CUANDO SOURCE LAKES AND RIVER TRANSECT
MAY THROUGH JULY 2018
The Route
The NGOWP’s 2018 expedition focused on the eastern-most section of their survey area in Angola. The trek took the team down the length of the Cuando River that flows through Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia. Their journey covered uncharted territory in southeastern Angola and allowed the team to explore the intersection of the Okavango and Zambezi Basins, two of the largest in southern Africa.
Anticipated Expedition Route
MAP BY MARTIN GAMACHE, ART OF THE MAPPABLE
The Mission
This expedition marked the culmination of a four-year endeavor to explore the wilderness surrounding the source lakes of the Angolan highlands and trace the water that feeds the Okavango Delta from its source.
The team began at the origin of the river in the Angolan highlands, setting up camera traps and conducting surveys to document the biodiversity in the area before setting off down the Cuando River. Two teams launched separately at two of the river’s tributaries before reuniting at the confluence of the rivers. As they made their way south in their mekoro, the team continuously gathered data on wildlife and water quality to better understand the impact of human activity in the region and help inform the development of policies to protect this important landscape.
LATEST FROM THE TEAM
OTHER EXPEDITIONS
In late 2016, the team completed the first biological survey of the Cuando and Kembo river sources in eastern Angola.
This 2015 expedition, at nearly six months and 2,414 km (1,500 miles), lasted longer and covered more mileage than any of the others.
The team was able to conduct research in this once war-torn region with the help of an international landmine-removal organization.
On hardy fatbikes, the team checked their camera traps, interviewed villagers, and continued to document biodiversity in Eastern Angola.
Expedition leader Steve Boyes conducts annual surveys of birds across the delta, building a data record and assessing the landscape’s health.
TOP IMAGE: PETE MULLER