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8 best things to do on safari in Botswana

8/2/2017

24 Comments

 
Best things to do on safari in Botswana
​By Roxanne Reid
Landlocked in the heart of Southern Africa, Botswana is one of the most diverse safari experiences on the continent. Every day will reveal something new and thrilling. Go for a bush walk or game drive in the soft early morning light, watch the sky turn red at sunset, and listen to the sounds of the African night. Here’s my pick of the 8 best things to do on safari in Botswana.

1. Fly over the Okavango
Okavango Delta from the air, Botswana
The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of very few inland deltas in the world. It’s filled by floods from the Angolan Highlands 1000km to the north. Here in Botswana the land becomes flat and the water spreads out over 15 000 square kilometres. Try to book a fly-in safari to at least one of the water camps like Xigera. This will let you appreciate the jigsaw of islands, water channels and floodplains – perhaps even a herd of elephant or giraffe – from above.

Top tip
If you’re prone to air sickness on small planes, sit over the wing where it’s most stable.

2. Glide through the water in a mokoro 
Mokoro, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Whatever you do, don’t miss poling along the waterways of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro (dug-out canoe). It’s a chance to sneak up silently on anything from elephant and hippo to fish-eagle, African jacana or Pel’s fishing-owl. It’s also the best way to spot small creatures like frogs and butterflies, to glide gently past water lilies and quietly soak up the ambiance of this pristine wilderness environment.

Top tip
​
For best results, try to be quiet and don’t stand up in the mokoro.

3. Go on a game drive
Lion and cubs, Botswana
A guided game drive in an open safari vehicle is a must. Marvel at the skill of your guides as they drive through thick sand and track animals through the bush. Game drives during our last trip to Botswana produced some of the best sightings of our lives. In the Okavango, there were twin leopard cubs, and lion cubs interfering with their mothers’ attempts to hunt warthog. In the Linyanti we saw a dramatic lion kill at DumaTau and followed wild dogs tearing through the veld at high speed at Selinda.

Top tip
​
Don’t miss a single game drive because each can be totally different.

4. Join a guided bush walk 
Bush walk, Botswana
An early morning bush walk with a guide gets you close to nature when the light is soft and the air cool. Take in the sounds and smells of the bush. Focus on small things like tracks, insects and plants. You’ll be surprised how fascinating animal droppings and termite mounds can be in the hands of a skilled guide. Because of the slow and silent pace, walking is also one of the best ways to see birds. If you’re really keen to walk, visit private concessions because it’s not allowed in Botswana’s national parks.

Top tip
​
As a safety precaution, walks may not be available when long grass reduces visibility.

5. Take a cruise on the Chobe River
Chobe River boat cruise, Botswana
At Chobe National Park in northern Botswana you’ll find vast herds of elephant and buffalo. My favourite activity is to take a river cruise for a different perspective, to get close enough for great photos of drinking elephants, basking crocs and hippos. With some 450 species of birds in Chobe, you’ll enjoy water birds like fish eagles, African jacanas and kingfishers. Join a late afternoon cruise for a chance to watch the sunset glow orange and red over the river.

Top tip
If a three-hour cruise isn’t enough, book a night on a houseboat on the Chobe River.

6. Experience the Makgadikgadi at sunset
Picture
Botswana’s white Makgadikgadi salt pans cover an area about the size of Switzerland. After the first rains thousands of zebra and wildebeest migrate here, but for much of the year the pans are dry. Tie your kikoi Lawrence-of-Arabia-style and go quad-biking into the nothingness from Jack’s Camp. See the dusty lunar landscape stretch flat to the horizon, feel the salt crunch underfoot and listen to the silence. Find a spot away from your travel mates and experience the sunset in soulful stillness, not even the chirp of an insect. Once it’s dark look up and drink in the whole of the southern hemisphere’s stars and planets.

Top tip
​
Take a warm jacket because the air gets cool after dark even when days are hot.

7. Learn about Bushmen culture in the Kalahari
Walk with the Bushmen, Botswana
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is Botswana’s largest conservation area, a place to see lion, cheetah, brown hyena and honey badger. Join a short interpretive walk with the San Bushmen to explore their ancient culture. Learn how they make fire, gather plants for food and medicine, trap birds, and track and hunt big game. Discover a multitude of uses for a simple digging stick.

Top tip
At Kalahari Plains Camp you can sleep under open skies on a star bed on the roof of your unit.

8. Support responsible travel
Bush breakfast, Botswana
Botswana supports responsible tourism, which involves environmental sustainability, employing and training people from local communities, and conserving wildlife for future generations. All this may come at a cost to visitors, but the high-value, low-impact model means you get personal, authentic experiences without being overrun by mass tourism. Travel with a clear conscience, knowing that while you enjoy the holiday of a lifetime you’re also giving back, making a difference to the environment, wildlife and local communities.

Top tip
Ask questions about a camp’s eco, community and conservation principles before you book.

Note: This post was in collaboration with Africa Odyssey, which creates and books safari holidays and honeymoons in Africa. My recommendations are based on personal experience.

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Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
8 best things to do on safari in Botswana's Okavango, Chobe, Kalahari and Makgadikgadi. Okavango mokoro trip, Chobe sunset river cruise, see Okavango from the air, Botswana game drive, Botswana bush walk, Makgadikgadi quad biking, Bushman culture, Botswana responsible tourism. #travel #africa
8 best things to do on safari in Botswana's Okavango, Chobe, Kalahari and Makgadikgadi. Okavango mokoro trip, Chobe sunset river cruise, see Okavango from the air, Botswana game drive, Botswana bush walk, Makgadikgadi quad biking, Bushman culture, Botswana responsible tourism. #travel #africa
24 Comments
Alexis Dominique
10/2/2017 08:19:25 am

Je suis tout aussi fasciné que vous de cet endroit du globe, votre descriptif est tout à fait intéressant et complet, vraiment je conseille vivement aux gens de découvrir cette partie du monde, c'est vraiment le paradis sur terre

Reply
Roxanne
10/2/2017 08:35:51 am

Paradise on earth is a good description, Alexis. Thanks for your comment.

Reply
William
10/2/2017 10:29:47 pm

Heaven can't be much better. What an amazing divers country.

Reply
Roxanne
11/2/2017 08:05:43 am

You're right, William, if you love safari, Botswana *is* heaven. And it's probably one of the most diverse safari experiences on the continent.

Reply
Maegan White link
11/2/2017 08:33:45 am

WOW! This place has such a raw beauty to it. The lion cubs are adorable and you did a fantastic job capturing them. I would love to dine at that table! Cheers!

Reply
Roxanne
11/2/2017 08:48:35 am

Ah yes, Maegan, the beauty of Botswana is legendary. Thanks for taking the time to read and share your thoughts.

Reply
liz
11/2/2017 10:45:44 am

Can I come on your next trip?!! You seen to travel around so much. Have you anything left to do on your bucket list?

Reply
Roxanne
11/2/2017 01:19:52 pm

Ha ha, Liz. Still lots of places on my bucket list - Antarctica and South America among them. And as for Africa, we're going to East Africa for the first time this year. That's been on the old bucket list for years and years.

Reply
Monique Cranna
11/2/2017 12:05:07 pm

Awesome article Roxanne. Can't wait to plan a trip to Botswana to try some of these out!

Reply
Roxanne
11/2/2017 01:18:24 pm

Thanks, Monique. The locals call it "Beautiful Botswana" and I reckon it's Bucketlist Botswana too!

Reply
Jess link
11/2/2017 02:23:31 pm

Great post! I'm headed to Botswana in May and can't wait :)

Reply
Roxanne
11/2/2017 08:15:35 pm

I envy you, Jess, I wish I was going back. If it's your first time you're in for a great treat.

Reply
Caroline Hurry link
11/2/2017 02:23:51 pm

Oh wow, Roxanne, this article brought back some wonderful memories. I visited both Xigera and Jack's Camp some years ago and both places still stand out as one of the best holidays I have ever experienced. Botswana and the Okavango Delta are my most favourite places in the world ... and the places I dream of when I'm trying to relax!

Reply
Roxanne
11/2/2017 08:17:06 pm

I absolutely loved Xigera, Caroline. We even saw a Pel's fishing-owl, which I've only seen twice in my life. I also dream of the Okavango when I want to relax.

Reply
hannetjie v.d.W
12/2/2017 12:04:32 am

i am going there later this year. Thanks for the tips.

Reply
Roxanne
12/2/2017 08:44:53 am

I'm quite envious that your Botswana trip is still in front of you, Hannetjie. Hope it's wonderful - and of course it will be.

Reply
Sara Essop link
12/2/2017 08:21:13 am

As a bush addict, a safari in Botswana is high up on my bucket list. I've only gone as far as Gaborone! The aerial view of the Okavango Delta looks amazing and so does the Mokoro - although I'd be concerned about hippos and crocs sneaking up silently on me instead of the other way around :-)

Reply
Roxanne
12/2/2017 08:47:18 am

You haven't lived till you've gone on safari in Botswana, Sara. The mokoro experience is blissful and luckily the guides are very aware of crocs and hippos and practise avoidance techniques :-)

Reply
Jessica C link
12/2/2017 10:27:27 am

I would love to do the mokoro! But there are so many ways I didn't know of to see these magnificent animals. I want to do them all!!

Reply
Roxanne
12/2/2017 10:29:54 am

Mokoro is definitely one of my favourites, Jessica, but all of them have their own appeal. Game drive, river cruise, bush walk, it's best to have a mix of all of them for the most memorable experience.

Reply
Allison
13/2/2017 01:44:10 am

If I was to win the lottery I would start and number 1 and work through to 8 and then start again. I would probably take Roxanne along with me as a guide!

Reply
Roxanne
13/2/2017 07:47:54 am

If you were to win the lottery and go to Botswana, Allison, I'd be thrilled to tag along and be your guide :-)

Reply
Carrie Hampton link
13/2/2017 01:07:51 pm

Loved this article and even though I also go on safari a lot, this makes me want to go again right now!
Thanks Roxanne,

Reply
Roxanne
13/2/2017 03:12:59 pm

Oh Carrie, I know exactly what you mean. Makes me want to go again too. Botswana is a very special place.

Reply

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    I'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel.
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    We're happiest in the middle of nowhere, meeting the locals, trying something new, or simply watching the grass grow.
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