Botswana
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Botswana’s vast wilderness offers some of the most prolific and diverse wildlife viewing in Africa. The Okavango River feeds the largest inland delta on the planet, bringing life to the arid sands of the Kalahari Desert. And with water comes a plethora of game: impala, sable and kudu, zebra, giraffe and huge herds of elephant, with lion and leopard in close pursuit. Botswana’s long-standing commitment to conservation and carefully managed tourism ensures an African wildlife experience with few parallels. On safari in remote, untamed Botswana, the only crowds you’ll encounter are those that have been here for centuries – the animals.
Read About the Different Regions and Parks in Botswana
Our Expert Says
Botswana is exceedingly wild and remote, with some of the most prolific wildlife in Africa. Botswana's elephant populations are among the largest in the world, and the opportunity for close-up safari encounters with them, as well as predators like leopard, cheetah and lion, makes for extremely exciting game viewing. Birding is fantastic everywhere, particularly in the Okavango Delta. Intimate safari camps located on private concessions offer a wide range of activities, from day and night game drives to mokoro rides and boat safaris, allowing travelers to experience the wildlife and stunning natural beauty of Botswana away from large tourist crowds.
– John Holahan
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Botswana Safari Highlights
Botswana’s extensive game reserves are second to none for sheer numbers and variety of wildlife. Through our network of the country’s most distinctive camps, guests have access to private and exceptionally remote wildlife-viewing opportunities. Moremi Game Reserve, on the edge of the Okavango Delta, is an exhilarating tract of woodlands and wetlands favored by enormous bull elephants, herds of buffalo and prides of lion. Travel by poled mokoro within the delta’s maze of channels to see hippo, crocodile, water-adapted antelope like red lechwe and the rare sitatunga, and hundreds of birds. In the Savute and Linyanti marshlands, day and night game drives are offered from isolated camps located in private concessions. Chobe National Park is famed for elephants, hundreds of which congregate along the Chobe River. And in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, observe surprising numbers of animals sustained by the waterholes that dot the vast salt pans.
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Botswana Wildlife
Botswana’s extensive game reserves are second to none for sheer numbers and variety of wildlife. Through our network of the country’s most distinctive camps, guests have access to private and exceptionally remote wildlife-viewing opportunities. Moremi Game Reserve, on the edge of the Okavango Delta, is an exhilarating tract of woodlands and wetlands favored by enormous bull elephants, herds of buffalo and prides of lion. Travel by poled mokoro within the delta’s maze of channels to see hippo, crocodile, water-adapted antelope like red lechwe and the rare sitatunga, and hundreds of birds. In the Savute and Linyanti marshlands, day and night game drives are offered from isolated camps located in private concessions. Chobe National Park is famed for elephants, hundreds of which congregate along the Chobe River. And in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, observe surprising numbers of animals sustained by the waterholes that dot the vast salt pans.
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Quick Botswana Facts
A stable and prosperous democracy, land-locked Botswana is located in the center of southern Africa, bordered by Namibia to the west, Angola and Zambia on the north, Zimbabwe to the east and South Africa on the south. At 224,652 square miles, Botswana is about the size of France or Texas. The Kalahari Desert comprises most of Botswana’s landmass, with 84 percent of the country covered by sand. The Okavango River fans into the world’s largest inland delta, bringing annual floods and permanent water into the desert. Botswana’s citizens are called “Batswana.” The national language is Setswana and the official language is English. A majority of Botswana’s 2 million people live in the east, primarily in the capital Gaborone. Mining is Botswana’s largest industry and diamonds are its primary export, while tourism, in second place, accounts for nearly 11 percent of GDP.
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Conservation in Botswana
Botswana is one of Africa’s premier conservation success stories. Strong government dedication to preserving habitat and tight limits on visitor numbers are helping to ensure the vitality of the natural resources needed for thriving wildlife populations. A global leader in national commitment to protecting wild spaces, Botswana has set aside 17 percent of its land as National Parks and Reserves and another 22 percent as Wildlife Management Areas, providing crucial buffer zones between parks and inhabited communities. Botswana employs a land-use strategy devised to allow local communities to benefit from wildlife and sustainable eco-tourism. By focusing on high-quality, low-volume tourism, Botswana hopes to protect its natural treasures for posterity. Tourism currently employs nearly 45 percent of northern Botswana’s people. World Wildlife Fund also assists Botswana’s elephants and rhinos, working to slow habitat loss, strengthen curbs on illegal ivory trade and reduce conflict between human and animal populations.
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