On 18 May, we hosted renowned photographer Florian Wagner for the launch of African Waters 360°, a photo-film project that will see Florian flying through Africa by helicopter, capturing the diversity of African cities that are located near water, as well as nearby river systems that are meaningful for ecological balance. These include the Cubango River, which eventually floods the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

These photographs will be published in a beautiful coffee table book, due for release in 2019, to document Africa's beauty, in order to create awareness for the need of responsible handling of our number-one source of life. Africa 360° is also a fundraising project for Charity: Water, which develops infrastructure for local communities to have access to clean water, key to improving their lives.

Since his departure from South Africa, Florian has been sharing his "travel diary" with us. Here are some highlights:

22 May 2018:

Florian's journey began in southern Namibia, among the ranches of the ǁKaras Region.

23 May 2018:

Travelling north, it was then on to the oasis of Wolwedans in the NamibRand Nature Reserve.

25 May 2018:

The crew finished up in Namibia and got ready to make their way to Swartfontein.

27 May 2018:

"On our way to Etosha, but before there was some work to do..."

28 May 2018:

29 May 2018:

"Currently flying through/over Angola. Here the rivers Cuito (the big one and one of the most important rivers) and Cuanavale come together to form a larger river. Later it will flow into the Okavango."

30 May 2018:

"Still around Cuito Cuanavale. Today it's kind of coming back from the desert and diving into civilisation. We've got some local impressions for you."

31 May 2018:

"On our way to Okavango Delta. The view out of the window is just breathtaking every time."

2 June 2018:

"A little flight lesson today! We just wanted to take you on board and show you what it's like to fly over a river with our helicopter."

5 June 2018:

"We arrived in Zambia. We followed the Zambezi river which was just amazing. At our camp, I got this beautiful shot in the sunset."

6 June 2018:

"Today we visited Victoria Falls, just like tourists, which we were happy to be. When you cross the bridge, you get very wet. Sometimes there is so much spray that you can't even see the waterfall."

7 June 2018:

"Still some impressions around Okavango Delta. At Macatoo Camp we went swimming with the horses and had some awesome game drives. The Okavango Delta is supplied by water which comes down from Angola. Without that water the Delta could not survive. This place is really special. Sometimes you try to go to your tent and suddenly there is an elephant in your way."

11 June 2018:

"We visited a Tongan village. This used to be a river tribe, but when the Kariba Dam was built they were forced to move away. Today they have no access to water, only the small river you can see in the photo, as well as some wells, but the water is not clean. They can’t go fishing anymore because the river is too far away and they cannot afford to buy a licence, so the old river tribe cannot follow their lifestyle anymore."

About Florian Wagner:

Florian is a photographer, paragliding instructor and helicopter pilot based in Munich, Germany. His work explores wildlife, outdoor sports and the environment.

Besides numerous publications like National Geographic, GQ and Focus, he has exhibited nationally and internationally, and his work is featured in private and public collections. Florian is an appointed Leica ambassador, develops and tests photographic equipment for Leica and Lowepro, and participates in international advertising campaigns.

If you would like to follow Florian's adventure - check out his Instagram.