Jao Concession (NG25)
The best of the Okavango Delta
The Jao Concession is a particularly beautiful area of 600 km², located in the in the northwestern area of the Okavango Delta, situated below the Okavango Panhandle. The Moremi Game Reserve forms the eastern boundary of the concession.
Traveling through a mostly wet environment – it is situated in the very heart of the Okavango Delta wetlands – this concession embodies the beauty and magic of Botswana. It is everything you imagined: watery and very picturesque.
In the east, the Jao Flats boast water channels that cut their way through the papyrus and reed beds, providing the perfect environment for wildlife. Beautiful lush palm islands dot the water. Further west, the area gets progressively dryer with Hunda Island being the largest area of dry land in the Jao Concession during the inundation (July till September).
Around the Jao Flats, large herds of red lechwe come in, followed by their predators: lion and leopard. Also hippos and Nile crocodiles are often seen in and around the waters. Other game includes blue wildebeest, impala, tsessebe, southern giraffe, elephant, spotted-necked otter and even the occasional sitatunga. The drier west harbours similar species, with greater concentrations of Burchell’s zebra and blue wildebeest. And with so much diversity in habitat, the birding is nothing but exceptional.
