Botswana

Why go

Most safaris here are fly-in. Camps stay small, and the north is set up for boats and mokoros as well as game drives. Cape Town, the Namib, and Victoria Falls are straightforward to add before or after.

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  Water safaris

  In the Okavango, a mokoro or a motorboat is often the morning activity, with a drive or a walk later. Horseback riding is offered in some concessions, and the Makgadikgadi pans add quad bikes and sleep-outs on the salt.

  • Mokoro trips and motorboat cruises through papyrus channels.
  • Habituated meerkats in the Kalahari, if that camp is on the route.
  • A San walk, which is a cultural morning, not a game drive.
  • Helicopter or balloon flights over the delta, booked as an extra.
  • Horseback where the concession allows it.
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  Wildlife through the year

  Moremi and the delta hold the Big Five, wild dogs, lechwe, and sitatunga. Chobe is the place for large elephant herds in the dry months. Savuti is known for lions and hyenas.

  • Moremi for leopard and a classic Big Five drive inside the delta.
  • Chobe's riverfront when the elephants come to drink, roughly June to October.
  • Savuti lions, including prides known for hunting large prey.
  • Wild dog, brown hyena, sable, red lechwe, and sitatunga if you want more than the famous five.
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  Small camps

  Many camps sit on islands or private land, reached by light aircraft. Private concessions are the ones that usually allow off-road driving, night drives, and walks.

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  Space beyond the delta

  The Kalahari's wooded grasslands and seasonal pans, the San communities of the desert, and Botswana's zebra movement — one of Africa's longest land migrations — sit well away from the busiest waterways.

Where to go

• Okavango DeltaAn inland wetland in the Kalahari. Channels, lagoons, and islands. Drives, walks, boats, and mokoros, with Moremi as the best-known wildlife reserve inside the system.
• Chobe National ParkThe Chobe riverfront gathers elephants, buffalo, and predators in the dry season. Boat cruises are the usual way to see the river, with drives inland.
• LinyantiPrivate wetland concessions east of the delta, including the Selinda and Kwando areas. Fewer vehicles, strong wild-dog and elephant country, almost always reached by air.
• KalahariCentral Kalahari, Makgadikgadi, and Nxai Pan. Meerkats, brown hyena, desert-adapted game, and huge salt pans that were once a lake.
• Tuli BlockA private corner in the east, on the Limpopo. Elephant country with a drier look than the delta, and an easy link toward South Africa.

When to go

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  May to October

  The dry winter, and the months to book if game viewing is the point. Animals gather at water, camps fill, and rates rise toward August, September, and October.

  • May, June, and July: the dry season has started, mornings are cold in the delta, and the parks are not yet at their busiest.
  • August: very dry, and one of the most popular months. Brief showers are possible in the south late in the month.
  • September: elephants pack the Chobe and Linyanti rivers. A big bull can drink on the order of 200 litres in a day, which is why the riverbank looks the way it does.
  • October: the hottest month, still busy, especially on the Chobe riverfront.
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  November to April

  Summer rain. Wildlife spreads out, the bush turns green, and some tracks close. Birding is excellent and camp rates are usually lower.

  • January: unpredictable, heavy showers. Fewer visitors.
  • February: the wettest month. The Central Kalahari goes green.
  • March: still raining, and often the best month for landscape photographs.
  • April: the rains ease. A useful shoulder if you want green and space.
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  The flood

  Okavango water from the Angolan rains arrives months later, so the delta can be at its fullest in the dry season. The Kalahari zebra movement is a separate event, and one of the longest land migrations on the continent. It is not the Serengeti calendar.

Travel advice

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  Getting there

  International flights usually reach Johannesburg, then Maun for the delta or Kasane for Chobe. Between camps, a light aircraft is normal. Road transfers exist but the distances are long.

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  Health

  The north is a malaria area. Ask a travel clinic before you go. Yellow fever rules depend on where you fly from, so check the current requirement with the airline.

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  Entry

  Visa and passport rules change. Confirm them for your nationality before you buy flights. A passport with blank pages is the usual expectation.

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  Money

  Camps mostly work in US dollars or on a prepaid basis. There are few ATMs once you leave Maun or Kasane. Tips for guides are not included in published sample prices.

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  What to pack

  Neutral clothing, a warm layer for winter mornings, a hat, and binoculars. Soft bags are easier in small aircraft. Drones are restricted in the parks.

Accommodation

Costs

From the journal

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  Seasons

  A Seasonal Guide to Planning Your Botswana Safari

  A Seasonal Guide to Planning Your Botswana Safari is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for Botswana. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.

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  Lodges

  Best Botswana Safari Lodges Camps

  Best Botswana Safari Lodges Camps is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for Botswana. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.

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  Places

  Wildlife in Botswana What Animals Will You See on Safari

  Wildlife in Botswana What Animals Will You See on Safari is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for Botswana. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.

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  Places

  Best Botswana National Parks to Visit for Safari

  Best Botswana National Parks to Visit for Safari is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for Botswana. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.