I first came to this area in 1987 as Ranger and later as safari guide. This is one of my favourite wilderness places in the world, and hope to share more about this special place with you.
To reach this lookout, you will need a vehicle with high clearance, as the 2 track road is a bit sandy and rought in places.
The cache is a small container, so please bring your own pen, and hide it wel, as you have found it. Vervet monkeys do roam this area and are very curious by nature. Remember, this is a wilderness area in Africa, and be aware of animals, snakes and scorpions.
The important role of Termites in the Okavango Delta:
The Okavango Delta is a place of many wonders and unique animal interactions and the life cycle of the termite only adds to the intrigue of what is one of nature's miracles.
After the first rains have fallen in the Okavango another of the wonders of this place shows to the world when millions of winged creatures emerge from their hiding places in the large mounds that are so much a part of the Okavango. Termites emerge in their millions, most of which are preyed on by birds, reptiles and small carnivorous mammals. It has even been noted on occasion that lions have taken part in the feeding frenzy.
These winged creatures actually are the athletes of the fungus termites and plays a huge role in the Okavango ecosystem. The huge mounds that dot the landscape of the Delta are the nests of these fungus termites, so named because they live off dead organic matter.
The mounds of the fungus termites in the Okavango Delta seem to be larger than anywhere else in Africa and they are a dominant feature of the delta. The reason for the mounds seeming to be larger is because of the water table in the delta, and because the water is very close to the surface the termites have to build the main part of their nest above the water table to prevent the nest from been flooded.
With the first rains the take to the sky in their millions, and females attempt to attract males through a pheromone release. When a pair finds each other they immediately dig a hole in the ground and begin the nest. From that time the sole purpose of the female is to lay eggs to ensure the survival of the nest.
Why do the Nests not Drown in the Flood
The question has often been asked as to why the termite nests are not flooded and drowned with the arrival of the floodwaters. The answer to this lies in another unique aspect of the Okavango - that the main floodwaters only reach the delta system in the dry season, often six months after the last rains have fallen in the Angola highlands, where the Okavango river starts.
This allows the termites enough time to waterproof the nest and collect enough food to survive until the waters subside. The rains in the area do not do much for the water table, instead assist the termite in making the ground softer for easier initial construction of the chambers underground.
Another remarkable feature of the delta is that, in the blazing heat of the desert, 98% of its water is lost through evaporation and transpiration (water taken up through plants and evaporating from their leaves). This is another paradox of the delta, that its waters remain fresh and not saline even with a strong sub-tropical sun. This is due to a complex set of interactions, only recently understood, which involve termites, trees and over 150,000 islands.
Most islands in the delta are thought to originate from tree saplings growing on termite mounds. As the trees grow, water and solutes are drawn up from the ground into plants and released through transpiration. This causes the water table to drop over time, which draws in water from the surrounding floodplains to replace it, and so keeps the area replenished with fresh water.
Salts concentrate under the islands creating zones of hyper-saline soils in which few organisms can survive, but as the concentrations of salts under the islands increases, the salts become sufficiently dense and heavy that they sink to the bottom, effectively ensuring a layer of fresh water above.