Highlights of Botswana
- See the rare black maned lions of the Central Kalahari
- Harsh desert environment that becomes a wildlife magnet in the wet season, with the famous large black maned lions as a particular highlight.
- See the rare black maned lions of the Central Kalahari
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- Elephant watching by boat along the Chobe River
- Famed for huge herds of elephant and buffalo, this is also a fine area for big cats, where game can be viewed from land or water.
- Elephant watching by boat along the Chobe River
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- See Burchell's zebra in the Nxai Pan
- The remote Nxai Pan offers wonderful landscapes and one of Botswana’s most iconic sights, the Baines Baobabs, made famous by painter Thomas Baines in 1862.
- See Burchell's zebra in the Nxai Pan
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- Go on a mokoro trip in the Xigera Concession
- One of the finest wetland areas of the Okavango Delta, the Xigera Concession is the perfect place to explore the beautiful, tranquil waterways by boat or mokoro.
- Go on a mokoro trip in the Xigera Concession
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- See black & white rhino in the Moremi National Park
- At the heart of the Okavango Delta with two dominant landmasses in Chief’s Island and the Mopane Tongue, this is one of the finest big game areas on the continent. Black and white rhino were re-introduced to Chief's Island a few years ago and are now thriving.
- See black & white rhino in the Moremi National Park
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- Go on a walking safari in the Shinde Concession
- An excellent mixed concession in the Okavango, with abundant game and a range of safari activities available on foot, by vehicle or on the water. Large palm islands provide the ideal environment for walking safaris.
- Go on a walking safari in the Shinde Concession
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- Quad bike on the Makgadigadi salt pans
- Stunning other-worldly scenery, unrivalled remoteness, centuries of Bushman history and clans of meerkat. This is a very special and totally unique place which can be enjoyed on a quad bike trip.
- Quad bike on the Makgadigadi salt pans
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- See lion hunt in the Duba Concession
- Another area of the Okavango immortalised on film, where an age old battle between lions and buffalo rages on right before your eyes.
- See lion hunt in the Duba Concession
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- Spot the endangered wild dog in the Linyanti Wetlands
- Made up of the Linyanti, Selinda and Kwando Concessions in the north of Botswana, this superb game viewing area is one of the best places in Africa for wild dog.
- Spot the endangered wild dog in the Linyanti Wetlands
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- See elephants in the Savute Area
- The legendary (and usually dry) Savute Channel is found in the southern reaches of Chobe National Park. The area is superb for elephant and they are at their most spectacular besides the waterholes; fearless lions have been known to go after elephant here.
- See elephants in the Savute Area
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Our country specialists have travelled the length and breadth of Botswana - here are a few of their favourite things to do
Over a thousand miles from Botswana, rain falls in Central Africa. Big drops drip from trees, rush into streams, down gullies and into rivers.
Slowly the Okavango River forms, and flows not to the sea but into the rippling sands of the Kalahari where it disperses in a myriad of waterways and twinkling lagoons, creating a delicate web of life.
The Okavango Delta
This is the Okavango Delta, a world of glittering water. Whispering palm islands are criss-crossed with animal tracks, the surrounding lagoons carpeted with lilies, orange gentians and water lettuce beneath which silver fish dart to and fro. Iridescent kingfishers dive, hippos grunt and papyrus rustles in the breeze.
Botswana's wildlife
Elephant and giraffe feed in the dappled shade of waterberries whilst on yellow grasslands scattered with wild sage bushes buffalo, tsessebe, zebra and wildebeest are watched by the amber eyes of lion.
Red lechwe fly across emerald green floodplains, spray in their wake, and in the distance a fish eagle cries. As night falls the clink of the reedfrogs begins.
Fruitbats squeak, there are voices at sunset and under the stars the glowing embers of a fire and spirals of wood smoke.
Popular Places to visit in Botswana
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is one of the world's largest game reserves. The big game is here, but occurs in low densities due to its harsh and arid environment.
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Encompassing an impressive 10,700km of wilderness the Chobe National Park stretches from the tip of Northern Botswana to the fringes of the Okavango Delta. Chobe is most famous for its elephant and buffalo populations.
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The Linyanti Wetlands are a vast area of pristine wilderness located in the north of Botswana, stretching from the Linyanti River to the Okavango Delta. As well as being superb for elephant, there is also a vast array of other game and bird life.
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The Linyanti Concession covers 120,000 hectares of pristine wilderness. As well as being superb for elephant, there are also some excellent drives along the floodplains where red lechwe, impala, zebra, waterbuck and giraffe can all be seen.
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The Makgadikgadi Pans is a huge expanse of shimmering white salt pans; the relic of a once mightly ’super-lake’. Nowadays, the wildlife living here has to be both hardy and highly nomadic to survive.
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The Moremi Wildlife Reserve encompasses the central and eastern areas of the Okavango Delta. Both flora and fauna are rich and diverse and it is one of Africa’s finest wildlife areas.
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The Okavango Delta is one of the world's truly unique wildlife areas. Water from the Okavango River spills into the Kalahari Desert and forms a labyrinth of waterways and palm-fringed islands. It is the only safari which you can do from a mokoro (a canoe made from the trunk of a tree).
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Chief's Island is in the very centre of the Okavango Delta and one of its largest islands. On game drives there's always something to see, the photographic opportunities are endless so stay for a while to make the most of this magical island.
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The Savuti Area is a rich game area in the Chobe National Park. The entire area is superb for elephant, with large herds numbering in the hundreds. Other common game include lion, zebra, kudu, impala, baboon and buffalo.
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The Okavango Panhandle is a 70 kilometres long, deep channel of water, off which branch further side streams, lagoons and swamps. It is ideally suited to those wanting to see areas that most tourists never go to.
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Practical Info
Flight time from UK
13 1/2 hours (Maun via Johannesburg)
When To Go
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