All language subtitles for Aerial.Africa.Series.1.3of6.Botswana.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

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.

♪

♪

♪

♪