Botswana is a fabulous safari destination with amazing parks and wildlife offering some of the most exclusive safari in Africa.

Botswana is not the cheapest tourist destination to travel to. However, their policy is “High quality, low impact”. So when going there, you will not find yourself amidst hundreds of other tourists and can still enjoy a feeling of exclusivity.

A Botswana safari should be high on everyone’s bucket list!

Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa and despite the stigma of being 'in third-world Africa', Botswana is a well-off because of its enormous diamond wealth. Botswana is politically stable and most of the population enjoys a high standard of living. The country has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since 1966.

Botswana enjoys a mild climate in the East of the country, with the vast Kalahari Desert dominating the west and south. The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park in the north are areas of outstanding natural beauty, rich in animal life and a birders paradise. Okavango is often considered to be the biggest inland delta in the world - its closest rivals are the Sudd in South Sudan and the Inner Niger Delta in Mali.Elephants in Chobe are the largest in body size of all living elephants and they number about 120,000.

Stable and prosperous, Botswana has blossomed since independence from Britain in 1966. It is Africa's longest continuous democracy and one of the world's biggest diamond producers.

 
Best time to visit – May to November
Rain - December - April
Temp - Summer avg. 36C, Winter avg. 22C
Language - The official language is English and the national language is Setswana.
Monetary unit - Pula. The Setswana word Pula means rain
Visas – Can be obtained at port of entry.
Tourism Levy - US$30 charged at any port of entry for all nationalities.
Health Requirements - No inoculations required.
Travel Insurance - Recommended

National Parks & Places of interest in Botswana


The Okavango Delta & Moremi Game Reserve

The Okavango River runs through the centre of the Kalahari Desert, creating the unique ecosystem known as the Okavango Delta. This is a very large, swampy inland river delta in northern Botswana and It's known for its sprawling grassy plains, which flood seasonally, becoming a lush animal habitat.The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s most famous destinations and one of the world’s largest inland deltas.. There are several private reserves in the delta, as well as the Moremi Game Reserve. It offers a true wilderness experience, excellent wildlife viewing and stunning scenery. Walking safaris and mokoro canoe trips are a great addition to the usual game drives. Most of the lodges in the delta are reached by charter plane and offer a very exclusive, high-end service with all the luxuries.

The Moremi Game Reserve occupies the east and central areas of the region Here, dugout canoes are used to navigate past hippos, elephants and crocodiles. Aside from the wetlands, it consists of a dry peninsula, which is excellent for classic game-drive safaris (and offers more wildlife sightings than the mokoro trips). Big Five game (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard) is present as well as giraffe, various antelope, monkeys and abundant bird.

Chobe National Park

The Chobe River is one of Africa’s magical rivers and is situated in northern Botswana. The Chobe National Park has one of the largest concentrations of game in Africa. By size, it is the third largest park in the country, after the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Gemsbok National Park, and is the most biologically diverse. It is also Botswana's first national park.The best way to explore Chobe National Park is by boat. In the late afternoon, big herds of elephant and buffalo come to drink at the river, and seeing elephants swim across it is a real treat. There are abundant hippo and crocodile and the birdlife is just phenomenal. Predator sightings are easier on a game drive. Lion, leopard and wild dog are all present in good numbers.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

The Kalahari Desert covers over 80% of Botswana resulting in its climate being mostly arid to semi-arid. Rainfall occurs mainly in summer with the peak times being in January.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive national park in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. Established in 1961 it covers an area of 52,800 square kilometres making it the second largest game reserve in the world. This is pure, untrammelled wilderness. The inhospitable desert habitat doesn’t support the big variety of safari animals found in greener destinations – but sightings in this arid landscape are special.

Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pan National Park

Nxai Pan National Park is a national park in north-eastern Botswana, consisting of Nxai Pan, which is one of the Makgadikgadi Pan salt flats. Nxai Pan National Park lies just north of the Maun-Nata main road and adjoins the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park on its northern border. The pan itself is a fossil lakebed about 40 square km in size and the shimmering, cracked, salty crust doesn’t look like it could support any form of life. After good rains, however, this desolate landscape transforms when new green grass attracts thousands of Burchell’s zebra and blue wildebeest. When the pans fill up, flocks of pelicans and flamingos settle in as well. The national park is located on the western border of the pans, covering only a small part of it.

Unlike the salt-encrusted pans at Makgadikgadi, Nxai Pan is a waterless, fossil pan covered in grass with acacia islands. The area is desolate in the dry winter months. However, it comes to life after the summer rains in December, when big herds of migrating zebra and wildebeest, accompanied by other grazers, arrive to feast on the new grasses.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a vast wildlife preserve in the Kalahari Desert region of Botswana and South Africa, bordering Namibia to the west. It’s characterized by red dunes and dry rivers. Wildlife includes migrating herds of wildebeest and springbok, plus predators like raptors and black-maned Kalahari lions. Various lodges and wildnerness camps offer game-viewing drives and guided walks with park rangers.


PAWS - PREMIER AFRICAN WILDERNESS SAFARI

This is our premier 19 day, 3 country safari. You start your safari in cosmopolitan Cape Town, where you have 3 days to explore the region, climb Table Mountain and do a spot of wine tasting. No time to nurse any hangovers, as you are now off to Botswana and the the pristine wilderness of the Okanvango Delta and the Linyanti Reserve. You will be hosted and guided by top teams. 90kms to the east the Victoria Falls plunges into the gorge. Its your choice here, go large with the adrenaline adventures or relax at The Victoria Falls Hotel with a sunset cruise. The last part of the safari concludes in the private Sabi Sands Reserve to the west of Kruger National Park. PAWS is an action packed safari with plenty of time to relax between activities.

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HONEYMOON SAFARI

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe - Linyanti Concessions - Okavango Delta - Johannesburg - Bazaruto Archipelago

13 Days / 12 Nights

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Botswana is safari territory, so most of your activities are going to based around game viewing, bird watching and exploring the park. This doesn't mean that it will be one dimensional. You will have more than enough to do. Don't forget to use the DNA option "Do nothing at all!"

GAME DRIVES

All drives are done in open 4x4 vehicles, specifically designed for comfort during long hours of game viewing. Generally seating 6 – 8 guests, professionally trained guides will take guests out into the remote and secluded areas of the camps concessions, very rarely seeing any other vehicles. Private concessions offer sensitive off road activity, but the national parks require vehicles to stay on road at all times. During high water, camps in the Delta itself offer game drives with a difference as water crossings are part of the adventure which makes ones game viewing very diverse. Afternoon drives continue after night, allowing for an opportunity to see the many animals that are more active at night, including leopard and serval. Lion frequently hunt at night and there is always a chance of coming upon them feeding on a kill.
MOKORO EXCURSIONS

Iconic to the Okavango Delta, the Mokoro rides are a ‘must do’ when staying at a water camp. Depending on the season and water levels, these non motorized dug out canoes are expertly navigated through the channels and shallow lagoons of the Delta but your personal Poler. Typically you would see abundant birdlife as well as animals that feed on the grass and reeds on the palm islands – such as lechwe, sitatunga, hippo, elephant and crocodile.
FISHING

The waters of the Okavango Delta are home to many different species of fish – namely the fierce tiger fish, or Tilapia. Not all water based camps in the Okavango allow fishing, but some camps do allow fishing on a catch and release basis. Most of the fishing however takes place in the Panhandle region where the Okavango River enters the Delta. No fishing is allowed in the national parks, and generally fishing equipment in the camps is very basic. This is a nice activity for children when on safari.
WALKING SAFARI

This is not for everyone, but the more adventurous soul will find walking safaris in the Delta and Linyanti particularly fascinating. Our professional guides will show you the bush on foot which allows you to get up close to the game without disturbing them so viewing can be very personal, but also you get to see the smaller and more diverse side of what makes up the Delta and its ecosystem through the flora and fauna, insects and other small creatures which are amazing. Walking safaris can be witness to the Big Five or the Small Five, or both if you are lucky enough. Not all camps offer walking and there is an age restriction.
HORSE BACK SAFARI

Desert meets oasis in Botswana where the waterways of the Okavango Delta converge with the salt pans of the Makgadikgadi. Horse back safaris are a fantastic way to see these vast distances of land where the wildlife roams free. Ride by day through the wilderness, rest up at night in one of the luxurious lodges where one gets a good nights sleep for the next day’s adventure. These safaris are led by trained professional guides who have been operating for 20 years and if you are a horse lover, this experience will remain etched in your memory forever.
SCENIC FLIGHTS

There is nothing more thrilling than being in a helicopter, a couple of hundred feet above the waterways of the delta and taking in the breathtaking views that stretch as far as the eye can see over this amazing wonder of wet land. Operating from most camps in the delta, scenic flights allow visitors to explore the delta for 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Fly over rivers and pools dotted with lily pads, as well as a variety of wild animals that inhabit this unique habitat. This is an added cost
STAR BEDS

If you have never spent a night under the African skies, this is a definite one for the bucket list. Lie under the huge night sky which forms a canopy of stars on an elevated platform which allows you to enjoy nature up close and at peace as the noises of the night caress you to sleep.

I could not imagine a trip to Africa without you both, but then we have mightily spoiled. The places you have booked us into are unbelievable. Not only are they most luxurious and beautiful, but those associated with the "camps" are knowledgeable--fabulous guides--and well trained in the art of serving and caring for guests--excellent dining as well. I know that you have researched each site, usually having been there yourselves. Your services are soooo complete and personal with every detail attended to. We all loved the "flip" itinerary book you did this past trip. And Sid does the best job in arranging for sightings of ALL the animals many times. What's more, you make it all such fun!

Tom & Lyndie Lamson, USA – South Africa and Zimbabwe