Sandibe is flanked by channels of the permanent Okavango Delta that course into the adjacent Moremi Game Reserve, the only declared conservation area in the Delta. It is strategically situated in one of the prime viewing destinations of the continent. Coupled with the diversity of Chobe National Park to the east, the region offers more than 160 mammal, over 500 bird, 38 amphibian, 157 reptile and 89 fish species.

Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of the Okavango Delta is the complete absence of hills and rocks - the landscape is as flat as a lake (it slopes one metre every four kilometres to the south-east). This has led to the formation of the Delta, as the water entering in the north has no clear course to follow.

The Okavango Delta consists of three major components - and one way of picturing this is to look at your outstretched hand. The wrist being the so-called "panhandle", your palm would be the permanent Delta, and the fingers the channels - arteries which feed the seasonal Delta.

Animals most likely to be seen are kudu, impala, giraffe, prides of lion and hippo. Characteristic species also include the magnificent red lechwe antelope, buffalo and leopard. There are also rare species such as sitatunga antelope and wild dog. Bushbuck are a feature of the lodge surroundings. Fruit bats visit fig trees after dark.

Elephant engage in seasonal movements in this southern part of the Okavango Delta. Over 1 000 elephant move through the area, with breeding herds averaging thirty in number. Sandibe is an excellent base for sightings of small predators, with night drives regularly finding serval, caracal, honey badger, African wild cat and African civet.

Two prides of lion are resident in the area and the occasional cheetah may be seen, while shy leopards frequent the thicker bush areas.

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Impala
Buffalo
Wild Dog
Giraffe
Leopard

The Okavango Delta is a bird-watcher's paradise. The Delta is home to over 500 species of birds. There are few more haunting calls than that of the African Fish Eagle - a bird more common in the Okavango than anywhere else on the continent. Birds are abundant in the riverine forest, with Hartlaub's Babbler, Swamp Boubou, Grey-backed Bleating Warbler, Heuglin's Robin, Barred Owl, Red-eyed Dove, Red-billed Woodhoopoe and Red-billed Helmetshrike among the characteristic species. Look out for both Black-eyed and Red-eyed Bulbuls. The elusive Pel's Fishing Owl roosts in evergreen trees by day.

A variety of warblers and weavers nest in the papyrus beds, and Pied Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher and Coppery-tailed Coucal can be seen among the tall stems.

Woodland birds are plentiful, with hole-nesting species such as Red-billed Hornbill, Grey Hornbill, Burchell's Starling, Scops Owl, Pearl-spotted Owl, Crested Barbet, Bearded Woodpecker, Striped Kingfisher and Meyer's Parrot among the most conspicuous.

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The Delta is home to a rich variety of fish, with 89 identified species including the Finetoothed Squeaker, Tigerfish, African Pike, Banded Jewelfish and Blunt-toothed Catfish.

Technicolour frogs are among the familiar sights in this enchanted, watery wilderness. Types of frog found in the Delta include Snoring Puddle Frog, Painted Reed Frog and Waterlily Frog.

The largest reptile in the Okavango Delta is the Nile Crocodile. Smaller relatives include Bushveld Lizard, Tropical House Gecko and Water Monitor. Iridescent dragonflies are one of the multi-coloured delights of the Delta.

Sandibe has exclusive access to 270km˛, comprising six broad ecotypes with associated plant and animal species. There is a Mopane belt close to the lodge and vast ancient riverine forests of Ebony, Knob Thorn and the wondrous Leadwood, which lives for a thousand years and remains as an upright skeleton for another thousand. Extensive open grasslands, palm islands and acacia woodlands are found in the drier areas.

Groves of towering palms, Baobab trees and Sausage Trees are among the familiar sights in this enchanted, watery wilderness. The great and gnarled baobabs in the area may well be the oldest living inhabitants on the African continent.

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Baobabs

The Okavango Delta is an inland basin that directs the course of the river, which rises in Angola, onto the arid semi-desert of the Kalahari, creating an oasis. The Delta has areas of both permanent and seasonal water, with different habitats prevailing. At Sandibe, there are channels and lagoons, riverine forest, floodplains and seasonal grasslands (molapo), woodland, acacia scrub and palm savannah, each with its own distinctive animals.