The Okavango Delta

March and April, 2025

Visiting the Okavango Delta is not just about seeing big cats and dogs, although I will admit that my adrenaline also surges no matter how many times I see them.  The Okavango Delta excursion is in fact more about immersion into a wild ecosystem, and building a knowledge base of how all its ecological intricacies interconnect with each other.  

Over the course of two weeks, our students undertake a rigorous guiding program that entails learning ecology, practicing public speaking, and applying theory into the practice out in the bush.  Moreover, the location that we visit in the Okavango, 16 thousand hectares all to ourselves to explore, provides some of the most wild experiences in the African bush that one can have.  As an outdoor educator, I can tell you that these unforgettable moments in themselves carry value.  They are the experiences that make both the young and old fall in love with nature.  And for some, they are the experiences that will provoke further interest, study, and professional ambition in the field of conservation.  As a small sample, these photos are from our two trips this year.

Every trip to the Okavango Delta brings new experiences for our students, and facilitates in them a stronger understanding of southern African ecology.  In fact, we are now seeing our students take and pass the Nature Guide Level II exam through the Botswana Qualifying Authority - an amazing accomplishment.  Next year there are two trips again planned for the Okavango Delta, one in March and the second in May.  If you are already interested, please contact Forrest Donoho at fdonoho@wis.edu.na.