BOTSWANA

Luxury Botswana Safari ToursBotswana Safaris

Over the past 15 years, Botswana has emerged as one of the most exclusive and authentic safari destinations in southern Africa. Bolstered by a stable government committed to conservation of its precious wildlife areas, Botswana boasts a wide array of well regulated and preserved ecosystems making it the ideal country to plan your Luxury African safari tours.

Two thirds of the land consists of arid Kalahari desert unsuitable for agriculture making for a unique African wildlife safari experience. Out of this desert landscape arises an incredible example of nature’s unpredictability: the Okavango Delta.

Okavango Delta is a must for Luxury Botswana Safari Tours, fans out across Botswana’s north-western corner and creates a paradise of islands and lagoons teeming with birds and wildlife making it the ideal destination for a Botswana safari tour.

In the northeast,  the famous Chobe National Park supports great concentrations of Elephant and Buffalo making the ideal place for boating and land-based safaris.

In the southeast the Tuli Block, supports some of Botswana’s only commercial farming along with magnificent game reserves and offers unique horseback riding safaris as well as cycling safaris.

Linyanti Game Reserve lies to the northeast of the Okavango Delta famed for its huge herds of elephant. The bulk of the concession is comprised of different Mopane woodland associations, with a strip of riparian forest and floodplain.

Looking for a unique and completely different Botswana safari experience? Visit Makgadikgadi Salt Pans to enjoy nature drives on the pans, quad biking adventures, visits to the regions gigantic Baobab trees, and up close encounters with real colonies of wild meerkats.

Lying adjacent to the Linyanti Reserve, the 333,000-acre Selinda game reserve boasts a similar ecological makeup, with the main difference being Selinda’s increased floodplains.

All of these areas can be combined to create a comprehensive Botswana safari experience with many safari options whether it be scheduled safaris, budget safaris , customized safaris, photographic safaris, mokoro safaris, desert safaris, walking safaris, cycling safaris, birding safaris or horseback-riding safaris.

Why Safari In Botswana?

Thinking of going on a safari in Botswana? Botswana is the quintessential exclusive safari destination. A well planned safari in Botswana will bring you up close and personal with wildlife whether it be in a mokoro (dug out canoe) or boat on the   Okavango Delta or traditional morning and afternoon game drives in open 4WD safari vehicles in private concessions or public reserves.

Due to their  remote locations and small size,  camps in the private Botswana concessions come with a big price tag.  It is expensive but the overall experience will seldom disappoint. The game viewing is spectacular.  We highly recommend  a  combination of water and land based camps to experience different activities and environments.

Why not include a visit to the salt pans of the Kalahari  for a completely different take – dry arid desert  with desert adapted flora and fauna.  Visit a Meerkat colony and see one of the largest

Baobab trees and go quad-biking on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan, interact with and learn about the San Bushmen culture and their history.

Safari in private concessions also allows for more flexibility such as night game drives and driving off-road to track and walking safaris which are not permitted in public reserves.

Game Lodges in public reserves like Chobe National Park, Moremi Game Reserve may come at a lesser cost but the areas can have a higher density of vehicles. 

This would not take away from a spectacular game viewing experience. Custom mobile private safaris are possible on a Botswana Safari adventure which can take you to a location of your choice or you may opt to join other travelers on a scheduled mobile safari.

TOP REASONS TO VISIT BOTSWANA:

• The Okavango Delta• Mokoro (dugout canoe)• Remote locations• Water based camps• Land based camps• Sensational birdlife• The Makgadigadi salt pan in the Kalahari• The San Bushmen- their culture and their history• Boating safaris• Traditional 4WD safari vehicles• Meerkats• Baobab Trees

Best time to go to Botswana

The best time to go to Botswana? May through October will be the standard response from most. It is winter, the bush is dry and game viewing is therefore optimal and much easier. It is also extremely cold especially on a morning game drive.

I always say that getting up for that early morning drive requires a board meeting with myself. What I do is put all  my clothes out on the bed the  night before and bring them in to the bed in the morning and I get dressed in bed!

However, there is an alternative – GO GREEN in  Botswana.

The summer months – November through April when the rains breathe new life in to the vegetation and the birdlife goes from great to fabulous as the migrant birds arrive from Europe, Asia and other parts of Africa. Even those who are not “twitchers” will be impressed.

The green season is a photographer’s paradise with the rains clearing the air and the dull brown landscape turning in to a veritable Garden of Eden. It is so beautiful but bear in mind it will be very very warm and most camps in Botswana are not air conditioned (most accommodations are tented).

The green season is also less crowded and more affordable than the peak season winter months.

Witness the OTHER GREAT MIGRATION:

One of Botswana’s best-kept secrets is the second-longest zebra migration.  Up to 25,000 zebras move in herds across the plains, from the Okavango to the Makgadikgadi Pans in the Kalahari – a journey of more than 150 miles.

The rains bring new life to the plains and the zebras become  a smorgasbord for the resident predators, lion, cheetah and hyenas. Easy pickings!

Top Reasons to go Green in Botswana:

• Avoid the masses – less crowded• More affordable• More Availability at camps that are almost impossible to get in to in season• Fabulous photographic opportunities• Babies, babies and more babies• Twitchers Delight – amazing bird watching• Get away from the cold north

OKAVANGO DELTA

Botswana’s Okavango Delta is rightly considered one of the most incredible wildlife and wilderness sanctuaries in Africa. It is the largest inland delta system in the world, an area of 5,800 square miles filled with water channels, lagoons, and islands. The Okavango Delta lies between shallow fault lines at the end of the Great African Rift Valley that cuts through the length of Africa. Remarkably, this wetland paradise lies deep within the arid Kalahari Desert.

Deserts are low on annual rainfall and the Kalahari is no exception. But each year, floodwaters flow from their source- catchment areas in the moist central African highlands over 600 miles away – into the Delta to create the miracle that is the Okavango.

Apart from the outstanding beauty of the wetland habitat, Botswana’s Okavango Delta supports and sustains a huge diversity of flora and fauna, so that game viewing is excellent right through the year.

To get the most out of your Luxury Okavango Delta Safari Tour, it is very important to choose the right area for your tastes and interests, and also the right area for the time of year.

The heart of the Okavango Delta is the Moremi Game Reserve, where all the major habitats and ecotones of the Okavango are conserved.

Around the Moremi Game Reserve are large private reserves or concessions leased out to safari companies under strict guidelines and carrying capacities. These concessions offer the very best safari experiences with massive tracts of pristine parkland and levels of privacy encountered in very few other places today.

In some of these areas, one can go out all day and not see another soul – except the animals of course.

Please follow this link to see our Okavango Delta Safari Camps and Lodges

LINYANTI CONCESSION

To the northeast of the Okavango Delta lie the Chobe National Park, Selinda Game Reserve, and Linyanti Reserve. Because of the region’s varied habitats, any of the camps found here will add a fresh element to your itinerary and in many ways it is an essential compliment to an Okavango visit.

Choose the right area for your tastes and interests, and also the right area for the time of year.

The 308,000-acre Linyanti Concession straddles the western boundary of the Chobe National Park and houses an abundance of wildlife. The bulk of the concession is comprised of different Mopane woodland associations, however along the Linyanti River you will find a strip of riparian forest and floodplain.

The Savute Channel

An ancient watercourse, the Savute Channel, bisects the concession. This river channel lay dry for almost 30 years before recent conditions allowed it begin flowing once again. This year-round water source attracts wildlife and forms a great complement for the Linyanti Game Reserve.

Linyanti is famed for its herds of elephant, reaching the world’s highest densities during the winter months (June-Aug). Other species are found in abundance including zebra, wildebeest, impala, giraffe, lechwe, reedbuck, and kudu, while rarer species like the sable and roan emerge from the woodlands during the dry season. Guests also have the chance to view predators like the lion, spotted hyena, leopard, cheetah, and wild dog.

Please follow this link to see our Linyanti Game Reserve Camps and Lodges

CENTRAL KALAHARI

South of the Okavango Delta and dominating central Botswana, the 12 million acre Central Kalahari Game Reserve is one of the biggest protected areas in Africa and its diverse wildlife and wonderful scenery offer an amazing contrast to the rest of the country.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve forms the core of the Kalahari Desert, the largest unbroken stretch of sand in the world. This vast flat expanse of scrub covered fossil dunes lies interspersed with ancient river valleys. Central Kalahari is home to a fascinating spectrum of very different plants and animals that have successfully adapted to life in such a harsh environment.

Wildlife in Kalahari

What makes Central Kalahari Safaris Tours so unique? Sweeping vistas and acacia savannah mosaics direct the landscape and hold significant populations of large predators such as lion (including the legendary Kalahari black-maned lion), cheetah, and brown hyena.

Herbivore aggregations include impressive herds of springbok, wildebeest, and gemsbok as well as bat-eared fox, meerkats, and ground squirrels. The plains game populations move seasonally between dune and valley: in summer the verdant flatlands are a thriving wildlife mosaic whilst in winter a series of ecologically-placed waterholes enhance game viewing.

Over 220 bird species include significant populations of regionally threatened and arid-west endemic species including the Crimson-breasted Shrike, Violet-eared Waxbill and Southern Pied Babbler.

Please follow this link to see our Central Kalahari Reserve Camps and Lodges

SELINDA GAME RESERVE

To the northeast of the Okavango Delta lie the Chobe National Park, Selinda Reserve, and Linyanti areas. Because of the region’s varied habitats, any of the camps found here will add a fresh element to your itinerary and in many ways it is an essential compliment to an Okavango visit.

To get the most out of a Selinda Reserve Safari Tour it is very important to choose the right area for your tastes and interests, and also the right area for the time of year. Botswana Annual Weather guide will help you to plan your safari trip accordingly.

Lying adjacent to the Linyanti Reserve, the 333,000-acre Selinda concession boasts a similar ecological makeup, with the main difference being Selinda’s increased floodplains.

Like the Linyanti Reserve, elephant numbers here skyrocket during the winter months (June – Aug) when herds concentrate close to the permanent Zibadianja Lagoon (source of the Savute Channel).In addition, plains game such as lechwe, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, and the more rare roan antelope can be found here, followed closely by their natural predators the lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, and wild dog.

Birding is also a highlight here, with rare species like Arnott’s Chat, Collared Palm-Thrush and brilliant flocks of Carmine Bee-eaters hitching rides on Kori Bustards.

Please follow this link to see our Selinda Game Reserve Camps and Lodges

MAKGADIKGADI PANS

Makgadikgadi Pans is located in the middle of north-eastern Botswana, the Makgadikgadi Pan is one of the largest salt flats in the world. Technically, Makgadikgadi does not consist of just one pan, but rather many different ones, the largest of which covers an area of 1900 square miles. The pans represent the remnants of a giant superlake formed many millennia ago.

Today, the Makgadikgadi remains a bit of a “best kept secret” as it receives far fewer headlines than the Okavango Delta or Chobe Game Reserve. However, despite its lack of fame, Makgadikgadi offers a very different and rewarding safari adventure for those that seek it out.

Wildlife at Makgadikgadi

During the dry months, wildlife becomes sparse on the pans. However, once the rains arrive around November, the ecosystem transforms as migrating herds of wildebeest and zebra, along with their predators congregate here. At the same time, a proliferation of bird life arrives at Makgadikgadi, with species ranging from pelicans to ducks to the only breeding population of Flamingos in southern Africa.

To get the most out of your Luxury Makgadikgadi Pans Safari Tour it is very important to choose the right area for your tastes and interests, and also the right area for the time of year. Botswana Annual Weather guide will help you to plan your safari trip accordingly.

Guests in the Makgadikgadi enjoy unique activities such as nature drives on the pans, quad biking adventures, visits to the regions gigantic Baobab trees, and up close encounters with real colonies of wild meerkats.

Please follow this link to see our Selinda Game Reserve Camps and Lodges

TULI BLOCK

The Tuli Block lies at the southeastern corner of Botswana, with Zimbabwe lying to the North and South Africa to the south.

One of Botswana’s lesser known wildlife areas, Botswana’s Tuli Block offers a varied and much different safari experience from other areas.

Often referred to as the hardveld due to its abundance of rocky formations, Tuli’s landscape becomes unmistakable due to the rich red sand that dominates throughout.

The Northeast Tuli Game Reserve consists of several privately owned reserves offering fantastic and different safari experiences.

What at first glance seems a barren landscape in fact gives way to teeming wildlife and unforgettable scenery.

To get the most out of your Luxury Tuli Block Safari Tour it is very important to choose the right area for your tastes and interests, and also the right area for the time of year.

Please follow this link to see our Tuli Block Camps and Lodges

CHOBE NATIONAL PARK

The 4,200 square mile Chobe National Park can be found in the northern region of Botswana, along the Chobe River, which straddles the borders of Botswana and Namibia.

The nation’s second largest national park, Chobe has become renowned for excellent game viewing opportunities year-round and its namesake river supports the largest elephant concentrations found anywhere on the continent.

Habitats found within Chobe National Park include floodplains, mopane trees, baobab trees, acacia woodlands, and flood grasslands bordering the Chobe River.

To get the most out of your Luxury  Chobe National Park Safari Tour, it is very important to choose the right area for your tastes and interests, and also the right area for the time of year. Botswana Annual Weather guide will help you to plan your safari trip accordingly.

Wildlife at Chobe National Park

Chobe Park serves as home to a variety of wildlife including huge herds of buffalo, zebra, and of course Elephant with an estimated population of over 120,000! The Chobe elephants are migratory, making seasonal movements of up to 120 miles in a circuit from the Chobe and Linyanti rivers, where they concentrate in the dry season, to the pans in the southeast of the park, where they gather during the rainy season.

The park also hosts more unusual antelope species like Roan and Sable, Puku, Tsessebe, Eland, Red Lechwe, Waterbuck, and the rare Chobe Bushbuck. Other more popular species such as Giraffe, Kudu, Warthog, Wildebeest and Impala also abound here.

In addition to its animal residents, Chobe has a fascinating human history, its original inhabitants being the San people, hunter gatherers who moved from area to area seeking food and water.

Please follow this link to see our Chobe National Park Camps and Lodges

BOTSWANA ANNUAL WEATHER

The below is a rough guideline to an understanding of Botswana annual weather patterns and associated activities and game viewing. This is by no means the last word. Patterns can change and rains may be later or earlier from year to year, water flows may be of a different extent and timing and game viewing may be affected accordingly. Data on Maun minimum and maximum temperatures and also monthly rainfall follow. Maun is the central point of the regions discussed below and as such is a good indication of the weather patterns throughout.

Botswana, with the exception of the Okavango Delta and the eastern parts of the country, consists almost entirely of the Kalahari Desert and as such, rainfall is low. Total annual rainfall for Maun for example is only 470mm (18.5 inches). Phrases like ‘rainy season’ or ‘afternoon thundershowers’ need therefore to be seen in context. Rain typically falls in short thundershowers in the late afternoon which produce spectacular dark skies and vivid rainbows before passing.

Game viewing is good year round, but there are some seasonal highlights such as the concentrations of elephants in the Linyanti Reserve and Selinda Game Reserve over the dry winter months, or the zebra migration or predator concentrations in Makgadikgadi  Pans and Central Kalahari respectively in the summer months. The annual seasonal inundation of the Okavango Delta and what this entails is also discussed and explained.

Please visit Botswana Annual Weather Information Page to get detailed information

AN AERIAL OVERVIEW OF THE FLOOD BY MONTH