A flash of motion: Lechwe galloping across the plains, one airborne over a tree trunk.
Text and Photos by © Alexandra George
Some journeys begin long before takeoff… in daydreams, in photographs, in the quiet pull of a place you’ve always wanted to see from above. I’d been looking forward to the scenic helicopter flight for more than a year. Ever since I’d seen those sweeping National Geographic aerials of zebras galloping across the floodplains, vast herds of elephants and Cape buffalo wading through mirrored waters, flocks of wattled cranes taking flight, I’d dreamed of seeing the Okavango from that same bird’s-eye view. The chance to trace the Delta’s patterns from the air, to watch life moving in miniature below, felt like stepping into the pages of one of those images I’d admired for so long.
A living artwork: the Okavango’s channels winding through islands of reed
Preparing for takeoff — and a small moment of panic
We drove about 30 minutes from Pom Pom Camp to the helicopter site. Before we even climbed into the helicopter, after the introductions, the pilot from New Zealand mentioned casually that we’d be flying without doors – it would make it easier to spot and photograph wildlife, he said. I froze for a second and admitted, “I suffer from vertigo. I don’t want to be a spoilsport but can you could possibly put my door on?” He laughed good-naturedly and said, “Of course, no problem!” My fellow traveller, far braver about heights than I am, was happy to ride with the open side. I was just as happy to have a door between me and the landscape far below.
From vertigo to awe: seeing the Delta from the sky
As the helicopter lifted, the floodplains unfolded like a living map of water and grass, ribbons of emerald and sapphire winding through tawny waterways. Herds of lechwe splashed across floodplains, some galloping and leaping over fallen trunks with effortless grace. The helicopter’s slow arc revealed a file of six zebra walking across the open plains.
Six stripes in perfect step
In another scene below, two Cape buffalo waded slowly across a flooded channel, dark shapes moving through a mosaic of green and blue. The water glinted around them as they grazed and crossed — part of the quiet, endless rhythm of the Okavango floodplain.
Cape buffalo on the move across Botswana’s flooded plains
Life written on water and grass
Seeing the Okavango from above revealed its vastness in a way that no game drive ever could, a reminder that this is not just a wilderness of individual encounters, but a vast, interconnected world. Each image captured that rare vantage point few ever see — the Delta’s wildlife and waterways forming abstract patterns of life and light, as if painted from the sky.
A herd of impala rested in the tall grass, some lying down, others grazing lazily. A few lifted their heads to glance upward as we passed — unbothered, perhaps accustomed to the occasional hum of a safari helicopter above their plains.
Impala herd on the open plain
Lechwe resting in their labyrinth of water and grass
Farther along, a group of red lechwe lay scattered across the reeds, their copper coats glowing against the waterlogged grass — brushstrokes of colour on green canvas.
Lechwe resting in their labyrinth of water and grass
Beyond them, a herd of tsessebe moved slowly across open ground, a lone wildebeest kicking up dust among them. High above Botswana’s watery heart, their sleek chestnut coats caught the light. A close relative of the topi, the tsessebe is one of Africa’s fastest antelopes — alert, agile, and always on the lookout across the open marshlands.
Tsessebe and a lone wildebeest on the Delta plains
A nesting colony in the canopy
In aerial view, the wetlands revealed whole treetops alive with nesting storks and herons – a floating city of wings: a nesting colony of marabou storks and herons, their pale forms tucked among the branches. From this height, the scene felt timeless: the gentle rhythm of a wetland adapting to the rise and fall of its waters.
Life suspended in the canopy
A mosaic of islands, palm trees and mirrored channels appeared below, the Okavango’s living artwork. Seen from aloft, the fan palms stood like emerald bursts scattered across the floodplains, their fronds catching the light. Between them, ribbons of water curved through the reeds, glinting silver in the sun. Even from this height, the scene felt alive — a glimmer of wings above the treetops and lechwe grazing at the water’s edge, part of the Delta’s hushed, breathing rhythm.
Palms of the Okavango wetlands
Power and stillness: the hippos and buffalos
Closer to the water’s edge, the hippos took their turn on the stage. Three hippos were on the move through the channels, their massive bodies forging paths through the reed-lined waterways. From above, their movements etched shifting patterns into the flooded grasslands, a tableau of power and patience.
Carving channels through the floodplains
Two hippos, one Delta rhythm
From the air, the scene reveals the quiet rhythm of their world — a blend of power and serenity as they navigated the wetlands they call home. Some grazed heavily along the banks, their massive shapes moving through the grass with surprising quietness. Others lingered in the shallows, only their ears and nostrils breaking the surface. Two hippos stood beside a narrow channel, their massive forms mirrored in the water below. One paused to watch the other approach, a quiet exchange in the still green world between land and water.
The Okavango’s farewell
As the helicopter lifted for the last time, the Okavango stretched away in a shimmer of light and water — a living tapestry no photograph could ever quite contain. About 10 minutes before we landed, the pilot had glanced over and noticed my concentration as we circled lower over the floodplains.
He smiled and said, “It’s good you’re busy with your camera, Alex — don’t worry, we’ll be on the ground soon.” I smiled back, grateful for the reassurance, and kept shooting as the Okavango marshlands drifted past beneath us one last time. Far below, a family of hippos grazed on the sunlit grass – the Okavango’s gentle way of saying goodbye.
Hippos, impala and egrets in harmony
Acknowledgments
The flight was arranged through Wildlife Worldwide (UK) and their Botswana partner, Kwando Safaris. Wildlife Worldwide first opened my eyes to Botswana’s wild heart through an unforgettable mobile tented safari, while Kwando later led me deeper still to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Nxai Pan and Pom Pom in the Okavango Delta. Those journeys inspired Nine Days in Eden and a series of short films — The Leopard’s Realm (now at 28,000 views), Tribute to the African Wild Dog (4,900 views), Zebra Migration (2,400 views) and Tenting with Lions. It’s been heartening to see such growing interest in Botswana’s wildlife, and I always include Wildlife Worldwide’s visual signature at the end of each film — a nod to the journeys that made them possible.