Linyanti Wildlife Reserve

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In the furthest corner of Chobe National Park lies the forgotten paradise of Linyanti.

The Linyanti River forms a natural border between Namibia and Botswana. The river's course makes a 90-degree change from south-east to north-east and inside the corner a swamp has formed (on the Namibian side) similar in appearance to the Okavango Delta.

On the southern banks of the Linyanti River (in Botswana) is the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve. Here the marsh subsides into lagoons and steadily flowing rivers with riverine forests of jackal berry and sausage trees leading to open grasslands, and dry inland wooded areas.

The wildlife is plentiful, especially in the dry winter months (April – October) when great concentrations of elephant, buffalo and zebra congregate along the river, with giraffe, impala and roan antelope being seen in the forests.

Thousands of zebra spend the winter in the Linyanti before heading south to the Savuti in November in expectation of summer rains and good grazing.

The particularly beautiful sable and roan antelopes are found here and red lechwe and the aquatic sitatunga antelope inhabit the wetlands.

The main predators are lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and hyena. A smaller carnivore and efficient predator sometimes seen, is the serval.

The birdlife is diverse, if not overwhelming in its numbers. Water birds, including pelican, are common.

Access is rough and very sandy and the safari camps in Linyanti can only be reached by light aircraft. Mosquitoes are prevalent throughout the park and visitors are strongly advised to take anti-malarial prophylactics.