ON SAFARI
- Botswana
Wildlife Highlights
Specific Wildlife Highlights of Botswana
Botswana is home to a very wide range of wildlife, from the great herbivores and elusive predators to the smaller antelopes, colourful birds, reptiles and nocturnal species. The varied habitats of Botswana and the variety of different activities on offer allow visitors on safari to enjoy a very wide-ranging game-viewing experience in a relatively short period of time.
Elephants favour the mopane and mixed woodland which stretches across much of northern Botswana and gather in huge numbers during the dry season when water sources are most limited. Boat cruises on the Chobe River are especially productive for elephant viewing and photography. In the Okavango Delta, elephant-back safaris and specialist ‘elephant interaction’ experiences are possible. Mashatu is also excellent for elephant.
Botswana is arguably the best country in Africa to see wild dogs in the wild. The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park are home to several packs of wild dogs, though it is perhaps the Linyanti region where sightings are most regular.
The Makgadikgadi Pans are home to a meerkat colony which has been habituated and provides an intimate and amazing meerkat experience. The same region is also home to Brown hyaena which although previously studied for several years, are still rare and very hard to see. From December to April, the plains around Makgadikgadi attract a great zebra migration, which in turns brings the predators, whilst nocturnal creatures such as aardvark and aardwolf can be seen all year round on night drives.
The Okavango Delta is a great birding destination and home to many wonderful species such as black egret, purple heron, Malachite kingfisher, carmine and blue-cheeked bee-eaters and black coucal. In particular, the Delta is arguably the best place in Africa to view Pels fishing owl. From September onwards, huge heronries can be visited from a few specific camps. The Okavango Delta is also home to the rare and shy sitatunga, an antelope specially adapted for life amongst the extensive papyrus reed-beds which have formed along the margins of permanent water.
Red lechwe and tsessebe are common on the Okavango Delta floodplains, whilst the beautiful and fairly rare sable and roan antelope are found throughout the woodland areas of the Okavango, Linyanti and Chobe. In Chobe, puku and Chobe bushbuck can be seen along the river frontage, whilst oryx, red hartebeest and springbok inhabit the drier Kalahari regions.
Big cat viewing is excellent, with lion and leopard prevalent through all regions, and cheetah thriving in the Okavango, Linyanti, central Kalahari and Tuli Block regions. Night drives are especially productive for leopard sightings, as well as some of the smaller cats such as serval and African wild cat. Other nocturnal species which are often seen include honey badger, large spotted genet, porcupine, white-tailed mongoose, civet and the crepuscular bat-eared fox.
Please see our ‘regions’ section for more detailed information on Botswana’s different wildlife areas. Please contact us to discuss specialist trips as well as general game-viewing safaris.
- Botswana
Beach Extensions
Beach extensions to a Botswana safari
Botswana is a land-locked country and does not offer any kind of obvious ‘relaxation’ options above and beyond some extremely comfortable and exclusive safari lodges. If you wish to end you safari with such a lodge, where you can enjoy sitting, reading, sleeping, eating, sunbathing and gazing as opposed to rushing about on activities, then this is easy to engineer.
Alternatively, you could end your holiday with a few nights on the Upper Zambezi near Victoria Falls in Zambia, in the Namib Desert of Namibia, or even Cape Town in South Africa, all of which will offer the potential for a more relaxing final section to your trip, whilst still enjoying a new and incredible experience.
If you are looking for a traditional beach destination to combine with Botswana, then many amazing beach locations can be comfortably reached via Johannesburg in South Africa, including Mozambique, Mauritius, The Seychelles, the South Africa coast and Zanzibar (Tanzania).
Contact us to find out more information on beach extensions while on safari in Botswana. One of our safari specialists would be happy to talk you through the best options.
- Botswana
Honeymoons & Weddings
Honeymoons to Botswana and beyond
Botswana is a wonderful honeymoon safari destination as it offers amazing game-viewing, varied activities, exclusivity, intimate camps and lodges, stunning scenery and often very tranquil surroundings. For the more active, there are walking and horse-riding trails to consider, and there are certainly a variety of unique experiences available to make any honeymoon safari memorable. Light aircraft transfers between safari regions and camps are easy and fun, usually offering fantastic views. With iconic natural wonders such as the Okavango Delta to explore, Botswana really is a first class safari destination. However, Botswana safaris are not cheap and a Botswana safari combined with a good beach holiday does mean an expensive overall trip!
Whilst Botswana is land-locked, it can be combined with a variety of beach destinations or neighbouring countries to include different experiences. In particular, the Victoria Falls (Zambia/Zimbabwe) can offer relaxation as well as sight-seeing and activities, whilst slightly further afield amazing destinations such as the Namib Desert and Cape Town can easily be included. For the best beach extensions, Mauritius, Mozambique, The Seychelles and Zanzibar can all be combined with Botswana, although you will need to travel via Johannesburg.
There are many safari options to choose from in Botswana. If you’re looking for top level luxury, exclusivity and pampering, consider Xudum Okavango Delta Lodge, Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp, Vumbura Plains, Mombo Camp, Zarafa Camp, Selinda Camp or Jacks Camp.
More affordable, yet still very upmarket and sophisticated are a number of camps including properties such as Baines Camp, Little Vumbura, Jacana, Kwetsani, Kanana Camp and Shinde Camp.
If you are less worried about luxury levels and very keen to maximise your game-viewing experience then you could consider more down to earth properties such as Muchenje, Khwai Tented Camp, Lagoon Camp and Kwara Camp, whilst for more active and adventurous safaris you could consider a mobile camping trip with Letaka Safaris, a Footsteps Across the Delta walking safari, or horse-riding with Okavango Horse Safaris.
Safari Weddings in Botswana
We do not recommend getting married in Botswana because the process is ridiculously complex and you have to make more than one visit to the country! If you wish to get married in Africa, you’re probably better off considering doing so in South Africa, Zambia or Zimbabwe and then going to Botswana on ‘honeymoon’.
Please see our general ‘accommodation on safari’ page for more information on different styles of accommodation on safari. If you are looking into your first ever trip to Africa, you may wish to visit our ‘planning a safari’ section.
Whatever your specific ideas and desires, we specialise in designing individually tailored itineraries and can offer you the expertise and personal service required to guarantee a perfect honeymoon or wedding safari. Please call us to discuss your ideas and requirements.
- Botswana
Family Holidays
Family holidays in Botswana
Provided your children are old enough, Botswana is an amazing family safari destination to consider. Botswana offers fantastic wildlife, genuine wilderness, varied activities and exclusivity. Families can really enjoy an adventure into the wild, with fantastic guiding and a complete escape from modern facilities and communications. However, if your children are still young (perhaps under 10 years old, but there is no set age) then you may find countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia or South Africa more appropriate.
In terms of accommodation, some camps in Botswana have two-bedroomed ‘family units’ and safari tents are often large enough to include one extra bed. However, quadruple accommodation is rarely possible, especially on more adventurous safaris (private mobile camps or more down to earth properties) and it would be usual for a family of 4 to take two individual units rather than any specific ‘family accommodation’. If you are keen on adventure and exclusivity as a family, then you could consider a private mobile tented safari, either for your whole safari or just for a few ‘adventurous’ days (minimum three nights).
Botswana offers a wide range of safari activities, though many of the more adventurous activities (walking, horse-riding etc) will have lower age limits (normally around 14). In certain camps, or on private mobile safaris, specialist private guides can be arranged and activities can be orientated towards the kids as much as is required.
Please visit our Family Safaris page for more general information on travelling to Africa with children, or contact us with your specific ideas and questions.
- Botswana
Specialist & Private Guiding
Private & Specialist Guiding
Most of the safari camps in Botswana we recommend offer game drives with between 4 and 8 guests on a vehicle. In typical game-viewing circumstances, the best camps and lodges will usually not put more than 6 guests on one vehicle.
Whilst sharing your experiences with a few other guests is normal, and often great fun, it is usually possible to pay extra for ‘exclusive-use’ of a vehicle for all or part of your safari. A private vehicle naturally comes with a private guide and tends to be very appealing to more experienced travellers who have very specific interests such as birding or photography. Not all camps offer this option, and some camps charge significantly more than others. Taking a private vehicle is not necessary for most people, but it is an option to consider if you have specialist interests or simply would like to prioritise the flexibility and exclusivity that having a private vehicle and guide will offer.
Taking things one step further, it is possible to hire specialist ‘private guides’ in Botswana. This can be within the framework of permanent camps and lodges, or connected with some kind of private mobile safari, walking or horse-riding trail. There is always the option to explore regions such as the Moremi Game Reserve, Khwai Community Area, Savuti Marsh, Chobe River, Nxai Pans, Makgadikgadi Pans and Central Kalahari on a private mobile safari. The benefits of such a safari are heavily orientated around your guide, the private nature of your camp, and the activities. With many years experience as a leading Africa specialist we know personally, and have worked with, a wide range of specialist and professional guides in Botswana. These guides are ‘the best of the best’ and experts in their field. We highly recommend this form of private guiding.
If you feel that you would appreciate a private vehicle and/or a specialist private guide for all or part of your safari, please advise us when you speak to us. We are very flexible and different regions present different opportunities, so we will simply work with you to include the level of exclusivity and guiding that you desire.
- Botswana
Botswana Introduction
Welcome to the spectacular wilderness of Botswana.
Focus on Botswana – click here for details.
The wilderness and wildlife areas of Botswana are some of the most expansive and untamed lands in Africa. There may be few hills or mountains to speak of, and limited cultural opportunities, but what a Botswana safari offers in utter abundance is miles and miles of pristine, unspoilt African wilderness. It is a destination best suited to those seeking an in-depth experience of nature, from the smallest insects and most colourful birds to the largest herbivores and most elusive predators.
Botswana’s premier safari region is the famous Okavango Delta, an incredibly beautiful and game-rich region of waterways, lagoons, floodplains and open woodland. It is one of Africa’s greatest wildlife areas, and a truly magical wilderness to explore, whether by vehicle, horse-back, elephant-back, mokoro, motor-boat or on foot. The north of the country also boasts the Moremi Game Reserve (part of the Okavango), Linyanti region and Chobe National Park, all of which offer superb game-viewing and are sustained by the impressive Okavango, Kwando, Linyanti and Chobe rivers. To the south, where these waters rarely reach, the habitat changes into typical Kalahari scrub grassland, a vegetated desert that stretches for eternity, punctuated only by the vast Makgadikgadi salt pans and the occasional village or farming settlement.
Botswana is known as an exclusive and expensive safari destination, which on the whole is true. Unless you are prepared to self-drive and camp (only recommended for experienced Africa travellers), or join a group and camp, it is hard to visit Botswana on a ‘budget’. However, if you are looking to immerse yourself in the natural world, there are few places that can compete.
For further information on our luxury Botswana safari ideas please call us on 01787 888590 or contact us to speak to one of our safari specialists.
More information on seasons and when to travel »
- Botswana
Judith & Luciano from Hawaii travelled to Botswana
Thanks for your help with this wonderful trip. All in all, we loved Botswana. It is certainly an incredible, special place and we certainly would entertain a return trip at some point. All services and information provided by Safari Consultants was excellent, and yes, we would travel with S.C. again as we have done in the past. We will always remember our time in Botswana with much fondness for the people, the places, and the incredible wildlife and astounding beauty of the Delta.
- Botswana
Colin & Mabel from Cambridgeshire travelled to Botswana
Thanks Bill and staff for giving us such a great holiday. Everything worked extremely well as ever. The elephant experience (grey matters) was surreal, but Doug and his wife are so knowledgeable and very interesting the morning flew by too quickly. Colin really enjoyed the island camping experience it was just a pity we slept through the visit from a local hippo! Once again, many thanks to you all.
- Botswana
- ZambiaMel & Pauline travelled to Zambia and Botswana
Jane did a fantastic job in putting together our itinerary and she was right to make Mombo our last lodge! We would highly recommend Safari Consultants for their knowledge and professionalism.
- Botswana
Bob & Linda travelled to Botswana
We need a plastic surgeon to remove the grins from our faces – fantastic!! Everything you said was true and more.