Botswana Travel Guide

A Spectacular, personal and close nature experience that touches the soul!

This was a first visit to Botswanna and lasted a glorious 18 days! Much thought into which season resulted in August being chosen as the least risky in terms of mud and making ones way over tough roads - the result was excellent with no travelling hassles. The Savuti River came down from Angola for the first time in years and this supplemented the experience in the Chobe!

We travelled in two 4 x 4 vehicles and it is excellent to be in a team of at least two for mutual support because you are generally miles and miles from any form of support. Research well and go self contained and ready for any eventuality.

Wildlife including birds are plentiful and the experience is from the barren dessert ot the Okovango Delta with all the water species. No game fences exist and on crossing the border from South Africa we encountered a Cheetha on the tar road and outside an nature reserve area! Elephant are everywhere! The campsites are not fenced and nature surrounds you at all times. We had elephant, jackal, hyena and even kudu wandering through our campsites at various locations that really brought the SAFARI TO YOU!

A flight over the Okavango is a must - withjout that it is impossible to appreciate the vastness of the delta and to really acomprehend the splendour! Boat trips on the swamps and rivers are a must to really get close to the water environment and the birds.

The spectacular Kubu Island is a must see! The majestic Baobabs that tare clsutered on a small island surrounded by a dry pan is so unreal and otherworldy that it really takes your breath away!

As a final statement - take more time and spend more time per venue than you think necessary! Travelling takes time on the dirt roads and you need time at each stop to enjoy the splendid sights! DO NOT RUSH!

Breathtaking Okavango, like a painting!

The aerial view of Okavango Delta was unexpectedly breathtaking. The patterns made by the islands, waterways, vegetations were like a constantly changing large canvas of painting by nature. It was a sheer joy watching giraffes, herds of elephants and buffaloes wading in the water.

I had 2 nights of bush camping, coming and going by the local canoes called mokoros. During the bush walks, we had to keep a safe distance from animals, so we could not get as close to them as in a vehicle. A pangolin visited our camp site at night.

We didn't feel very safe in a camp site in Maun. We were told to keep all our belongings in the truck, just had only the necessities in our tents. We were told that tents were slashed and stuff stolen in the middle of the night previously.

The river safari was a special experience, to watch herds of elephants, crocodiles, hippos and buffaloes by the river bank from the water. The land safari was less impressive though.

Botswana is a beautiful place just teeming with wildlife and birds.

While in Botswana I saw the big five animals and watched a cheetah stalk and chase its prey. Lions were just lying by the road and took no notice of us as we shot numerous photos. We watched elephants cross the river in the morning and return in the evening. I think we saw all of the animals at one time or another. We were there for 14 days but our accommodations were tents that were moved from location to location. Camping gave us the opportunity to get into areas unfrequented by other tourists. There were 8 in our group and we had 3 vehicles that were wide open so we could get the best shots of the animals.
Our vehicles went off in different directions each day but if an unusual siting occurred our guide used a radio to tell the other guides.

We didn't see other tourists since we were not staying in lodges. We were all by ourselves. Our food was wonderful and I still marvel at how they were able to cook such delicious meals. The weather was perfect. Cold in the morning and evening but very warm during the day so we came back into camp after lunch to shower and such and went back out at 3pm. We had very primative camps but that made it fun. I highly recommend Botswana. It is an amazing place and the people were very friendly.

The Safari Defined

Texas-sized Botswana forms the wedge-shaped heart of southern Africa, resting like a pocketed jewel amidst South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

It's peaceful, prosperous, and splendidly beautiful. Over thirty percent of Botswana's territory -- more than any other nation on earth -- has been set apart as protected parkland, guarded against poaching by a military that fortunately has little else to do. And it's here where you'll find nothing less than the planet's most superb safari opportunities.

The government encourages high-cost but low-impact tourism, avoiding the commercialization of places like Kenya and Tanzania, where vanloads of package tourists converge on animals and battle for the best view.

This is the closest you'll find to the Africa you imagined as a child -- wild and untouched.

The most beautiful country I never thought I'd visit!

My mother and I had dreamed of going to the Seychelles for years and, after winning a charity auction for a trip to South Africa, we decided to go. When we were booking our trip, we decided that since we were taking such a long journey from the west coast of the U.S., we should make the most of our trip and also visit Botswana. As it turns out, I may have dreamed of going to the Seychelles, but I now dream about going back to Botswana--it is a beautiful, magical place.

Unlike other countries in Africa for safari trips, tourism in Botswana is somewhat more exclusive, albeit growing. Our camps were luxurious and small, with the staff outnumbering the guests--in some cases by 5:1. We used Wilderness Safaris for our two camps in Botswana and the accomodations were exquisite for being in the bush; the staff knowledgeable, friendly, and professional; and the food was top-notch. We visited both the Savuti Channel and Okavango Delta, both of which were amazing. The Delta was absolutely awe-inspiring, and after having 2 weeks of land-based safaris through South Africa and the Savuti Channel, it was thrilling to have a safari on the water (including one afternoon in a traditional Makoro). We saw a wide variety of game, even spent an entire hour just watching a Cheetah. There was rarely another vehicle in sight, unlike in Kenya or other popular places where if you spot rare game, you suddenly are surrounded by 10 more jeeps filled with spectators. The birds in Botswana were amazing--it's where I fell in love with the Malachite Kingfisher.

I travel quite a bit and rarely do I find a place that I yearn to visit time and time again. Botswana is one of the places. Magic, beautiful, dreamy. Visit if you have the chance.

Botswana: awe inspiring landscapes, thrills of jeep safari and relaxation on the river.

When I first arrived in Botswana I was blown away by just how all-encompassing the deep blue sky was; it enveloped me. I felt as if I had stepped out of a plane and in to the Garden of Eden. It really was picture perfect. This natural beauty combined with the pulse racing thrills of jeep safaris and the tranquil early morning mokoro trips really made it a holiday to remember. There was plenty of wildlife to see and the game drives were made all the merrier with scenic stops for a sun down gin & tonic. A must is taking a cessnar flight over the Okavango Delta to really appreciate this vast expanse from a different perspective. I stayed at Camp Moremi and Kwai River Lodge, both lovely accommodations with attentative staff and delicious food. If you are thinking about a safari, Botswana really does offer a diverse experience in the wilderness.

A cornucopia of wild delights stimulating all of the senses.

I was a leadre on a World Challenge Expedition with 15 17-18 year old students from Monmouth in the Wales, U.K. We were lucky enough to go on several safaris and saw a huge amount of wildlife everywhere we went, especially in Chobe and on the Okavango Delta. We were blessed with good weather and really enjoyed camping out and eating delicious steak cooked on a mahogany BBQ. I particularly enjoyed the photographic opportunities, both on Safari and when visiting the Elephant Sanctuary at Livingstone and Victoria Falls. One of the highlights of our trip was the extremely rewarding voluntary work we did for the Bana Ba Metsi School for troubled boys on the Okavango Delta. I would recommend Botswana to pretty much anyone (especially the more adventurous!) as an exciting and beautiful destination.

Out of the world safari, pure isolation and nature at its finest.

We undertook a mobile tented safari starting in the Okavanga Delta and ended with 3 nights at the Matesi Lodge in Zimbabwe. From start to finish this was a safari that would leave you wanting more and wanting to go back. All the people we met were helpful and friendly and wanted to ensure we had the best time ever. The mobile safari allowed us to be isolated from the general hustle of the safari vehicles and this gave you time and space to enjoy the surroundings. The guides are superb and extremely knowledgeable and they take time to ensure you get to see what you want to see. No mobile phone coverage and isolation from every day life gives you a sense of really being in with nature and this was priceless.

A land of rich grassland, varied wildlife and clear water but dusty houses.

I spent 5 days staying in the Okavango swamps and two days in Chobe. The Okavango swamps are more about relaxation, birds and river animals such as hippos and crocodiles. What land animals are about are hidden by the thick hedge of reeds that line the Okavango delta. We were entertained by a day's excursion into the swamps by being punted around in the local mekoros (dugout) and then led through the bush by a knowledgeable guide who taught us about the health or nutritional properties of the vegetation as well as visiting the giant Baobab tree. Afterwards we took a long refreshing dip in the clear waters of the Kavango.
From the lush vegetation of the Okavango, we drove south east into drier scrubland and were disappointed at seeing our next campsite in Chobe, a barren dustbowl with the basic of amenities. But we were rewarded later that day by a spectacular safari on riverboats as we got really close up to wildebeest, large herds of elephants, cape buffalo and a myriad of birds, all while sipping gin and tonics.

We saw a huge variety of wildlife while camping in well kept campgrounds.

Botswana was definitely more remote feeling and wild that what I'm used to (and I grew up in rural America). I saw animals all the time while I traveled Botswana. The people were really kind as well.