The Savute is a wilderness of extremes, a place where the changes are not of the seasons but rather of periods of unknown duration. At times it is a lifeline in the dry season and at other times it is a lush oasis in the wet season. Over the past two centuries the Savute Channel has been known to dry up five times, with each dry, and subsequent wet period, of non-conforming duration.
The Savuti Channel flows from the Linyanti waterway and flows for more than 75 km through arid terrain before spilling out onto the Savute Marsh in the Mababe Depression. The explanation for the erratic behaviour of the flow is the instability of the earth below the sands of the Kalahari that lower and higher the area of the Savuti's source, as such opening and closing the flow.
The Savute had been dry for almost 30 years before the whispers of a change began four years ago when water began to move down the channel from the Linyanti Swamps. Slowly the water eased its way over the scorched land and thick sand, negotiating a gradual decline towards the Savute Marsh.
Despite the dramatic changes visitors to Savute can still expect a wildlife experience of the highest order, and the chance to be a part of a dramatically changed wilderness. The only difference now is that where there was once only scrub and grassland there is now water.
An exciting few years await in Savute, as nature and wildlife tussle to adapt to this new order. Interesting times lie ahead for Savute.