8 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.

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1. Fly over the Okavango

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 

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

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 

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

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

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

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

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.

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