May 14, 2024
Well, these images are from a new Okavango Delta camp called Karangoma, where about a third of the staff are from the Hambukushu tribe who are best known for their world-class basket weaving and creation of intricate designs. Each of these designs is inspired by and named after a natural phenomenon such as ‘running ostrich’ or ‘urine trail of the bull’ or ‘knees of the tortoise’.
The camp designer has taken the essence of each animal and let his imagination run just a little wild: each of the guest tents is styled around and named after one of these patterns, so some guests will be staying in the ‘tears of the giraffe’ room, for example.
The other culture that is celebrated here is that of the Bukakhwe San. Like most San peoples they are best known for their tracking skills. They also possess a rich musical heritage, and guests will have the opportunity to hear some unusual instruments being played.
The Okavango Delta is a pristine watery wilderness, but whilst enjoying its natural beauty guests rarely get to experience its local culture. From this camp you are encouraged to visit the local community some 25 kilometres away which is directly benefiting from tourism. In the past the San peoples would have been hunters, but now many are turning their hunting skills to conserving wildlife. Their way of life has been wavering on the verge of extinction, but in parts of the Northern Okavango the Bukakhwe have, by sharing their incredible bush skills with guests, begun to revive their dying culture.
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One of the people who will be hosting you at Karangoma is Maggie Kavuyu. She grew up in the small village of Mogotho overlooking the panhandle. She has lived her life with the annual ebb and flow of the Okavango floods and as assistant manager is greatly looking forward to sharing her enthusiasm for the Hambukushu culture with you when the camp opens on May 1st.
And now here are a few pictures of what to expect at this special new camp:
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