This IBA includes the portion of the Okavango River in north-eastern Namibia between Andara Mission and the Botswana border at the western end of the former Caprivi Strip. The IBA includes parts of the Mahango and Buffalo Core Areas of the Bwabwata National Park, which essentially consists of the vast flood-plain along the Okavango River (the start of the panhandle of the Okavango Swamps) and its associated riverine forests and woodlands. Once the Okavango River leaves Namibia it flows into and creates the Okavango Delta in Botswana. High water occurs in April from rains in the highlands of Angola, and floods usually reach heights of 3-4 m above the low-level water in November. This flooding is essential for the functioning of all aquatic systems along the river. The climate can be divided into two distinct seasons—a dry season between April and November, and a shorter wet season from the end of November to early April. The monthly average maximum temperature is 30°C and about 80% of the region's rain (550-600 mm per year) falls between October and April.