Original subtitles

DEEP IN THE KALAHARI DESERT, AN OASIS OF LIFE ABOUNDS.

IT’S A PLACE STEEPED IN HISTORY,

FROM EARLY CIVILIZATIONS TO MYTHOLOGICAL ROCK ENGRAVINGS.

GLITTERING CITIES NOW STAND

WHERE EXPLORERS ONCE TREKKED ON FOOT.

AND WATER CHANNELS SURGE THROUGH PARCHED SAND

WHERE FISH EAGLES STILL SOAR.

THE DESERT ERUPTS INTO AN EXPLOSION OF LIFE...

AS MODERN AIRCRAFT GLIDE IN

AND TOURISTS HAVE THE BEST SAFARI ON EARTH.

FROM THUNDERING HERDS OF ANIMALS,

TO FLOCKS OF MIGRATORY BIRDS,

THIS IS THE WILD AND WONDERFUL WORLD OF BOTSWANA.

♪

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST UNFORGIVING

AND DESOLATE PLACES ON EARTH.

♪

THE KALAHARI DESERT.

IT HARBORS THE LARGEST SAND BASIN IN THE WORLD,

WHICH SPANS 460,000 SQUARE MILES.

THE BASIN IS SO VAST;

IT EXTENDS THROUGH ABOUT

20 DEGREES OF LATITUDE,

AND CUTS ACROSS

SIX AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

GEMSTONES BUILT

THE COUNTRY OF BOTSWANA,

AND ONE LIFE-GIVING TREASURE CONTINUES TO SHAPE ITS CULTURE.

FOR AT LEAST 40,000 YEARS,

THE ONLY HUMANS TO SURVIVE THE DESERT

WERE THE SAN HUNTER-GATHERERS.

THEY WERE A NOMADIC PEOPLE

WHO FOLLOWED THE SEASONAL FLOW OF WATER AND LARGE ANIMAL HERDS.

THEY LIVED IN TEMPORARY STRUCTURES LIKE THIS ONE,

BUILT WITH NATURAL MATERIALS

EASY TO FIND AND FAST TO DISMANTLE.

THEY CALLED THE DESERT KGALAGADI--

LAND OF THIRST.

AND THE NAME HOLDS NO SURPRISES.

RAINFALL IS LESS THAN SIX INCHES A YEAR,

AND TEMPERATURES CAN TOP 130 DEGREES.

IT WAS UNKNOWN TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD UNTIL 1841,

WHEN DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE, A SCOTTISH MISSIONARY DOCTOR,

WAS SENT TO BOTSWANA TO SPREAD THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.

HIS THIRD MISSION STATION IN BOTSWANA WAS HERE IN KOLOBENG,

AT THE EDGE OF THE KALAHARI DESERT.

HERE HE BUILT BOTSWANA’S FIRST SCHOOL, CHURCH, CLINIC,

AND FOUR-CORNERED HOUSE

IN 1847.

IT WAS THE SITE OF A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.

AT THE HEIGHT OF A DROUGHT,

LIVINGSTONE LOST HIS INFANT DAUGHTER TO BRONCHITIS.

THEN A CONFLICT BETWEEN EUROPEAN SETTLERS, THE BOERS,

AND THE LOCAL BAKWENA CAUSED AN ANGRY MOB

TO BURN DOWN THE MISSION AND SURROUNDING SETTLEMENT.

HE SENT HIS FAMILY BACK HOME TO ENGLAND

AND ABANDONED THIS MISSION.

BUT IT WAS A SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD

FOR A MAN WHO WAS PREPARED TO RISK LIFE AND LIMB

TO ABOLISH SLAVERY,

AND HE HAD WON GREAT RESPECT FROM LOCAL TRIBES.

THE SAN HUNTER-GATHERERS TOLD LIVINGSTONE

ABOUT A VAST BODY OF WATER THAT LAY IN THE HEART OF THE DESERT.

LIVINGSTONE LAUNCHED HIS NEXT MISSION.

HE WAS LED TO A RIVERBED

SAID TO BE THE CORRIDOR TO THE VAST LAKE.

IT’S CALLED THE BOTETI,

AND AT 1,000 FEET ACROSS,

THE RIVER SUPPORTS COMMUNITIES AND AGRICULTURE

ALONG ITS FLANKS.

BUT IN LIVINGSTONE’S DAY, IT WAS NOTHING BUT DUST.

IT TOOK HIM NINE WEEKS TO NAVIGATE THE 600 MILES OF DESERT

WITH THE HELP OF TRIBESMEN,

HORSES AND 80 OXEN RAISED IN THESE TRADITIONAL HOMESTEADS.

BUT THE HEAT WAS DREADFUL.

ANIMALS TRUDGED ALONG HAULING HEAVY CARTS

THROUGH THE DESERT SAND; MANY DIED OF THIRST.

TO ADD TO HIS TROUBLES,

LIVINGSTONE’S SAN GUIDE FREQUENTLY LOST HIS WAY

IN THE DIZZYING HEAT.

AS THEY CONTEMPLATED THEIR NEXT MOVE,

THEY SPOTTED SMALL CLUMPS OF TREES ON THE HORIZON.

BUT THE DISTANCE WAS DECEIVING.

THE EXPLORERS THEN REALIZED THEY WERE WALKING TOWARDS

AN ISLAND OF MYSTERIOUS GIANTS...

THESE ANCIENT BAOBAB TREES.

THE TREES SURVIVE BY STORING UP TO 37,000 GALLONS OF WATER

IN THEIR TRUNKS.

IT SAVED THE THIRSTY EXPLORERS FROM CERTAIN DEATH.

THEY HARVESTED WATER FROM THE CLEFTS OF LARGE BRANCHES

AND CHEWED THE SPONGY BARK FOR MOISTURE.

ONE OF LIVINGSTONE’S FELLOW EXPLORERS, THOMAS BAINES,

WAS A VICTORIAN ARTIST.

HE USED LESS THAN A GALLON OF WATER AND PAINT COLOR

TO PRESERVE THESE TREES IN PAINTINGS.

THE EXPLORERS OFTEN FACED EXTREME HUNGER, THIRST, ILLNESS,

AND GUIDES TAKING OFF WITH SUPPLIES.

BUT DESPITE ALL THE DIFFICULTY, BAINES WROTE,

"I CONFESS I CAN NEVER QUITE GET OVER THE FEELING

THAT THE WONDERFUL PRODUCTS OF NATURE

ARE OBJECTS TO BE ADMIRED RATHER THAN DESTROYED."

BAINES WOULD BE PROUD TO KNOW THAT THESE TREES HAVEN’T CHANGED

SINCE HE IMMORTALIZED THEM 150 YEARS AGO.

MODERN EXPLORERS NOW RETRACE THEIR STEPS

AND REVEL IN THIS TIMELESS DESERT.

THEIR TRUCKS CRUNCH TRACKS INTO AN ANCIENT LAKEBED

AS THEY HEAD SOUTHWEST,

EVENTUALLY REACHING AN ISLAND RISING OUT OF THE SAND.

IT’S CALLED KUBU ISLAND.

KUBU MEANS HIPPO

AND SPEAKS OF A TIME WHEN THE GREAT LAKE LAPPED ITS SHORES.

NOW A GHOSTLY SILENCE HANGS IN THE AIR

WHERE WATERBIRDS ONCE FLOCKED.

SOME ROCKS ARE COVERED IN FOSSILIZED DUNG

OF BIRDS THAT NESTED HERE.

THESE BAOBABS HAVE BEEN CARBON DATED

TO OVER A THOUSAND YEARS OLD.

A SAN LEGEND SAYS, IN THE BEGINNING,

GOD HANDED OUT SEEDS TO ALL THE ANIMALS TO PLANT.

THE HYENA WAS PICKED LAST,

AND WAS SO MAD THAT HE PLANTED THE BAOBAB UPSIDE DOWN

WITH ROOTS EXPOSED.

WHEN DAVID LIVINGSTONE ARRIVED AT KUBU ISLAND,

HIS HUNGRY DESERT PARTY

THOUGHT THEY LOOKED JUST LIKE UPSIDE DOWN CARROTS.

IN THE COOL DUSK, THEY DISCOVERED BAOBAB SEEDPODS

PACKED WITH WHITE FRUIT,

LIKE MANNA PROVIDED BY GOD TO NOURISH THE HUNGRY MEN.

IT OFFERED HIGH DOSES OF VITAMIN C

AND OTHER MINERALS NECESSARY FOR THEIR HEALTH.

THE WHITE, CREAMY SNACKS WERE A SOOTHING TREAT

WHILE TRAVERSING THESE ARID PLAINS.

AS LIVINGSTONE’S PARTY ETCHED TRACKS ACROSS THE DRY EARTH,

HE RECORDED HIS TRAVELS IN DUSTY JOURNALS

AND WAS A PIONEER IN MAPPING THIS DESOLATE PLACE.

BY 1849 LIVINGSTONE HAD BECOME THE FIRST EUROPEAN

TO CROSS THE KALAHARI DESERT.

THE TALES OF HIS TRAVELS WERE CELEBRATED

WITH THE SAME WONDER AS SPACE TRAVEL IS TODAY.

THE BRITISH HAILED HIM AS A NATIONAL HERO.

BUT LIVINGSTONE WOULD NOT REST

UNTIL HE FOUND THE FAMED DESERT OASIS TO THE NORTH.

HE SHARED THE GOSPEL WITH AFRICANS AS HE TRAVELED.

HIS TEACHINGS OF LOVE AND GRACE WON THE HEARTS OF LOCAL TRIBES.

♪

THE KING OF THE BANGWATO TRIBE, KHAMA THE THIRD,

CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY AND BUILT THIS CHURCH.

BUT IN 1902 THE TRIBE MOVED TO THEIR CAPITAL,

AND THE CHURCH WAS DISMANTLED TO BUILD A SCHOOL.

KING KHAMA PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN BOTSWANA’S HISTORY.

UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP BOTSWANA BECAME A BRITISH PROTECTORATE.

HIS GRANDSON SERETSE KHAMA WAS SENT TO SCHOOL IN ENGLAND.

HE GREW UP TO LEAD THE COUNTRY TO FULL INDEPENDENCE,

BECOMING BOTSWANA’S FIRST PRESIDENT IN 1966.

IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST PEACEFUL TRANSITIONS IN AFRICAN HISTORY.

HE LIVED UP TO HIS NAME, WHICH MEANS "THE CLAY THAT BINDS."

TODAY RURAL VILLAGES LIKE THIS ONE AT MANYANA

GRAPPLE WITH POVERTY.

BUT IN 1966 BOTSWANA WAS ONE OF THE TEN POOREST COUNTRIES

IN THE WORLD.

THERE WERE NO HIGH SCHOOLS, INDUSTRY OR ECONOMY TO SPEAK OF.

IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY THERE WERE ONLY FIVE MILES OF PAVED ROADS.

BUT IN 1967 THE YOUNG NATION DISCOVERED A TREASURE

THAT WOULD DAZZLE THE WORLD.

PROSPECTING IN AN ANCIENT VOLCANO,

THE DE BEERS COMPANY FOUND A RICH VEIN OF GEMSTONES.

ROCKS BLASTED FROM THE PIT

SPARKLED WITH DIAMONDS OF INCREDIBLE CLARITY.

IT’S NOW THE WORLD’S LARGEST DIAMOND MINE,

SPANNING OVER 300 ACRES,

AND STILL PRODUCES 19 BILLION CARATS OF DIAMONDS A YEAR.

IN 2015 MINERS FOUND A DIAMOND THE SIZE OF A TENNIS BALL.

IT WEIGHED OVER A THOUSAND CARATS.

BOTSWANA’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH DIAMONDS

HAS MADE IT ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST NATIONS IN AFRICA.

THE GLAMOROUS FACETS OF GEMSTONES ARE REFLECTED

IN THE SKYLINE OF THE NATION’S CAPITAL...

GABORONE.

IT WAS BUILT HERE DUE TO ITS PROXIMITY

TO THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILWAY AND A RELIABLE WATER SOURCE.

BUT CHASING WATER IN BOTSWANA CAN BE A DANGEROUS DECEPTION.

♪

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO

THIS DUSTY VALLEY BRIMMED WITH WATER.

IT’S NOW KNOWN AS DECEPTION VALLEY,

THE TWILIGHT ZONE OF THE KALAHARI.

MYSTERIOUS LAKES ON THIS HORIZON LURED THIRSTY EXPLORERS

INTO THE VALLEY’S SILENT DEPTHS.

DESPERATE MEN STOOD STUNNED IN THE DEAFENING SILENCE.

THEY HAD BEEN CONNED BY HEAT WAVES

MASQUERADING AS WATER.

THEIR SKIN WAS BLISTERED BY THE DRY HEAT,

AND THOSE TOO THIRSTY TO MAKE A RETREAT

PERISHED ON THE CRACKED EARTH.

THIS PHENOMENON STILL OCCURS TODAY

AND DECEIVES EVEN THE MOST EXPERIENCED ADVENTURERS.

BUT THE CONDITIONS THAT PROVE MURDEROUS FOR EXPLORERS

IS A BLESSING FOR WILDLIFE.

DECEPTION VALLEY NOW LIES WITHIN

THE CENTRAL KALAHARI GAME RESERVE.

IT’S THE SECOND LARGEST RESERVE IN THE WORLD.

THE HARSH CLIMATE HAS MADE IT

ONE OF THE MOST PRISTINE WILD SPACES ON THE PLANET.

LARGE BREEDING HERDS OF ELEPHANTS

REQUIRE TONS OF VEGETATION TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT MILK

FOR YOUNG CALVES TO SURVIVE.

THIS ABUNDANCE MAKES IT A PERFECT SANCTUARY

FOR THE SAN HUNTER-GATHERERS

WHO STILL HUNT FOR FOOD WITH A BOW AND ARROW.

BUT MODERN CULTURE IS PUTTING A SQUEEZE

ON THE SAN WAY OF LIFE.

THE MANYANA HILLS, A SACRED SAN SITE,

BEARS TESTAMENT TO THE DISAPPEARING TRIBE.

THESE GRANITE BOULDERS ARE DECORATED IN ANCIENT ROCK ART.

BEAUTIFUL PAINTINGS SKETCHED ON THE ROCK FACE

SHOW A DETAILED RECORD OF WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE 2,000 YEARS AGO.

BUT THE SAN AREN’T THE ONLY PEOPLE

WHO LEFT AN IMPRESSION IN BOTSWANA.

♪

BOTSWANA IS NAMED AFTER THE TSWANA PEOPLE,

AND LEGEND HAS IT THAT IT ALL STARTED HERE.

A ONE-LEGGED GIANT CALLED MATSIENG,

SAID TO BE A TSWANA ANCESTOR,

LED HIS PEOPLE FROM THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.

HE EMERGED AT THIS FOOTPRINT,

A NATURAL ROCK FORMATION BELIEVED TO BE

BETWEEN 3,000 AND 10,000 YEARS OLD.

THIS FOOTPRINT IS PRESERVED IN SOLID ROCK AND FOLK LAW,

BUT THE SAN HUNTER-GATHERERS FACE A LESS CERTAIN FUTURE.

♪

50 YEARS AGO, 5,000 SAN LIVED HERE

IN THE CENTRAL KALAHARI RESERVE.

NOW, AFTER A CONTROVERSIAL RELOCATION MOVEMENT IN 2005,

ONLY 300 REMAIN.

THEY NOW STRADDLE THE DIVIDE BETWEEN ANCIENT TRADITION

AND THE NEW WORLD POPPING UP AROUND THEM.

SOME EARN EXTRA CASH

BY PERFORMING CULTURAL SPIRIT DANCES

AND SELLING CRAFTS TO WEALTHY VISITORS.

OTHERS ARE SAFARI GUIDES.

THEY WORK THE RESERVE’S 51,800 SQUARE MILES

IN SEARCH OF THE LEGENDARY KALAHARI BLACK-MANED LIONS

WHOSE FAVORITE PREY IS THE BLUE WILDEBEEST.

VULTURES TRAVEL HUNDREDS OF MILES EVERY DAY

TO FEED ON CARCASSES LEFT BY LIONS.

THEY WASH OFF AT WATERHOLES LIKE THIS,

AND THEN THE STUFFED BIRDS WAIT FOR A PERFECTLY TIMED UPDRAFT

TO GIVE THEM A LIFT.

THESE MASTER AVIATORS SPIRAL SKYWARD

BEFORE GLIDING EAST TO THE MOREMI GORGE.

IT’S A REFRESHMENT STATION FOR NATURE’S CLEANUP CREW.

THE GORGE WAS CARVED INTO THE HILLS

BY SEASONAL RIVERS FED FROM NATURAL SPRINGS.

IT’S KNOWN FOR ITS INCREDIBLE ROCK FORMATIONS,

SOME UP TO FOUR BILLION YEARS OLD.

HERE WATERFALLS TUMBLE INTO ROCK POOLS

SURROUNDED BY LUSH FERNS,

A RARE DESERT FEATURE.

WHITE STAINS OF VULTURE DROPPINGS

GIVE AWAY THEIR OVERNIGHT ROOSTING SPOTS.

AT FIRST LIGHT THEY READ THE WINDS.

IF THE CONDITIONS ARE GOOD, THEY LEAVE THE SAFETY OF THE GORGE,

HEADING NORTH TO THE NXAI PAN RESERVE,

WHERE HERDS OF ANIMALS GATHER

IN ANTICIPATION OF MUCH NEEDED RAIN.

TOURISTS REGISTER FOR ENTRY AT THE PARK GATE.

ALL VEHICLES MUST BE ACCOUNTED FOR;

A BREAKDOWN IN THIS VAST PARK COULD PROVE FATAL.

THE GAME RESERVE IS A 15-SQUARE-MILE FOSSIL LAKEBED

SURROUNDED BY GRASSLAND AND BUSH.

WHEN IT RAINS, THE DRY LAKE IS TRANSFORMED

INTO A MASSIVE BODY OF WATER,

DRAWING IN STAGGERING HERDS OF ZEBRA, ELEPHANTS, ANTELOPE,

AND HUNGRY PREDATORS.

EVAPORATION IS EXTREME, AND WATER LEVELS DROP

BY AS MUCH AS SEVEN FEET IN A YEAR.

THAT’S NEARLY HALF THE HEIGHT OF A FULL-GROWN GIRAFFE.

THAT’S WHY MOST DESERT ANIMALS HAVE ADAPTED

TO SURVIVE ON MOISTURE FROM VEGETATION.

GIRAFFES SPEND ABOUT 80% OF THEIR DAY

FEEDING ON THE SMALL ACACIA TREES

ALONG THE EDGE OF THE PANS.

THEY CAN LAST FOR OVER THREE WEEKS

WITHOUT DRINKING WATER,

EVEN LONGER THAN A CAMEL.

BUT ELEPHANTS NEED GALLONS OF WATER TO SURVIVE.

MATRIARCHS LEAD THE HERD TO SECRET WATER STASHES

DUG OPEN BY THEIR ANCESTORS.

THEY LUMBER BETWEEN THIS WATER SOURCE

AND THE DRY LAKES TO THE SOUTH,

IN THE CENTRAL KALAHARI RESERVE.

THEY DOMINATE THE WATERHOLE,

SUCKING UP GALLONS OF WATER IN THEIR TRUNKS.

THEY HEAD OUT ON ANCIENT MIGRATORY ROUTES

SNIFFING THE AIR FOR FRESHWATER.

♪

BUT TWO MILLION YEARS AGO,

THEIR TRUNKS WOULD HAVE BEEN MOST USEFUL AS SNORKELS.

THIS WHOLE AREA WAS A GIANT LAKE.

THEN, 10,000 YEARS AGO,

EARTHQUAKES STOPPED THE FLOW OF RIVERS.

THE LAKE STARVED, AND FRESHWATER TURNED TO BRINE.

IT FORMED SALT FLATS THE SIZE OF PORTUGAL.

THEY LOOK DEAD AS THE MOON,

BUT MINERALS BURIED HERE HELP BOTSWANA’S ECONOMY THRIVE.

SODA ASH IS A VITAL GLOBAL COMMODITY,

AND THIS FACTORY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST PRODUCERS

OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOUND.

IT’S MAINLY USED TO MANUFACTURE GLASS,

BUT MEDICINE AND INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS

ARE OTHER APPLICATIONS FOR SODA ASH.

IT’S EXTRACTED BY PUMPING BRINE OUT OF THE DEEP WELLS

SUNK INTO UNDERGROUND AQUIFERS.

FROM THERE IT MOVES THROUGH A SERIES

OF VAST EVAPORATION PONDS.

THE FACTORY PRODUCES CLOSE TO 800,000 TONS

OF SODA ASH EVERY YEAR,

AND LARGE QUANTITIES OF PURE TABLE SALT.

THESE TRUCKS COLLECT THE RAW SALT AND DUMP IT HERE

TO BE PROCESSED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.

THIS GIANT FACTORY IS NECESSARY TO PRODUCE MINERALS

ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE.

BUT THESE SMALL BUILDINGS ARE CLUES

TO A STORY OF A ONCE FAMOUS MINING BOOMTOWN.

♪

IN 1865, RUMORS OF GOLD DEPOSITS IN THE SOUTH OF BOTSWANA

GARNERED INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION.

PROSPECTOR KARL MAUCH SCOURED THE AREA FOR GOLD.

HE DISCOVERED A GOLD FIELD ON THE BANKS OF THE TATI RIVER.

THE ALLUVION GOLD FIELD STRETCHED FOR 80 MILES.

IT WAS HAILED AS AFRICA’S OPHIR,

A PLACE RENOWNED AS A SOURCE OF LARGE QUANTITIES OF GOLD

OF THE FINEST QUALITY DURING BIBLICAL TIMES.

PROSPECTORS FLOODED THE AREA,

HAILING FROM AUSTRALIA TO AMERICA.

IN A FEW YEARS, A SMALL VILLAGE ROSE ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER

AND WAS NAMED FRANCISTOWN.

AT THE TIME, THE TOWN WAS NOTHING BUT ONE MAIN STREET

LINED WITH WESTERN-STYLE SALOONS.

BLUE JACKET STREET WAS THE ORIGINAL ROAD THROUGH THE TOWN

AND IS NAMED AFTER SAM ANDERSON,

A PROSPECTOR WHO GAINED FAME

FOR ALWAYS WEARING HIS BLUE DENIM JACKET.

DAVID LIVINGSTONE WAS LOOKING

FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF TREASURE.

THE DRY BOTETI RIVER WOULD FINALLY LEAD HIM TO THE JEWEL

HE HAD SO LONGED TO FIND.

THE OKAVANGO DELTA IS KNOWN AS

"THE RIVER THAT NEVER FINDS THE SEA."

EVERY YEAR, 12 BILLION TONS OF WATER ENTERS THE DELTA.

BEFORE IT DIES OUT, THE RIVER FANS OUT

INTO THE LARGEST INLAND OASIS IN THE WORLD,

AND SUSTAINS THE GREATEST WILDLIFE SHOW ON EARTH.

♪

WHEN LIVINGSTONE SAW IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, HE ALMOST COLLAPSED.

HE WROTE,

"THERE LAY SPREAD BEFORE ME AN IMMENSE SHEET OF WATER,

ONLY BOUNDED BY THE HORIZON--

THE OBJECT OF MY AMBITION FOR YEARS,

AND FOR WHICH I HAD ABANDONED HOME AND FRIENDS,

AND RISKED MY LIFE."

SINCE LIVINGSTONE’S DISCOVERY,

THE DELTA HAS REMAINED RELATIVELY UNCHANGED.

BUT THE METHOD OF TRAVEL HAS EVOLVED IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS.

THIS IS MAUN, THE TOURIST CAPITAL OF BOTSWANA

AND THE NATION’S THIRD LARGEST TOWN.

SAFARI OPERATORS STOCK UP ON SUPPLIES FOR LODGES

THAT LIE TUCKED AWAY IN THE DEPTHS OF THE DELTA.

PASSENGER JETS ARRIVE WITH VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

TO EXPERIENCE "THE JEWEL OF THE KALAHARI."

BUT ONLY THE BEST BUSH PILOTS GET TO FLY INTO THE DELTA.

THEY ARE SKILLED AT TAKING OFF AND LANDING

ON RUNWAYS MADE OF DIRT

AND MUST BE ABLE TO PULL OFF AN UNASSISTED EMERGENCY LANDING.

BUT DESPITE THE DANGERS OF LIGHT AIRCRAFT,

IT’S EXHILARATING TO GLIDE LIKE A BIRD

LOOKING DOWN ON THE RICH TAPESTRY OF LIFE BELOW.

♪

BUT IT WASN’T ALWAYS SO WELL PRESERVED.

BOTSWANA’S PARKS WERE BADLY OVERRUN BY THOUSANDS OF VISITORS

WHO TRAMPLED THE ENVIRONMENT AND PAID VERY LITTLE.

THIS HAD TO CHANGE.

SO IN THE LATE 1980s

THE GOVERNMENT MULTIPLIED ALL PARK FEES BY TEN.

THE EFFECT WAS INSTANTANEOUS AND REVOLUTIONARY.

WHILE THE NUMBER OF VISITORS DWINDLED,

THE REVENUE KEPT COMING IN.

IT GAVE NATURE A CHANCE TO CATCH ITS BREATH.

ANIMAL NUMBERS AND DIVERSITY SOARED,

AND WITH IT THE QUALITY AND EXCLUSIVITY

OF A BOTSWANA SAFARI.

THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS RESORTS LIE IN THE HEART OF THE DELTA.

THEY ARE BUILT TO BLEND IN WITH THEIR NATURAL SURROUNDINGS,

AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

IS CLOSELY MONITORED.

EN ROUTE TO THE RESORTS, THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT

ARE ABLE TO FLY CLOSE TO THE GROUND,

GIVING TOURISTS A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE DELTA.

TOURISTS ARE BUYING MORE THAN A LUXURY HOLIDAY;

THEY’RE HELPING COMMUNITIES SURVIVE.

BOTSWANA USES A SYSTEM OF ECOTOURISM,

WHERE NATURE CONSERVATION IS IN THE HANDS OF LOCAL TRIBES.

THE TRIBES LEASE THE LAND OUT

TO PRIVATE OPERATORS RUNNING THE CAMPS.

THEY ARE SOME OF THE BEST HOTELS IN THE WORLD,

WITH PRICES TO MATCH.

EXPECT TO PAY UP TO $2,700 PER NIGHT.

THIS CAMP IS CALLED JAO.

IT SITS ON ITS OWN ISLAND

SURROUNDED BY THE PERMANENTLY FLOODED PART OF THE DELTA.

IT’S THE PINNACLE OF LUXURY.

THERE ARE ONLY NINE ROOMS,

AND MOST OF THE FACILITIES ARE OPEN-AIR.

RAISED WALKWAYS KEEP GUESTS OUT OF REACH OF HUNGRY PREDATORS,

WHICH ARE MOSTLY NOCTURNAL.

JAO PAYS FEES TO THE TRIBAL COMMUNITY,

WHILE SOURCING THEIR WORKFORCE LOCALLY.

THIS LIFTS THE WHOLE AREA OUT OF POVERTY.

AND SINCE THE LOCALS DON’T HAVE TO HUNT FOR FOOD ANYMORE,

ANIMAL POPULATIONS HAVE SKYROCKETED.

SO HAVE THE NUMBERS OF WATERCRAFT

USED AS VEHICLES FOR WATER SAFARIS.

MOTORIZED BOATS TRANSPORT GUESTS BETWEEN LODGES

ALONG THE DELTA’S DEEPER CHANNELS.

SOME TAKE A TOUR THROUGH THE SHALLOWS

IN A DUGOUT CANOE CALLED A MOKORO.

ORIGINAL ONES ARE MADE FROM SAUSAGE TREES,

BUT TODAY THEY’RE MADE FROM FIBERGLASS,

TO SAVE THE TREES FOR NESTING BIRDS LIKE HORNBILLS.

AND THIS IS AS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

TO WILD AFRICA AS IT GETS.

♪

CELEBRITIES AND ROYALTY APPRECIATE THE TRANQUILITY

OF A BOTSWANA SAFARI.

THEY VISIT LUXURY CAMPS LIKE THIS ONE, VUMBURA.

IT OFFERS ICONIC VIEWS OF THE FLOODPLAINS.

OPRAH WINFREY, MICHELLE OBAMA, BILL GATES,

NELSON MANDELA, AND SUSAN SARANDON

HAVE ALL COME TO BOTSWANA FOR A SAFARI.

BRITAIN’S PRINCE HARRY AND HIS GIRLFRIEND CRESSIDA

CAME HERE FOR A DREAM HOLIDAY.

NICKY HILTON HONEYMOONED HERE

WITH HER NEW HUSBAND, JAMES ROTHSCHILD.

AND NO WONDER, WHEN YOU CAN WATCH SCENES LIKE THIS

FROM YOUR BEDROOM DOOR!

♪

THE AREA TO THE NORTH OF THE OKAVANGO DELTA

IS FED BY A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT WATERWAYS.

THEY ENTWINE LIKE VEINS AND ARTERIES, JOINING RIVERS,

LAKES AND MARSHES INTO A LIVING WHOLE.

THIS IS THE SAVUTI CHANNEL.

IT CARRIES WATER OVER 60 MILES FROM THE LINYANTI RIVER

AND RELEASES IT INTO THE VAST SWAMPLAND TO THE SOUTH.

THE CHANNEL’S FLOW IS SPORADIC.

IT HAS DRIED UP AND RESTARTED SEVERAL TIMES,

AND SCIENTISTS CAN’T EXPLAIN WHY.

AFTER A DROUGHT SPELL LASTING 30 YEARS,

THE CHANNEL BEGAN TO FLOW AGAIN IN 2008.

MOST ANIMALS NEVER STRAY TOO FAR FROM THIS LIQUID LIFELINE.

AND THE SAME GOES FOR TOURISTS AT THE SAVUTI CAMP,

EAGER TO GET CAMERAS SNAPPING.

SOME BELIEVE THAT ONCE AN ELEPHANT IS TOO OLD

TO KEEP UP WITH THE HERD

IT MOVES OFF TO DIE IN A SECRET ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD.

ELEPHANTS’ MEMORIES ARE GREAT,

AND THEY SHOW SIGNS OF COMPASSION

FOR DEAD OR DYING ELEPHANTS.

BUT THE ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD MYTH HAS BEEN OVER-PUBLICIZED

BY BIG GAME HUNTERS AND FANTASY STORIES FROM MOVIES.

SOME BELIEVE THE STORY STEMS FROM PILES OF BONES LEFT BEHIND

BY GREEDY HUNTERS WHO SHOT ENTIRE HERDS

TO HARVEST TUSKS FOR THE IVORY TRADE.

ACTUALLY, WILD ELEPHANTS ARE NORMALLY FOUND DEAD IN NUMBERS

WHEN THEY GET TRAPPED IN REMOTE PARTS OF THE BUSH

WHERE THEY FIND THE LAST REMAINING WATER SOURCE.

THE TIRED AND WEAK VENTURE OFF IN DESPERATION, DYING ALONE.

OTHERS STAY TO EAT AND DRINK ALL THAT IS LEFT

UNTIL THE RAIN OR DEATH ARRIVES.

THESE DRYING MUD BATHS ARE DEATH TRAPS FOR ELEPHANTS.

THEY SIMPLY CAN’T RESIST MUD.

IT COOLS DOWN THEIR BODIES AND RIDS THEM OF PARASITES,

BUT THEIR BULKY WEIGHT QUICKLY TURNS FRIEND TO FOE.

ELEPHANTS SLIP EASILY IN MUD AND BREAK LIMBS,

OR GET STUCK IN VERTICAL SINKHOLES WITH NO WAY OF ESCAPE.

AS THE MUD DRIES, THE ANIMAL IS ENTOMBED IN THE CLAY COFFIN.

THIS ELEPHANT IS YOUNG, SO THIS COULD BE LEARNING, THROUGH PLAY.

BUT IT’S A STRIKING EXAMPLE OF THE POWER OF WATER,

BOTH FOR LIFE AND DEATH IN THIS ECOSYSTEM.

♪

DURING THE DRY SEASON ELEPHANTS GATHER HERE

AT THE LINYANTI MARSH, ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING WATER SOURCES.

LARGE HERDS MOVE DOWN THIS RIVER AT THE START OF THE DRY SEASON,

AND ONLY MOVE BACK INLAND ONCE THE RAINS ARRIVE.

THEY TRAVEL MORE THAN 120 MILES IN ONE DIRECTION,

SOMETIMES BREAKING THROUGH MAN-MADE BORDERS

TO FIND FOOD AND WATER.

FENCES ARE NO MATCH FOR THESE SIX-TON BULLDOZERS,

BUT MEMORIES OF LANDMINES AND GUNFIRE IN NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

PLAGUE THESE ELEPHANTS.

SOME WITNESSED THE CIVIL WAR IN ANGOLA,

OTHERS THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE IN NAMIBIA.

MANY WERE WOUNDED BY SOLDIERS HUNTING TO FEED HUNGRY TROOPS.

THE MEMORY OF RAPID GUNFIRE AND THE SMELL OF SPENT CARTRIDGES

HAS MADE SOME ELEPHANTS EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE,

AND MOST ATTACKS ON HUMANS ARE FATAL.

BUT THEY AREN’T THE ONLY WILD ANIMALS

THAT POSE A THREAT TO HUMANS.

A SUBMARINE CREATURE LURKING IN THE DEEPER POOL

IS JUST AS DEADLY.

THEY WEIGH CLOSE TO 4,000 POUNDS

AND COMMUNICATE WITH BOOMING GRUNTS

THAT CAN BE HEARD ABOVE AND BELOW WATER.

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS GIVES KINGS POOL ITS FAME.

THEY ARE VERY TERRITORIAL AND HIGHLY AGGRESSIVE;

HARDLY SURPRISING WHEN ONE CONSIDERS

THAT EVERY ANIMAL WANTS A TASTE OF THEIR TERRITORY.

AND THEIR CLOSEST NEIGHBOR, THE NILE CROCODILE,

LIKES TO SNACK ON BABY HIPPOS.

HUMANS ENTERING THIS WATERWAY IN MOKOROS SHOULD BEWARE.

HIPPOS CAN CRACK A CANOE IN HALF IN JUST ONE SNAP OF THEIR JAWS.

AND IF THEIR FOOT-LONG TEETH DON’T SLICE YOU IN HALF,

HUNGRY CROCODILES COULD FINISH YOU OFF.

DURING THE DAY, CROCODILES LAZE AROUND

THE BANKS OF THE WATERWAYS TO ABSORB HEAT FROM THE SUN,

IN PREPARATION FOR A NIGHT OF HUNTING

IN THE COOL, MURKY WATER.

BUT DON’T LET THEIR SUNBATHING FOOL YOU.

THE SOUND OF SPLASHING WATER TURNS A LAZY CROC

INTO A COLD-BLOODED KILLER.

THEY’VE EVEN BEEN KNOWN TO ATTACK ELEPHANTS!

♪

SOME OF THE BIGGEST CROCS ARE FOUND IN THE CHOBE RIVER.

IT SERVES AS A BORDER

BETWEEN BOTSWANA AND NAMIBIA.

ZEBRAS GALLOP TOWARDS THE RIVER

ON FERTILE FLOODPLAINS COVERED WITH NEW GROWTH.

IT’S THE END OF THEIR ANNUAL MIGRATION,

BUT THE START OF A FEEDING FRENZY.

CROCODILES MIMICKING DRIFTWOOD SAIL DOWNSTREAM,

GNASHING AT THE STRIPY UNGULATES.

BUT THEY AREN’T FUSSY FEEDERS

AND SUPPLEMENT THEIR DIET BY TAKING DOWN TASTY BEEF CATTLE

GRAZING ON THE NAMIBIAN SIDE OF THE RIVER.

THE DEEP CROC-INFESTED RIVER SEPARATES DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK

FROM THE WILD ANIMALS,

ENSURING THAT DISEASE IS NOT SPREAD TO THE BUFFALO HERDS

ON THE BOTSWANA SHORE.

BY 1853, EXPLORER DAVID LIVINGSTONE

HAD CROSSED THE VAST EXPANSE OF THE KALAHARI DESERT

AND DISCOVERED THE FAMED OKAVANGO DELTA.

BUT HE WAS DEEPLY SADDENED BY WHAT HE SAW AT THE CHOBE RIVER.

HE MET TRIBES THAT HAD NEVER SEEN A WHITE MAN BEFORE.

THEY LEARNED TO TRUST LIVINGSTONE,

BUT OTHER LESS NOBLE WHITE MEN WREAKED HAVOC ON THE TRIBES.

THE PORTUGUESE RAIDED THE INLAND, CAPTURING SLAVES,

AND BUYING OTHERS FROM LOCAL SLAVE TRADERS

WITH BEADS AND GUNS.

MANY AFRICANS WERE SENT TO BRAZIL

AND SOLD TO SLAVE OWNERS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

VILLAGES WHERE DESTROYED AND FAMILY BONDS SHATTERED.

LIVINGSTONE WATCHED IN HORROR AS A STRING OF SLAVES PASSED BY,

TIED TOGETHER BY CHAINS.

A MAN GRABBED A YOUNG BOY FROM HIS MOTHER,

DRAGGING HIM KICKING AND SCREAMING

INTO A LIFE OF SLAVERY.

IT WAS A DEFINING MOMENT FOR LIVINGSTONE.

HE WORKED TIRELESSLY TOWARDS ENDING SLAVERY FOR GOOD.

THE TRADE WAS FINALLY ABOLISHED IN AFRICA IN 1870,

BUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING REMAINS A PROBLEM ACROSS THE GLOBE.

IT IS CLOSELY TIED TO THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

THAT IS FED BY POACHERS

TRADING IN RHINO HORN, LION BONES AND ELEPHANT TUSKS.

BOTSWANA IS A LEADER IN WILDLIFE CONSERVATION,

BUT DUE TO ITS POROUS BORDERS,

POACHERS OFTEN ENTER AND LEAVE WITHOUT BEING NOTICED.

THANKFULLY, MOST VISITORS TO BOTSWANA PLUNDER THE LANDSCAPE

TO TAKE PICTURES AND MAKE MEMORIES

WHILE THESE MAJESTIC BEASTS STILL WALK THE EARTH.

THE CONSTANT FLOW OF WATER IN THE CHOBE

DRAWS IN LARGE HERDS OF ELEPHANTS.

THEY NEED TO EAT CLOSE TO 600 POUNDS OF FOOD A DAY,

BUT IN ORDER TO DO SO, THEY DESTROY TONS OF VEGETATION.

DEAD TREES LIE FALLEN ALONG THE RIVERBANKS

WHERE ELEPHANTS HAVE DESTROYED THEIR ROOTS.

IT’S A FINE BALANCE THAT REMAINS CLOSELY MONITORED

BY PARK OFFICIALS.

IF THE FOOD-TO-THE-ELEPHANT RATIO

TIPS THE WRONG END OF THE SCALE,

THERE COULD BE A MASS DYING-OFF OF ELEPHANTS.

♪

POLICE AND PARK OFFICIALS PATROL THE RIVER BY BOAT,

WHILE LARGER RIVER CRUISERS FERRY TOURISTS

ALONG A STRETCH OF 60 MILES OF THE RIVER

GIVING UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS TO GAME PARKS.

BY LATE AFTERNOON,

REGAL LION PRIDES PATROL THE SHORES,

USING CLUMPS OF TREES TO AMBUSH UNSUSPECTING PREY.

HOLIDAY MAKERS ABOARD THE ZAMBEZI QUEEN

EXPERIENCE THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE UNFOLDING ON THE SHORES

FROM A SAFE VANTAGE POINT.

WITH BOTSWANA WILDLIFE ON ONE SIDE

AND NAMIBIAN CULTURE ON THE OTHER,

THIS WATERY NO-MAN’S-LAND IS A MODERN EXPLORER’S DREAM.

BY SUNDOWN BOAT CAPTAINS FIND MOORING SPOTS

ALONG THE RIVERBANKS, TREATING GUESTS TO A WILD NIGHT OUT.

♪

FURTHER ALONG ITS COURSE,

THE CHOBE FUSES WITH THE ZAMBEZI AND OKAVANGO RIVERS.

THEY SLICE THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE FORMING NATURAL BORDERS

AT THE MEETING POINT OF FOUR COUNTRIES.

THE CONVERGENCE OF THESE RIVERS

PRODUCES A FLOW OF WATER SO GREAT,

IT TRUMPS THE COMBINED FLOW

OF ALL OTHER RIVERS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

BUT THERE ARE NO BRIDGES.

YOU NEED A BOAT TO CROSS THESE BORDERS.

THE KAZUNGULA FERRY TRANSPORTS VEHICLES

BETWEEN ZAMBIA AND BOTSWANA.

THE VERY FIRST FERRY WAS BUILT FROM SCRAP METAL

SALVAGED FROM A PAPYRUS-CUTTING MACHINE.

THE LONG GRASS STRANDS OF PAPYRUS GROW NATURALLY HERE

BUT CAN CHOKE UP WATERWAYS,

MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR BOATS TO NAVIGATE THE RIVER.

BUT HERE AT KAZUNGULA, THE WATER RUNS DEEP AND TRUE.

TRAVELERS HEADING SOUTH USE THIS ENTRY POINT

TO VISIT THE TOWN OF KASANE.

THERE ARE NO FENCES BETWEEN KASANE

AND THE SURROUNDING GAME PARKS.

SO IT’S NOT UNUSUAL TO SEE AN ELEPHANT OR HIPPO

WANDERING THROUGH THE TOWN.

AND IT’S ALWAYS OPEN TO TOURISTS,

ESPECIALLY WORLD FAMOUS ACTORS.

IN THE 1970s,

FILM STARS ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND RICHARD BURTON

DECIDED TO REMARRY HERE.

AND FAMOUS PEOPLE KEEP COMING,

TO SEE THE TRUE STARS OF BOTSWANA

AS LIVINGSTONE DID HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO.

♪

THIS IS WHAT THE OKAVANGO DELTA LOOKED LIKE

IN DAVID LIVINGSTONE’S TIME.

THE RICH WATER SYSTEM SPANS 8,500 SQUARE MILES.

IT FLOODS EVERY YEAR,

TRIPLING IN SIZE AS THE WATERS SURGE FROM THE NORTH.

A TRIBESMAN TOLD LIVINGSTONE THAT THE FLOODING WAS CAUSED

BY A CHIEFTAIN THAT KILLED A MAN EVERY YEAR

AND THREW HIS BODY INTO THE WATER.

THIS, HE SAID, WOULD APPEASE THE RIVER GODS

AND RESTART THE SEASONAL MIRACLE.

BUT NO LIVES WERE SACRIFICED.

ACTUALLY, THE FLOODWATERS COME FROM RAIN

THAT FALLS 500 MILES UPSTREAM IN THE HIGHLANDS OF ANGOLA.

IT CAN TAKE SIX MONTHS FOR THE WATER TO REACH THE DELTA

AT THE VERY TIME THE KALAHARI EXPERIENCES A SEASONAL DROUGHT.

AS IT SLOWS, THE WATER FORMS A MAZE OF CHANNELS

ENCAPSULATING HIGHER GROUND, FORMING ISLANDS.

SMALL ISLANDS LIKE THESE ARE SHAPED LIKE ICEBERGS.

TWO THIRDS OF THE STRUCTURE EXPANDS BELOW GROUND,

FORMING COMPLEX TUNNELS AND FERMENTATION CHAMBERS,

BUILT WITH A MIXTURE OF CLAY, SALT, SAND, AND SALIVA.

THE TURRETS, AS STRONG AS CONCRETE,

JUT TEN FEET INTO THE AIR,

REACHING ABOVE THE WATER LIKE A SNORKEL FOR VENTILATION.

THEY ARE FORMED BY ONE OF THE DELTA’S MOST HUMBLE CREATURES--

THE TERMITE.

THEY CARRY PLANT DEBRIS INTO THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS

TO FARM FUNGUS FOR FOOD.

THE WARM CONDITIONS UNDERGROUND HELP SEEDS GERMINATE.

AS SAPLINGS SPROUT, NEW ISLANDS ARE FORMED.

THEY VARY IN SIZE FROM A FEW FEET TO SEVERAL MILES ACROSS.

THEN THE TREES PERFORM A VITAL FUNCTION.

THEY DRAW SALT OUT OF THE WATER

ACTING LITERALLY AS DESALINATION PLANTS.

AS THE SAND IS DEPOSITED AROUND THEIR ROOTS, THE ISLANDS EXPAND.

THE WHITE PATCHES IN THE CENTER OF THE ISLANDS

ARE CAUSED BY SALT DEPOSITS

AND BUSY TERMITES HARVESTING YOUNG PLANTS.

THE CHANNELS AROUND THE ISLANDS CAN FLOW FOR 100 YEARS OR MORE,

BUT CAN EASILY BECOME SILTED UP OR JAMMED BY PAPYRUS.

BUT THAT GETS TAKEN CARE OF BY NATURE’S PAPYRUS-CUTTER.

HIPPOS BREAK THROUGH VEGETATION AND SILT,

CREATING NEW CORRIDORS AND PATHS FOR THE WATER.

AND JUST IN TIME FOR THE THIRSTY HERDS

DRAWN TO THIS DESERT OASIS.

ESPECIALLY ELEPHANTS,

WHO DRINK UP TO 50 GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY.

THAT’S ENOUGH TO FILL A BATHTUB.

AND THIS NATURAL BATHTUB SUSTAINS MORE ELEPHANTS

THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY ON THE PLANET.

BUT IT WASN’T ALWAYS THAT WAY.

IN THE 1830s, ELEPHANTS WERE HUNTED WITHOUT MERCY.

IN LESS THAN 70 YEARS,

THERE WERE NO MORE ELEPHANTS IN THE DESERT,

AND HAD ALL BUT DISAPPEARED FROM THE DELTA.

HUNTING WAS ONLY BANNED FROM RESERVES IN THE 1980s.

THANKFULLY, POPULATIONS HAVE BOUNCED BACK.

IN 1981, THERE WERE 40,000 ELEPHANTS,

AND BY THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM HAD RISEN TO 105,000.

THAT’S 3,000 INCREDIBLY CUTE ELEPHANT CALVES BORN EVERY YEAR.

THEY ARE JOINED BY THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS,

DRAWN IN FROM THE DRIER REGIONS OF THE DESERT,

IN SEARCH OF FOOD AND WATER.

THE DIVERSITY IS BREATHTAKING--

122 SPECIES OF MAMMALS, 71 SPECIES OF FISH,

444 SPECIES OF BIRDS,

INCLUDING STORKS, HERONS AND EGYPTIAN GEESE,

64 SPECIES OF REPTILES,

AND 1,300 SPECIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS.

THE DELTA IS ALSO ONE OF THE FEW PLACES IN THE WORLD

WHERE YOU CAN STILL SEE THE BIG FIVE--

THE LION, LEOPARD, RHINO, ELEPHANT, AND AFRICAN BUFFALO.

THEY ARE CALLED THE BIG FIVE

BECAUSE HUNTERS RATED THEM THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMALS TO HUNT.

BUT NO ANIMAL IS MORE PRIZED BY HUNTERS THAN THE RHINOCEROS.

THEIR HORNS ARE PRICELESS,

BUT BY THE 1980s, THEY WERE PRACTICALLY WIPED OUT.

THE GOVERNMENT ONCE AGAIN STEPPED IN,

DEPLOYING ARMED TROOPS TO PATROL THE DELTA.

ANYONE FOUND POACHING WAS TREATED AS AN INSURGENT

AND SHOT ON SIGHT.

TODAY BOTSWANA PROTECTS

OVER 2,500 CRITICALLY ENDANGERED RHINOS.

♪

BUFFALOES, ON THE OTHER HAND,

ARE IN LESS DANGER OF BECOMING EXTINCT.

THEY MOVE EN MASSE TO THE DELTA AS THE KALAHARI DRIES UP.

THE BUFFALO MOVE ACROSS THE PLAINS LIKE A GIANT HARVESTER,

MOWING DOWN VEGETATION

AND TRAMPLING THEIR DUNG INTO THE SOIL,

ENRICHING THE DESERT SAND AS THEY MOVE.

THE DUST CLOUD IS A DEAD GIVEAWAY

TO HUNGRY LIONS THAT MOVE IN,

PICKING OFF THE YOUNG AND THE WEAK FROM THE HERD.

BUT WHEN THE RAINS COME, THE BUFFALOES DISPERSE,

SPLITTING INTO SMALLER FAMILY UNITS.

THEY SPREAD OUT TO ENJOY

THE FRESH FIELDS OF SWEET GRASSLANDS.

MOTHERS GIVE BIRTH TO YOUNG

BEFORE MOVING BACK TO THE SAFETY OF THE HERD.

CATTLE EGRETS FEED ON INSECTS

FLUSHED OUT OF THE GRASS BY THE BUFFALO HERD.

IT’S THE LAST FEAST BEFORE THE SEASONAL FAMINE.

AS WATER DRIES UP AROUND THE DELTA AND GRASS BECOMES SCARCE,

ANIMALS MOVE BACK TO THE MAIN FLOW OF WATER.

IT’S A TIME OF FAMINE FOR HERBIVORES

TRAPPED TOO FAR FROM THE DELTA.

EVERY DAY LIVED IS A HARD-WON PRIZE.

BUT THIS IS WHEN SCAVENGERS PROSPER.

MARABOU STORKS AND VULTURES PICK ON CARCASSES OF ANIMALS

WHOSE BODIES SUCCUMB TO THE DROUGHT.

THE CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH IN BOTSWANA IS EXTREME.

BUT IT PRESERVES THESE WILD SPACES.

PIONEERING EXPLORERS MAPPED THE KALAHARI...

...WHERE ANCIENT RELICS STILL STAND FIRM.

SOME EMBRACE THEIR CHANGING WORLD,

WHILE OTHERS MAINTAIN ANCIENT TRADITIONS.

AS NEW WORLD GIANTS STRETCH TOWARDS THE SKY,

LIFE CONTINUES TO FLOURISH BELOW.

PRECIOUS MINERALS ARE FINITE,

BUT THE OKAVANGO’S SOURCE SURGES ON.

THE DELTA IS BOTSWANA’S ETERNAL JEWEL...

AN IMMOVABLE GEM THAT PROTECTS THE ESSENCE OF LIFE.

♪

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