Botswana Travel Guide

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.

Very diverse

We travelled in exceptionnally good conditions
Guides are very experienced and professional
Lucky with weather

I would, and have, tell anyone and everyone to go to Botswana. I loved it there and would go back in a heartbeat.

The country appears to be English-speaking, tourist-friendly, well organized and well run. It's very close to Victoria Falls which is a big attraction on its own.

A quiet, wild, marvellous country in the middle of nowhere

During our trip we had the opportunity to do many game safari which was our first activity, and we enjoied all of them. In particular we beloved the walking safari, the canooe safari and the boat safari in the okawango river, which is for sure our preferred place in botswana for kind of anumals and birds, scenery, sunsets on the river. Kalahari desert also is fantastic due to the fact that you feel really in an ancient world. On the other side, Chobe park had the biggest amount of animals but also of... tourists ! Accomodations where perfect in any place, even too much confortable. Highlights ? Leopard chasing during night in Moremi reserve,

The real bush vibe

Botswana is relatively unknown to tourists, yet provides all the wildlife and scenery you expect from a safari. When booking always ask for the possibility to stay inside the parks. There are private camping areas so it will be only you, the guide(s) and the wildlife. One night when sitting around the campfire in one of the parks a huge male elephant came rushing through the bushes and passed us within 10 meters. These kind of thrills are almost impossible in other African countries.
We stayed here with a guide and a cook on a private safari, while staying as much as possible inside the parks. As sidetrips we took a flight above the Okavanga Delta and spent two days in nearby Zambia to visit the Victoria Falls including a helicopter flight. Both were fantastic experiences well worth the money.
As the infrastructure inside the parks (and sometimes also outside the parks) is not always developed, do not try to attempt to book a self-drive unless you are very experienced in off-road driving.

The diversity of Botswana's wilderness.

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.

I've only been to two parks, and both have been in Botswana (Mokolodi and Chobe). You won't see big cats in either, but you will see elephants and more in Chobe. But in terms of what you can get around Gaborone, short of driving a few hours and dropping a big wad of cash at some bigger, more famous parks, you can't get better than Mokolodi. Botswana is safe, it's inexpensive, and it's not crowded with too many tourists. You'll be in a smaller park, but you may be all alone... we had only four people on our rhino visit, including the two of us. Last time, on a cheetah visit, it was just me and two others. Excellent!

I have been all over Southern Africa and Botswana is definitely the best place to come to see big game animals. Also, it is not overly touristy and the people are very friendly!