Are you starting to plan an African safari adventure? It’s a trip like no other, allowing you to get up close and personal with the famous ‘Big Five’ animals – lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos – in their natural habitats. And Botswana is arguably the very best country to do it!
This landlocked country in Southern Africa might be sparsely populated with humans – but it boasts more than its fair share of beautiful beasts. From game drives to boat cruises, you’re almost guaranteed to see a diverse range of wildlife on your travels across this natural gem.
Its unique landscapes are like something from space, with stunning deserts, salt pans and rivers stretching for miles under endless skies. It’s a hotspot for stargazing too thanks to the country’s low light pollution – aided by that small population, of course.
The local people you will meet are also known to be friendly and welcoming, offering insights into traditional ways of life and even teaching animal tracking skills. So how can you make the most of a Botswana safari?
Here are the best places to go and when to travel!
Where to go on your Botswana safari tour
You certainly aren’t short of attractions on a luxury safari holiday in Botswana.
The Okavango Delta region is arguably the star of the show. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to a huge array of wildlife and habitats over 2 million hectares of land, making it the largest intact inland delta anywhere in the world.
Then there’s the Chobe National Park, another vast space that stretches up north from the aforementioned delta. You can see big cats in the Savuti area, elephants on the plains, and buffalos at the water’s edge of the Chobe River.
The Moremi Game Reserve is also high on many travellers’ lists. It’s a beautiful, closely protected area that hosts all the Big Five, plus native animals like hippos, antelopes and elegant giraffes.
Other worthy visits include:
- The Makgadikgadi Pans, which are shimmering salt pans that stretch for miles and create an otherworldly landscape
- The Central Kalahari Game Reserve, a highly exclusive reserve that’s home to historic local communities and only allows limited outside visitors each year
- The Tsodilo Hills, imposing rock formations sometimes called the ‘Louvre of the Desert’ in honour of the thousands of ancient paintings adorning the cave walls
When’s best to visit Botswana?
The answer, of course, at least partly depends on what you want to see and do in Botswana. The country tends to have three notable seasons:
- Rainy season from November or December to March, with warm temperatures, occasional thunderstorms and high humidity
- Mostly dry, sunny weather from April to July, with temperatures beginning to drop – especially at night in June and July
- Hotter, mostly dry weather from August to October
November to March can be a good time to see wildlife and the natural landscape blossoming. The Okavango Delta meanwhile tends to flood from June to October, which is ideal for spotting game as lots of wildlife retreats to smaller dry areas. The weather isn’t usually too stifling during this period either, making it a popular choice for safari goers.
Is Botswana a new addition to your travel bucket list? If these tips have piqued your interest, it’s sure to blow you away when you see it for real!
