UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Botswana

UNESCO's Description

With one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world, Tsodilo has been called the ''Louvre of the Desert''. Over 4,500 paintings are preserved in an area of only 10 km2 of the Kalahari Desert. The archaeological record of the area gives a chronological account of human activities and environmental changes over at least 100,000 years. Local communities in this hostile environment respect Tsodilo as a place of worship frequented by ancestral spirits.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

There are four chief hills. The highest is 1,400 metres AMSL, one of the highest points in Botswana. The four hills are commonly described as the "Male" (the highest), "Female", "Child", plus an unnamed knoll. They are about 40 km from Shakawe and can be reached via a good graded dirt road.

There is a managed campsite between the two largest hills, with showers and toilets. It is near the most famous of the San paintings at the site, the Laurens van der Post panel, after the South African writer who first described the paintings in his 1958 book The Lost World of the Kalahari. There is a small museum and an airstrip near the campsite.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q214007 (CC0).

Visiting Tsodilo

Tsodilo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Okavango-Chobe, Botswana. Tsodilo contains rock art that has been made for over 100,000 years, with around 4500 rock paintings. The site also has the highest peak in Botswana too.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Tsodilo (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

This delta in north-west Botswana comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains. It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system that is almost intact. One of the unique characteristics of the site is that the annual flooding from the River Okavango occurs during the dry season, with the result that the native plants and animals have synchronized their biological cycles with these seasonal rains and floods. It is an exceptional example of the interaction between climatic, hydrological and biological processes. The Okavango Delta is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

The Okavango is formed by seasonal flooding. The Okavango River carries water from the summer (January–February) rainfall from the Angola highlands and the surge flows 1,200 km (750 mi) in around one month. The waters then spread over the 37,500 km2 (14,500 sq mi) area of the delta over the next four months (March–June).

The high temperature of the delta contribute to rapid transpiration and evaporation, resulting in three cycles of rising and falling water levels that were not fully understood until the early 20th century. Flood levels peak between June and August, during Botswana's dry winter months, when the delta swells to three times its permanent size, attracting animals from kilometres around and creating one of Africa's greatest concentrations of wildlife.

Climate

The Delta's profuse greenery is not the result of a wet climate; rather, it is an oasis in an arid country. The average annual rainfall is 450 mm (18 in) (approximately one-third that of its Angolan catchment area) and most of it falls between December and March in the form of heavy afternoon thunderstorms.

December to February are hot wet months with daytime temperatures as high as 40 °C (104 °F), warm nights, and humidity levels fluctuating between 50 and 80%. From March to May, the temperature reduces, with a maximum of 30 °C (86 °F) during the day and mild to cool nights. The rains quickly dry up leading into the dry, cool winter months of June to August. Daytime temperatures at this time of year are mild to warm, but the temperature falls considerably after sunset.

Hydrology

The inflow channels of the Okavango Delta originate primarily from the Okavango River, which is formed by the confluence of the Cubango and Cuito rivers in Angola before flowing through Namibia into Botswana. Upon entering the delta near Mohembo, the river divides into an intricate network of distributary channels, floodplains, lagoons, and permanent swamps that sustain one of the world's largest inland deltas.

Major distributary channels include the Boro, Maunachira, Thaoge, Santantadibe, Nqoga, and Jao systems.

Tourism

The wilderness of the Okavango Delta and its wildlife attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists a year, with the town of Maun serving as a gateway the region.

Modern safari tourism developed during the late 1960s, when the first modern safari camps were built in the delta. Tourism products since expanded include high-end lodge safaris, mobile safaris, self-drive camping, birdwatching, game drives, scenic flights, guided walks, recreational fishing and mokoro canoe excursions.

Botswana has generally promoted a high-cost, low-volume tourism model in the Okavango region, intended to limit environmental impacts while generating high visitor expenditure.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q650872 (CC0).