The Ultimate Guide To A Botswana Safari: Major Attractions, Top Destinations, Things To Do, And More

Botswana is a land of extremes. The north of the country is a lush area characterized by enormous wetlands (including the world's largest inland delta), extensive woodlands, and vast grasslands, while the central and southern reaches of the country are arid regions dominated by the blistering-hot Kalahari Desert.

Botswana has more elephants than any other country on earth and also hosts important populations of lion, African wild dog, cheetah, and leopard, making it one of Africa's premier wildlife tourism destinations.

Self-drive safaris are very popular in Botswana. You can rent a 4x4 vehicle and choose to travel with or without a tour guide. There are also several tour operators who offer fantastic regular guided tours exploring this beautiful country. Many tour operators also operate private fly-in safaris to the most remote parts of the country.

Here we have provided an overview of Botswana as a safari destination in order to give you some insights that will help you plan your trip.

If you'd like to request a free Botswana safari recommendation that fits your specific needs, click here.

Major Attractions In Botswana

Some of the biggest attractions for safari-goers in Botswana include:

  • The Big 5 - Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino (both black rhino and white rhino). Highest number of elephants in the world.
  • Enormous elephant herds - With the world's largest elephant population, making up over half of southern Africa's elephants, Botswana is a haven for anyone who loves to see these gentle giants on safari.
  • Swamp lions - The lions of the Okavango Delta are renowned for their behavior of pursuing prey in the water. This has been popularized by numerous wildlife documentaries and many people visit Botswana hoping to witness this enthralling behavior.
  • Interesting birdlife - Botswana is home to several unique bird species specialized in wetland and arid habitats, including rare and sort-after species such as Pel's Fishing Owl. This makes it an interesting country to explore for birders. 
  • Extreme landscapes - The juxtaposition of one of Africa's largest wetlands, one of its driest deserts, and the world's largest salt flats makes for a dramatic landscape that is fascinating to explore.
  • Fascinating cultures - Botswana has some very interesting tribes with fascinating traditions that are intricately tied to the land and the wildlife. One of the most notable of these are the San Bushmen of the Kalahari, who have preserved an ancient hunter-gatherer lifestyle into the modern day.

 

Top Safari Destinations In Botswana

Okavango Delta - includes Moremi Game Reserve and numerous private camps and concessions

The Okavango Delta is the world's largest inland delta and Africa's second-largest wetland after the Sudd Wetland along the Nile River in South Sudan. This enchanting area is fed by the floodwaters of the Okavango/Cubango River that flows southwards from the highlands of Angola, ending its journey not in the sea but rather fanning out into a large flat plain in the Kalahari Desert. This creates a lush oasis that draws in animals from miles around and results in some of the most spectacular concentrations of wildlife in Africa.

The area is famous for its legendary "swamp lions", which pursue and bring down buffalo inside the water - an unusual thing to see lions doing as they generally don't like entering water. It's also one of the only places in Botswana where rhinos (both black and white rhinos) can be seen, making it a Big 5 destination. This area, and surrounding reserves in northern Botswana in general, also produces great African wild dog sightings. A unique and immersive way of exploring the delta that any visitor should consider is going on a mokoro ride (traditional canoe).

Chobe National Park

This is one of Botswana's top safari areas. The Savuti Marsh, which is known for its elephant-hunting lions, is inside this park. These lions sometimes hunt elephants in the dry season, when the elephants are at their weakest and other prey is scare. The Big 5 are present in Chobe, including both African rhino species, but the rhinos can be challenging to see as there are only a few of them.

Mababe Depression - includes Wilderness Mokete

This is one of Africa's hidden gems. Located between the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park, this remote area of grassland, marshes, and mopane woodlands is the only source of permanent water for hundreds of miles. This draws in large numbers of wildlife.

Witness enormous mega-herds of buffalo in their thousands being hunted by large prides of lions, making for some of Africa's most thrilling game viewing. Sizable herds of zebra, wildebeest, and tsessebe migrate across the plains in January and April. Numerous elephants also roam these plains. Apart from lions, other predators include spotted hyena, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, and numerous smaller carnivores. The birding here is also fantastic.

Linyanti Wildlife Reserve

A wet swampy area along the Namibia border that is said to host Africa's largest concentration of elephants. The mysterious Savuti Channel flows through here on its way into Chobe NP.

Mashatu Game Reserve

Nestled within the larger Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana's remote eastern corner, Mashatu is a private concession that is on the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers. It shares a border with protected wilderness areas in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. The area consists of varied habitats ranging from open plains to dense riverine woodlands and rocky hills.

Herds of elephant and plains game roam the vast landscape, along with the lions, leopards, cheetahs, and spotted hyenas that hunt them. Visitors can go on unique adventure experiences such as walking safaris, horseback safaris, and cycling in the wild, but what Mashatu is really renowned for is its award-winning underground photography hides, which are a must-visit for any wildlife photography enthusiast.

Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

This includes Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and Nxai Pan National Park. Covering a total area of over 30,000 sq. km (11,583 sq. mi), the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are the largest salt flats in the world. They are the dry lake bed of an enormous ancient lake that was larger than Switzerland. The lake dried gradually over a long time and had completely dried up by 10,000 years ago.

Recent research on human mitochondrial DNA indicates that Homo sapiens (modern humans) may have first emerged in this region around 200,000 years ago before spreading out across Africa and beyond.

At that time, the area was a highly fertile landscape, rich with lakes, rivers, wetlands, forests, and grasslands, creating an ideal environment for early humans and other mammals to thrive. Nxai Pan National Park is the site of the famous Baine's Baobabs - a remote cluster of ancient baobab trees thousands of years old, painted by explorer Thomas Baines in 1862.

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans also receive an annual zebra migration every December to April, where zebras migrate annually from and back to the Chobe/Okavango region of the north. This is one of Africa's lesser known migration spectacles.

For those with a very adventurous spirit, you can opt to sleep out on the salt pans under the open sky with no tent and marvel at the breathtaking stars and Milky Way above you.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

At over 52,800 sq. km (20,386 sq. mi), the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is one of the largest wildlife reserves in Africa. This vast reserve offers visitors an amazing opportunity to experience the wild heart of the Kalahari Desert and all the animals that call it home. Despite being a desert, the area is surprisingly rich in wildlife.

Apart from many of Africa's more typical savanna residents, some of the special wildlife highlights here include brown hyena, aardwolf, caracal, African wildcat, aardvark, gemsbok, cape fox, bat-eared fox, and gemsbok. Male lions in the Kalahari are renowned for their magnificent black manes.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

This is another very large park that offers visitors a chance to explore the Kalahari Desert. This park lies on the border with South Africa and is shared between the two countries (Botswana and South Africa). About three quarters of the park is in Botswana.

Like the Central Kalahari, this park hosts a wide range of special wildlife that is typically harder to see in most other safari destinations, including some species that are unique to the Namib-Kalahari-Karoo arid region of southwestern Africa (such as brown hyena, Cape fox, meerkat, springbok, and gemsbok).

    Things To Do On Safari In Botswana

    The following are just some of the activities available to safari-goers in Botswana. The list is not exhaustive. Availability of specific activities depends on the destination you visit and/or the tour operator you travel with.

    • Standard game drives - includes morning game drives, afternoon game drives, and full day game drives
    • Night game drives
    • Walking safaris
    • Horseback safaris
    • Cycling safaris
    • Birding safaris
    • Hide photography
    • Remote camping safaris - including mobile camping and fly camping
    • Sleep under the stars with no tent on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans
    • Boat rides and mokoro rides
    • Bush breakfasts, bush lunches, bush dinners
    • Sundowners
    • Visit Baine's Baobabs
    • Cultural tours
    • Visit ancient archeological sites dating back over a million years

    Best Times Of Year To Visit Botswana

    Botswana can be visited year-round but there are certain months that are most ideal.

    Wildlife viewing tends to be best between May and October, during the dry season. This is when the roads are easier to navigate and vegetation is sparse, making it easier to spot animals. This is especially true for the northern reserves (Okavango, Moremi, Chobe, Linyanti, Mababe) as these areas get very wet during the rains and large areas become flooded or swampy. The weather is also cooler and more pleasant during the dry season months, as this is the southern winter.

    What To Carry On Your Botswana Safari

    Here are some of the key things to pack for your Botswana safari.

    • Sunscreen is often useful to carry, especially in the summer months
    • A hat and sunglasses also come in handy.
    • Wear comfortable clothing and anticipate mostly warm weather, but it can get cold in the evenings and early mornings so don't forget to pack some warm clothing.
    • Comfortable walking shoes and open shoes. Carry hiking boots if you plan to do a walking safari or a challenging hike.
    • Insect repellent can also come in handy (although lodges, hotels, and tented camps have mosquito nets in the rooms).
    • Some people also like to take anti-malaria drugs too - please consult your doctor. Malaria risk is highest in the rainy season months (November to March).
    • Any other medication you may need depending on your specific medical situation (please consult your doctor).
    • You'll have plenty of great photographic opportunities so a camera is always great to have.
    • Binoculars can help spot distant wildlife, and if you're a birder you already know these are a must-have for you.

    Other Basic Facts About Botswana

    • Size - 581,730 sq. km (224,607 sq. mi)
    • National/Official Languages - English and Setswana
    • Official Currency -  Botswana Pula (BWP/P)
    • Capital City - Gaborone
    • No. of Ethnic Groups - 12
    • Rainy Season - November to March

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