Top 10 best things to see and do in Botswana

Monday newsletters always feature top 10 travel lists to inspire.

Today: Top 10 best things to see and do in Botswana

From the dramatic landscape of the world-famous Okavango Delta to the enormous elephant herds in Chobe National Park, Botswana boasts some of Africa’s most beautiful nature reserves and an array of exceptional wildlife. To embark on a Botswana safari (and the holiday of a lifetime) is to venture far off the beaten track into the untamed heart of Africa, where astonishing landscapes and rugged wilderness are the background of thrilling big game encounters. Here’s my list of the top 10 best things to see and do in Botswana, Africa’s most exclusive safari destination.

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10. VISIT THE HEART OF THE KALAHARI DESERT

The magnificent expanse of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a not-to-be-missed attraction when embarking on a Botswana safari. The  Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the second largest reserve in the world and by far the most remote reserve in southern Africa, offering almost exclusive wildlife safaris. Extending over 52,800 sq km (32,808 sq mi) of arid bushveld, the reserve is home to rhino, black-maned lion and desert-adapted elephants, among other striking game species. During the dryer months, the Kalahari reveals wide, desolate pans, which offer exceptional photographic opportunities. The reserve is well-known for providing awe-inspiring stargazing experiences as well as for its most notable attractions such as Deception Valley, the Sunday and Leopard Pans, Passage Valley and Piper’s Pan.

9. FLY OVER THE OKAVANGO DELTA IN A HELICOPTER

Scenic helicopter flights over the Okavango Delta’s majestic landscapes perfectly illustrate its raw and spectacular beauty. With many of the Delta’s most remote areas not reachable in any other way, an aerial perspective is the ideal way to gaze onto the vast Delta and its meandering labyrinth of crystal-clear channels. The incredible diversity and amount of wildlife encountered in the Delta becomes clear from above. Soar above pods of hippo sleeping the day away in the depths of a lagoon, watch a herd of elephants slowly amble along open grasslands or marvel at the fleet moves of red lechwe antelope as they leap through a fringe of papyrus reeds in the shallows. Keen photographers can choose to have the doors removed from the helicopter, allowing for unrestricted views and photographs of the spectacular panorama stretching below.

8. WITNESS AFRICA’S LARGEST ZEBRA MIGRATION AT NXAI PAN

Nxai Pan National Park is set on the northern fringe of Botswana’s Makgadikgadi basin and includes Nxai Pan, an ancient lake bed that was once part of the vast Lake Makgadikgadi. Unlike the salt-encrusted pans at Makgadikgadi, Nxai Pan is a waterless, fossil pan covered in grass with acacia islands. The area comes to life after the summer rains in December, when Nxai Pan gets covered in lush green grass. This attracts enormous concentrations of Burchell’s zebra, blue wildebeest and springbok, while healthy numbers of other grazers include gemsbok, eland and red hartebeest. The Chobe River to Nxai Pan National Park zebra migration is now the longest known mammal movement in Africa, even outnumbering the well-known seasonal wildebeest journey in the Serengeti.

7. EXPLORE BOTSWANA’S ICONIC CHOBE NATIONAL PARK

Covering almost 11,000 sq km (6,836 sq miles), Chobe was Botswana’s first National Park and remains one of its best, boasting the biggest concentration of wildlife in Africa. An oasis in a dry, at times desolate region, Chobe National Park’s Chobe River offers an irreplaceable lifeline to the reserve’s wildlife. In the mid- to late-afternoon, elephants comes down to the Chobe River’s banks, some small in number and others counting in the hundreds. Large herds of buffalo are found along the Chobe riverfront and grazing on the islands, crossing from one to the other or back to the mainland. Special game sightings include the indigenous and endangered puku antelope that can only be seen along the Chobe River banks. Chobe National Park is Botswana’s most accessible park to self-drive around.

6. GLIDE THROUGH THE OKAVANGO DELTA IN A MOKORO

A highlight for many travelers in Botswana is to glide through the Okavango Delta’s maze of clear channels and opaque lagoons on traditionally made mokoro boats, sitting mere centimeters above the water as they silently pass by unsuspecting wildlife. The mokoro boats were traditionally hand carved out of the huge Okavango Delta trees, but they are now made out of environmentally friendly fibre-glass in an effort to adopt sustainable practices in the region. Guests sit in front of a trained guide and oarsman, who stands firm at the boat’s stern, manually propelling the vessel with a ngashi pole, whittled from the branches of terminalia trees. Sitting just above the water, guests are propelled through the reeds, silently pass by unsuspecting wildlife, such as grazing herds of red lechwe on palm islands or wading hippos nearby.

5. GO ON A CLASSIC SAFARI IN THE OKAVANGO DELTA

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Okavango Delta is undeniably Botswana’s evergreen crown jewel. The largest inland delta in the world, the broad Okavango River sinks into the dry sands of the Kalahari Desert, creating a lush and waterlogged oasis with crystal clear lagoons and channels, reeded islands and fertile floodplains. The delta is affected by seasonal flooding with Angola’s flood water reaching the area between April and June, peaking in July. The flood peak coincides with Botswana’s dry season, resulting in great migrations of big game from the dry hinterland and terrific safari opportunities. Safari lodges in the Okavango Delta are generally situated on private concessions, allowing guests to participate in a wide range of activities, including game drives, nature walks, and boating excursions.

4. STAY IN A ULTRA-LUXURY SAFARI LODGE

Botswana boasts endless areas of protected natural terrains, epic landscapes and diverse wildlife, seemingly tailormade for the most discerning travelers. Unrivaled for its wilderness and privacy, the country is also home to some of Africa’s most luxurious safari camps. Botswana is an exclusive safari destination with an unwavering commitment to conservation and eco-tourism. As a result, the price to stay in a top lodge in Botswana is higher than elsewhere in Africa, but the experience is unfailingly of a high quality, most often in very remote and untouched parts of the country. Managing several fabulous high-end camps in Botswana, Wilderness dominates the luxury market in Botswana; &Beyond and Belmond also operate some world class lodges in the country. Find here my list of the top 10 best safari lodges & camps in Botswana).

3. EXPERIENCE AN EXTRAORDINARY NIGHT UNDER THE STARS

Nothing beats the adventure and thrill of sleeping out below the stars – with nothing between you and the raw African wilderness. This is slow travel at its best and a chance to truly connect to your natural surroundings with your loved one. Several camps and lodges managed by Wilderness offer skybeds on raised platforms, with everything you may need for a good night’s rest: the luxury of a comfortable bed, crisp linen, bathroom facilities and the knowledge that you’re safe in the hands of your nearby guide, suspended above the ground on an open air deck under the night sky. The only sounds you’ll hear at night are those belonging to the calls of the night – an elephant’s deep-bellied rumble, the eerie whoop of a hyena or the evocative roar of a lion.

2. ENCOUNTER MEGAHERDS OF ELEPHANTS IN THE LINYANTI 

Elephants, elephants, and more elephants – the Linyanti is known for hosting the world’s largest megaherds of elephants, traversing ancient corridors through the reserve on their migratory mission. Hundreds of miles from so-called civilization, the Linyanti is a pristine wilderness area of waterways and lagoons, riverine forests, huge trees and palm tree islands. In the heart of this exceptional wilderness reserve, the Linyanti River meets the Savuti Channel, creating one of Botswana’s most diverse habitats and a haven for wildlife. Game drives offer a thrilling experience on a safari in the Linyanti, which serves up incredible sighting, especially of elephants. Besides elephants, this productive area also attracts a high density of predators, including several large prides of lions and a healthy population of endangered African wild dog.

1. OBSERVE PREDATOR ACTION IN THE MOREMI GAME RESERVE

A 100 years after explorer David Livingstone called this land ‘country full of rivers’, the environment and wildlife in the Moremi area were under threat. It is because of the bold, local Batawana people that this area was proclaimed Moremi Game Reserve in 1963, making Moremi the oldest and first protected reserve of the Okavango Delta. The reserve contains about a quarter of the Okavango Delta and stretches across several thousand square kilometres, comprising a stunning landscape of forests, lagoons, floodplains and islands. Game viewing is excellent year-round and resident species include lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant, African wild dog, zebra, red lechwe and many more. The Moremi Game Reserve is famed for its excellent predator action, which mainly takes place on the reserve’s landmass known as ‘Chief’s Island’.

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