Savuti Ecology - Savute Travel Guide

A choice game area is the Savuti Marsh (also spelt Savute), which has something of a mystical quality, as it is known to dry up or flood regardless of local rainfall. The channel feeding water to the marsh has long since dried up, so these odd occurrences are a bit of a mystery. The eerie-looking lifeless Camelthorn trees along the course of the Savuti Channel did not die because of drought, on the contrary they were drowned in an unexpected flood. As the channel and marsh dried out again, they became a conspicuous feature of  this unusual landscape.

The parched grasslands of the Savuti are boosted into life with the onset of summer rains from November to March, and thousands of Zebras and many Elephants migrate south from the Linyanti to gorge on the abundant grazing. The pans fill with water and several remain wet long into the dry season, enabling animals to remain in the area. Game drives through Savuti are enhanced by the herbal aroma of the Sage bush (or bitter bush), which releases its fragrance when crushed by the vehicle.

Savuti is located in the south west of Chobe National Park, where you find lots of Elephants. You may be lucky enough to see a pack of Wild Dog who also travel at great speed over large areas. Lions are common during the Zebra migration, but so are Hyena who opportunistically steal about twenty percent of the lions kills. Leopard and Cheetah may also be seen here.

Birds are plentiful and in April you may not believe your eyes as you watch a single flock of Quelea's flying in a vast cloud numbering many thousands. These little finches form the largest flocks in the world, reaching hundreds of thousands in one gathering. Rather more solitary are terrestrial Kori Bustards and large striding Secretary Birds who strut around the Savuti.

Savuti has several strikingly different terrains, none less surprising than the Gubatsa Hills that rise high out of an otherwise flat landscape. These extraordinary dolomite peaks reach an astonishing 90 metres (290 feet) in height and were formed about 980 million years ago during volcanic activity. In contrast is the Mababe Depression, which was once a super-lake that covered much of Botswana. Smooth pebbles can still be found on what was the ancient shoreline.