Botswana. The Mokoro of dug-out canoe has become the iconic symbol of the Okavango Delta and I now know why. Originally, the only form of transport for fishing and transporting people and goods around the channels, these canoe-like vessels were crafted from tree trunks painstakingly hollowed out using hand tools.
However timber ultimately rots and results in more trees having to be cut down, which isn’t environmentally sustainable, and they are now moulded from fibre-glass. There’s nothing quite like being on the quiet and serene channels, dream-like as you glide between the reeds and papyrus, your guide using a long pole or”ngashi“ to drive you as you bird watch, look out for reed frogs and hope for an elephant sighting …
