With four national parks, two UNESCO World Heritage sites, and numerous wildlife reserves, Botswana is truly the pride of Africa. Though Botswana is landlocked by four countries, it is surrounded by two massive rivers, the Okavango Delta and the Chobe River which serve as a boundary to an abundance of wildlife. If you want to spot The Big Five, this is the place to be. Botswana is a dream destination for people looking to embark on a safari as it has perfect settings for extraordinary safari experiences. This small nation, with a populace of simply over 2.5 million, tops the savvy travelers’ lists for flora and fauna and breathtaking landscapes on the continent. Come join us while we immerse ourselves in the true spirit of Botswana.
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Top 8 Things To Do And Places To Visit In Botswana
Visit The Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is one of the foremost exalting and impressive geographical locations in the continent, if not the complete planet. The Delta may be a truly unspoiled geographical area with dry grasslands to swamps. Safaris and game looking are the foremost fashionable activities within the park. Cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, elephants, crocodiles, hippos, and rhinos are some of the animals that you can spot while here. Top things to do while at the Okavango Delta are:
Take A Traditional Mekoro Ride – A ride in a mokoro is one of the most popular ways to explore the Okavango Delta. Take in the beauty of the Delta with this ride through the endless waterways surrounded by dense greenery. The only sounds that one can hear are the sound of the poles pushing through the water. It’s a great place for bird-watching and extraordinary wildlife viewing.
Aerial View Of The Delta With A Helicopter Ride – The beauty of this flight, a helicopter ride is that you simply get a real sense of how massive the Okavango is. Flying over serenely on top of its ox-bow lakes, counting the hippos, elephants, and buffaloes is something that will stay with you for a really long time.
Meet The Bushmen In The Kalahari
The Bushmen of the Kalahari are the oldest inhabitants of Southern Africa. Similar to the desert, the San conquered this difficult land way back, honing their survival skills over generations. To tap into the rich culture of Botswana and to get hold of a few of their secrets, join the Bushmen for a walk in the desert. You’ll learn how to extract water from roots, to set traps to catch guinea fowl, and how to track animals and hunt them the Bushmen way. Thousands of years’ worth of accumulated knowledge is passed on to younger generations. This is done to preserve the traditions and culture of their ancestors. Many lodges and camps offer Bushmen walks and treks that help explore the reserve in an informative and insightful manner.
Discover Wilderness At Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pan Park
The lesser-known Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan Park is a huge land that features Ntwetwe Pan, Kudiakam Pan, Nxai Pan, and Makgadikgadi Pan, the largest of all. These salt pans are part of the ancient nice central Botswana Lake that lined the desert many million years ago. Within the season the plains of the park are barren. Animals gather to drink and resident hippos wallow in the deep pools of water. The endless ethereal satellite landscape of lustrous salt pans is spectacular for quad biking. Once the rains come back, a dramatic amendment is seen because the land springs to life – grasslands flourish and also the pans stock up with water, attracting an amazing array of water birds and triggering spectacular migrations of the wild like zebras. There are high chances of spotting the cutest animals on the planet, meerkats right here.
Marvel At The Rock Art Of Tsodilo
Located in the far northwest of Botswana is the Tsodilo Hills where you can see the largest collections of rock paintings in the world. Ritual dances, hunting, and wildlife dating from the Stone Age to the 19th century are depicted in the rock paintings. The Tsodilo Hills seem suddenly out of the land within the northwest desert. These imposing rock formations of variable shapes and sizes are created to look like an additional spectacular compared to the relative flatness of the surrounding land within the desert. The Tsodillo Hills are a United Nations agency World Heritage site and are home to an incredible 4500 cave paintings displayed over two hundred locations. Tsodilo is considered sacred to the local people who believe their ancestral spirits inhabited the land, hence be very respectful during your visit. The simplest time to go is within the winter months as summer is blisteringly hot.
River Safari At The Chobe National Park
Chobe is Botswana’s first national park and the third largest, however, it’s one of the biggest concentrations of rare game animals within the continent. The park takes its name from the Chobe watercourse whose initial look is sure to take your breath away. Also as an attractive sight, the rivers support a brilliant ecosystem of rare and exotic creatures as well as birds, elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos, baboons, and buffalo. Throughout the winter season, it’s attainable to envision a herd of many elephants at a time. The best way to see them is on an exciting river safari through companies that organize such safaris for sweeping cinematic views of Botswana wildlife. Sign up for a sundowner river cruise with the best photographic opportunities against the dramatic African sunset. This Botswana national park is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Suggested Reads: Botswana Legalizes Hunting Elephants, Faces Severe Backlash
Camping At Moremi Game Reserve
Said to be one of the best game reserves in Africa, this park has lots going for it. Just beside the Okavango Delta, is the Moremi game reserve which offers some gorgeous scenery and also boasts an equally spectacular ecosystem. Moremi is filled with all kinds of African wildlife, such as giraffes, zebras, elephants, rhinos, lions, hippos, cheetahs, hyenas, and more. It is especially a great park for game viewing as there are few vehicles and people around. However, it is perhaps best known for being home to the Cape wild dog and leopard. In an effort to keep the area natural and unspoiled, Moremi Reserve has very few lodges. However, there are four areas set aside exclusively for camping on the outskirts of the Reserve. Off-roading, embellish safaris with night drives, walks, and horse-riding while camping here are once-in-a-lifetime experiences!
Horseback Safari At Kalahari Reserve
Next on our list is the Horse riding safari, an exclusive activity in Botswana that is recommended for all. One of the wildest and untouched of all is the Central Kalahari Game Reserve which is the second-largest reserve in the world and the biggest in Botswana. Wild, mysterious, and astonishingly huge, the wilderness here is the perfect place for a horseback safari. There are many safaris this country has to offer but the galloping rides through shady woodlands will add a whole lot of new memories to your experience. Horseback Botswana safaris are usually combined with a multi-day mobile expedition. However, you can choose whatever suits you best. From full-day rides to morning and afternoon explorations, there are many options to see Africa’s Wild side on horseback. Let yourself loose and step into the woods with experienced guides for a safe expedition.
Ferry Across The African Quadripoint
There are many instances where the borders of two or three nations collide, however, the rare confluence of a complete four nations (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia) meeting along one spot solely exists in this continent. In a place called Kazungula, the African quadripoint is within the middle of a river that cuts between the four countries. The only way to experience this quadripoint is by boarding the Kazungula ferry across the Zambezi River. The journey across the river will pass over four international borders simultaneously. Visiting multiple countries off your African bucket list in just a few days, isn’t that cool! The process is both lengthy and expensive but it is worth the effort.
Also Read: Sustainable Travel in Botswana Helps Fight Poaching
With almost half of the country set for wilderness tourism, this terrific destination has become a favorite among safari lovers worldwide. So, what are you waiting for, start planning your Botswana vacation now and share with us how many tourist destinations in Botswana are you looking forward to experiencing.
Botswana is a landlocked country in the center of Southern Africa. It is bordered by Namibia to the west and north, Zimbabwe and Zambia to the northeast, and South Africa to the southeast and south.
The dry season between May and October has the best weather in Botswana. This is the time of the year when game viewing is at its peak as animals can be spotted in increasing numbers.
– The smallest border (150m long) in the world is between Botswana and Zambia.
– In 2014 the Okavango Delta became the 1000th UNESCO world heritage site.
– Before becoming independent, Botswana was known as Bechuanaland.
The official languages of Botswana are English (used for official business) and Tswana (country’s national language) which is spoken by most of them.
