Bwabwata National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Anthony is the author of the 'Botswana & Namibia' Lonely Planet guide.

Bwabwata doesn’t offer easy wildlife viewing. Four of the Big Five are present, with rhinos excluded, but wildlife densities are low and animals tend to be skittish. Large herds of elephant migrate through the park and other big mammal species you might encounter are buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and hippo.

ElephantCommon

GiraffeVery Rare

HippoCommon

BuffaloOccasional

ZebraOccasional

WildebeestOccasional

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

LionRare

LeopardRare

CheetahRare

HyenaOccasional

Wild DogRare

Wildlife Highlights

There is a good variety of antelope, including the sought after roan, sable and greater kudu. The rare red lechwe is one of the park’s most unusual antelopes and the semi-aquatic sitatunga antelope is shy but can sometimes be spotted in dense swamp vegetation. All main predators, including lion, leopard, cheetah and spotted hyena, are present but sightings are rare. Lucky visitors might even spot wild dogs.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

The flooding in the Wet season, from November to April, cause animal populations to spread out, due to the abundance of water. This makes it a more difficult time for wildlife viewing. The cool, dry period from May to September is a better time to spot animals, although Bwabwata can be visited year-round.