The dark waters of the Okefenokee swamp

 

The Okefenokee Swamp is a jewel located in the deep south corner of the state of Georgia, a place inhabitated by alligators, snakes and incredible birds; lulled by the songs of frogs at night (and yes, infested by mosquitoes in summer time); painted with white lilly pads surfacing on dark waters, untamed wilderness of some 400,000 acres of wet prairies, cypress forests and pine uplands. The Indians named it “The land of the trembling earth.”

It is also a visual paradise for the photography inclined. The water is crystal clear and known to be one of the purest of the states. But, interestingly, it appears black on the surface and produces a mirror reflection of everything above it. This is caused by the high level of tanic acid in the water, resulting from the decomposition of organic matters. Paddling and taking photographs might be a challenge there; A company located near the Eastern entrance of the park(Okefenokee Pastimes ) offers photographer’s paddle tours of the swamp as well as the St Mary’s river, with a canoe especially equipped to fit photo equipment and during which most of the paddling is done by the accompanying guide. Worth checking.