Do You Know Where Mokoros Come From?

10/1/2009

The mokoro was introduced to Botswana's Okavango Delta by the Bayei people in the 18th century. Mokoros are traditionally made from the trunk of a large, straight Sausage tree. The trunk is hollowed out until there is sufficient space for two passengers (or a surprising amount of cargo) and a poler who stands in the stern and punts the mokoro with an ngashi, a pole made from the Mogonono tree. As demand for the mokoros rose, the precious Sausage trees came under threat and conservationists introduced a newly designed mokoro made entirely from fiberglass. Now the magical mokoro experience can be enjoyed without harming the delicate Delta ecosystem.