What happens when Savuti’s vanishing river returns

‘The last time there was a major flow in the Savuti Channel was from 2013 to about 2015,’ says Onx Mothupi, senior guide at Wilderness Savuti. ‘The flood pushed beyond Savuti to the east and this is when we used to actually boat right from camp in both directions. Since around 2016 the channel started to dry up and the only significant flow – although not anything close to 2013 to 2015 – was in 2023 when the flow managed to just go past the main camp area.

‘June to July is the typical time for the waters to reach the channel any year as it is fed by the overflow of the Linyanti River system, which is in turn fed by the Kwando River from the Angolan highlands through Namibia,’ explains Onx. 

The good news is the waters are pushing in now, signalling a rare period for guests travelling to the region over the coming months. 

A Wilderness Air flight from Vumbura to Savuti gave us a great visual of the waters as the Delta moves towards the north. This is what it looks like on the zoomed in satellite imagery from 8 June 2026. The darker parts are flooded areas from both the Selinda Channel (left of the pic) and Linyanti River (right of the pic). There is not a lot of distance between both waters and it will be interesting to see if they will connect this year.

The Savuti Channel runs for approximately 100 kilometres from Zibadianja Lagoon in the Linyanti system into the Mababe Depression. Along its path it forms the Savute Marsh when water reaches it. Across this distance it drops just 18 metres – making it, in physical terms, barely a river at all.

The widely accepted explanation for the channel’s behaviour is tectonic. Although Botswana appears geologically stable on the surface, the region is influenced by deep fault systems linked to the East African Rift system. Small earth tremors occur frequently, absorbed by the Kalahari sands so they remain imperceptible yet still capable of causing minute structural shifts underground. Because the channel is so flat, even the slightest change in gradient can alter its course: blocking flow, redirecting water or reopening previously dry sections.

Visiting Savuti at any time is special but during a flowing phase it becomes a rare privilege as the ecosystem and wildlife movements shift. When dry, animals must travel further for water, concentrating around permanent sources and creating exceptional close-up encounters. When the channel flows, the landscape becomes more generous, drawing in large herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest. In time, predators follow.

‘This is when the channel is thronged by larger herds of water-dependent species,’ says Onx. ‘As nearby pans dry up, everything is drawn here and the predators – particularly lions – follow their prey.’

There are occasional rarities too – Onx has even seen the elusive brown hyena a few times.

To witness the Savuti Channel flowing is fleeting. What you will see when you arrive depends on what the channel is doing that week. That is the point.