When it comes to African safari destinations, Botswana is a little bit special. As well as ticking all the boxes for abundant wildlife and of course the Big Five, it’s the variety of landscapes that makes the country stand out.
From river delta to arid desert and everything in between, Botswana is a relatively untouched wilderness where adventurous travellers can enjoy safaris with the feeling of exclusivity.
So if you are planning a Botswana safari holiday, here are our top 5 safari destinations in Botswana to visit.
- OKAVANGO DELTA
The Okavango Delta is a vast inland river delta in northern Botswana. It’s known for its sprawling grassy plains, which flood seasonally, becoming a lush animal habitat. The Moremi Game Reserve occupies the east and central areas of the region. Here, dugout canoes are used to navigate past hippos, elephants and crocodiles. On dry land, wildlife includes lions, leopards, giraffes and rhinos.
- CHOBE NATIONAL PARK
Chobe National Park is in northern Botswana near the vast, inland Okavango Delta. It’s known for its large herds of elephants and Cape buffalo, which converge along the Chobe Riverfront in the dry months. Lions, antelopes and hippos inhabit the woods and lagoons around Linyanti Marsh. The floodable grasslands of the Savuti Marsh attract numerous bird species, plus migrating zebras.
- MOREMI WILDLIFE RESERVE
Moremi Game Reserve is in northern Botswana, in the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during seasonal floods. Dugout canoes are used to navigate past birdlife, hippos and crocodiles on waterways like the Xakanaxa Lagoon. On land, wildlife includes lions, leopards and rhinos. Safari camps are common, with several dotted around large Chief’s Island and the forested Mopane Tongue Peninsula.
- THE KALAHARI DESERT
The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Africa extending for 900,000 square kilometres, covering much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa.
- MAKGADIKGADI PAN
In 1970, the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park was declared, which today comprises an area of 4,900 sq km. The Makgadikgadi’s two largest pans, Ntwetwe pan and Sua pan (sometimes called Sowa pan) do not fall within the park’s boundaries but are reachable by 4×4 in dry season. These are both spectacular places to explore for those who seek freedom in solitude. Nata Bird Sanctuary, on the north-east of Sua Pan is run by a community trust to protect the multitude of water-birds that flock there annually.