Botswana
Botswana has probably the best elephant viewing on the African continent, with over 80,000 animals in Chobe National Park alone! During the dry season, from June to October, great herds of elephant, buffalo and other grazers are drawn to the waters of the Chobe, Kwando and Linyanti Rivers as well as to the Okavango Delta itself.
Areas such as the Moremi Game Reserve and the Kwando/Linyanti regions are also excellent for predators including lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog. Botswana has many small and very personal and extremely comfortable camps, all accessed by light aircraft and some in their own concession areas, allowing very exclusive safari experiences with off-road driving and night drives increasing your chances of seeing predators in action.
For many, this exclusivity of the safari experience and the chance to be able to take many safari activities, from game drives in open vehicles, both night and day, escorted game walks, boat trips on the rivers and the Okavango Delta and by mokoro, the local dug-out canoe, make Botswana such a fascinating and varied destination.
From the aridness of the Kalahari Desert to the watery wonderland of the Okavango Delta, and the game rich expanses of both the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park, Botswana lays claim to be one of the greatest wildlife destinations in Africa. Safaris to northern Botswana can easily be combined with a visit to the incomparable Victoria Falls, viewed from either the Zambian or Zimbabwe side, some 90 minutes drive from Botswana.
Click below for two sample Botswanan safari itineraries:
Itinerary
Central Kalahari Game Reserve, 3 nights. Fly from Maun in Botswana to the Kalahari Desert. Enjoy the huge vistas of the desert, while looking for the desert wildlife that is drawn to the waterhole in front of camp. Game drives. Tau Pan Camp.
Okavango Delta, 2 nights Fly from Tau Pan into the Okavango Delta. Take game walks and excursions by mokoro, (dug-out canoe) on the waterways of the Okavango Delta, as well as game drives to see the wealth of animal species. Kwara Camp.
Moremi Game Reserve, 2 nights. Moremi Game Reserve is considered one of Africa's finest game viewing areas, great for cats including lion, leopard and cheetah as well as the possibility of African wild dog. Game drives and boat safaris on offer. Xakanaxa Camp.
Chobe Game Reserve, 2 nights. Day safari using boats into the heart of the Chobe waterfront is possibly a highlight of your stay at Ntwala, with fantastic concentrations of elephant and buffalo, as well as kudu, giraffe, hippo and crocodile. Ntwala Island Lodge.
Victoria Falls, 2 nights. From this small lodge near the Victoria Falls, take a sundowner cruise on the river, bird-watch on the islands and visit the awesome Victoria Falls, with excellent viewing from the Zambian side. Stanleys Safari Lodge.
Livingstone. Transfer to Livingstone airport and onward flight to Johannesburg.
Cost: from U.S. $4,880 per person, based on two people travelling together in twin-bedded accommodation. This is a low season price, December 2011 to March 2012. Christmas surcharge will apply and travel during the high season of July to October will increase the cost considerably.
Itinerary
Only for competent riders, this safari uses African Horseback safaris, winner of the Best Riding Safari in Africa for the past two years!
Their horses are unbelievably fit and strong, cantering over the Kalahari sand at ease for extended periods. Elephants are regularly seen on rides, as well as a host of antelope species and giraffe and hippo.
Staying in Macatoo Camps, a very comfortable permanent camp, catering for only 14 guests, and with time in a smaller more basic 'fly camp' this is a truly exciting way to experience Botswana and the magnificent Okavango Delta.
Riding safaris are generally of eight days, however longer or shorter rides are possible, dates permitting. Around 5 - 6 hours per day are spent in the saddle, with a longer morning ride and a shorter, gentle afternoon. Game walks and drives are also possible and boat trips and fishing on the waterways of the Delta are available.
Bird-watching in this watery wilderness is fantastic, with many exotic species seen daily from kingfishers to cranes, eagles to bee-eaters. A riding safari can easily be combined with days of more regular game viewing or a visit to the mighty Victoria Falls.
Eight day riding safari: £3,755 per person sharing, peak season, including all game activities, park fees, meals drinks and flights from Maun to Macatoo return.
Itinerary
Peak season for game viewing in Botswana when the wildlife is drawn to the available water at the height of the dry season, this safari, escorted by Andrew Beckett, will visit the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Chobe National Park and finish at the incomparable Victoria Falls.
Staying at small, very comfortable and personal camps and lodges and experiencing the full range of Botswanan safari activities from game drives by day and night and game walks, to boat and dug-out canoe excursions, this safari will show you the very best of Botswana's spectacular wildlife.
From the predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog, to huge herds of elephant and buffalo as well as the magnficent greater kudu and sable antelope, Botswana has so much to offer!
September departure, $7,450 per person sharing for 12 days, including all internal flights, activities, meals and drinks on safari and with Andrew Beckett accompanying the party.
Contact us for details and a full itinerary.
Central Kalahari Game Reserve
A massive and under-used reserve, with great herds of springbok and the magnificent scimitar-horned oryx antelope. Bird-life is excellent, particularly the raptors, and predators, from jackal to lion are present, but possibly the Kalahari’s greatest attraction is understanding the adaptations both wildlife and people make to live in such an inhospitable area. Many camps and lodges in the Kalahari offer an experience with the native San people, who will lead you on walks and give you a greater insight into their way of life.
Chobe National Park
Chobe is a huge park at over 11,000 sq. kms. with its most famous area, the northern Chobe waterfront along the Chobe River, supporting great numbers of big game, particularly massive herds of buffalo and elephant during the height of the dry season. Boat trips in this area are very rewarding and watching elephant swimming across the river in front of your boat is common.
Chobe also gives good opportunities to watch those magnificent and stately antelope the kudu and sable, as well as lion. The Savuti area to the south, along the recently flowing Savuti Channel, is renowned for its lion and leopard, and for its bull elephants.
Moremi Game Reserve
Situated on the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta, Moremi is renowned as one of the finest game viewing areas in Africa. Elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah and kudu can all be seen, and a variety of habitats from the waterways of the eastern Delta to mopane woodland support a great variety of antelope as well as monkeys and baboons and some huge herds of buffalo. Moremi and areas to the north, also offer some of the best opportunities for seeing the endangered and always fascinating African wild dog.
Okavango Delta
The Delta is one of the most unique places on earth as a major river, the Okavango never reaches the sea but dissipates its water into the northern sands of the Kalahari Desert. As Botswana is so flat, the water takes many weeks to flow through the myriad channels of papyrus and sedge, and this means the Delta waters are at their peak during the middle of the dry season, around August, making the area a hugely important dry season refuge for many animals. Small, luxury permanent camps offer game drives, game walks and boat and dug-out canoe excursions to see elephant, giraffe, kudu and many other animals. Crocs and hippo are present in many areas and the bird-life is superb; the Delta is a hauntingly beautiful place, with channels and lagoons lined with lilies and with the larger islands supporting predators: lion, hyena and leopard.
Kwando and Linyanti Concession Areas
The Kwando and Linyanti Concession areas provide some of the best and most exclusive game viewing on the continent, during the dry season months from June to October. Great herds of elephant and buffalo are drawn to the Kwando and Linyanti Rivers, whilst all the major predators are well represented: lion, leopard and cheetah, and the areas have developed a reputation for some of the most consistent African wild dog sightings, particularly when the dogs are denning. As these areas are outside of National Parks and reserves, off-road driving and night drives are allowed.
