At the peak of the dry season in the Kalahari, water arrives in the Okavango. It fell as rain a thousand miles away in the highlands of Angola and has taken nearly five months to reach here. The water drives out insects from the parched ground which are snapped up by plovers.Catfish travelling with the flood collect any drowning creatures the birds have missed. It’s aseasonal feast for animals of all kinds.

Birds are the first to arrive in any numbers, wattled cranes, then black storks. Behind the birds come buffalo. After weeks of marching, their trek is coming to an end. As the water sweeps into the Okavango, a vast area of the Kalahari has transformed into a fertile paradise. Nowhere on our planet is the life-giving power of water so clearly demonstrated. The Okavango becomes crisscrossed with trails as animals move into its heart. The new arrivals open up paths likearteries along which water flows, extending the reach of the flood.