures warm to hot.


The average breakdown for the month is as follows;

Water levels at Eagle Island Camp now stand at 124cm. Although the water has come up slightly, this level is most likely very close to what we can expect to be the peak for the year. The water in the main Boro channel continues to spill over into the flood plains and Eagle Island is once again separated from the mainland.

At Khwai River Lodge the Khwai River is flowing fairly strongly and water levels have risen as a result. This source of permanent water ensures that game viewing in the region is nothing less than superb.




As is typical for the winter months and especially this time of the year, leaves on the majority of our trees are raining down. The grass is also taking a beating from the grazing animals especially in areas of close proximity to water. The sparse winter vegetation obviously has its benefits when it comes to game viewing, as it is easier to see certain of the shier animals the region has to offer.

All our camps have enjoyed some fantastic game viewing over the past month. It has however been Khwai River Lodge that has been the pick of the three. The attraction of the permanent waters of the Khwai River have seen numerous species of plains game (buffalo, zebra, impala, giraffe, wildebeest, etc) and other herbivores (roan, sable, letchwe and elephant) congregating in the area. With a potential meal never very far away the predators have also been very prominent. Great sightings of lion, leopard, cheetah, cerval and African wildcat have been recorded. It also seems that the resident lion prides are in some sort of conflict, as our guests recently witnessed a territorial clash of the big cats.

It seems that three males (one in the picture above) may be the cause of the savage contests that have been taking place.

At the other two camps good game viewing has also been reported. At Eagle Island huge herds of buffalo have been very prevalent. The herds have numbered as many as 1000 head and on one occasion guests on a motor boat activity were lucky to view the resident lion pride swimming across the Boro channel in order to track the huge bovid’s dust cloud off in the distance.




As has now almost come to be the norm for the region, the birdlife throughout our camps is abundant. With the exception of the migrant birds it would almost be impossible to list all the birds seen in this report, some of the better sightings however have included: Pel’s fishing owl, purple gallinule, crowned crane, wattled crane and Meyers parrots.

With the close predator activity, the avian garbage men have also been very hard at work. Numerous vulture species, Marabou storks and some of the eagle species are never very far away riding the hot air thermals high up into the sky in search of a bite to eat. As soon as a potential food source is detected the birds literally drop out of the sky, kamikaze style. These daring dives are one of the signs the keen eyes of our guides search for, indicating some form of action on the ground.




With the exception of the ever-present Nile crocodiles on the banks of the Khwai River and Boro Channel, no other reptile sightings were recorded during the month of July.




Puff Adder (Bitis arietans)

An unusual candidate for this month considering that snakes are suppose to be in hibernation over the winter, but with so many snake sightings of late we have started questioning this fact!

Size: Usually 70 – 90cm to a maximum of 120cm

Food: Their prey includes rodents and birds, and even other snakes and tortoises.

Breeding: Males engage in combat and trail females in spring. Large litters, usually consisting of 20-40 young (150-200 mm) are born in late summer. They can live up to 14 years.

General: Known by the locals as a “Lebolobolo”, this thick, heavily built snake has a large, flattened, triangular head and large nostrils which point vertically upwards. The belly is white or yellow and unusual patterns are known to occur providing good camouflage. Males are smaller and more brightly coloured than females. This sluggish snake usually emerges at dusk, lying in cover and ambushing its prey. If disturbed, it adopts a striking posture and usually warns by giving a deep, hollow hiss.



Connie Neubold
Tours Manager
Orient-Express Safaris