Botswana as a safari destination is nothing short of superb! People often wonder why we rave about Botswana Safaris. Well, we think there are some very good reasons.
First, there is just no place like Botswana’s Okavango Delta – anywhere else in the world! Where else do you have a majestic river enter an inland delta, spread out over some 15,000 square kilometers of watery paradise – and then feed into a river system, which just disappears into the sands of Botswana’s Kalahari?
There is a perception that Botswana is an expensive safari destination – it is not low cost – but the experience represents incredible value for money.
Highlights
- You won’t be stumbling into other walking groups while out on a walk.
- In the private concessions, you may encounter one other vehicle on a game drive – and indeed, you may have to share your lion kill with another two vehicles at most!
- You are enjoying pristine wilderness offering an incredible variety of animals, bird and water life. (US clients of ours who enjoyed an eight-night Botswana safari saw Leopard on three separate occasions and lions on four occasions – in addition to wild dog, hyena, elephant, buffalo, Sable antelope and a host of others!)
- The impact of the sheer beauty of the surroundings in making those sightings makes it all very, very special.
Many people talk about the incredible colors of the vegetation – particularly along the edges of the watercourses – and the crystal clear, sweet waters, of the Okavango Delta, where you can look down over the edge of your mokoro (dugout canoe) and watch fish swimming below you, and the vibrant colors of the aquatic plant life under the water.
The colours of the bush take on an almost surreal hue as the sun sinks towards the horizon in the late afternoon. You will not easily forget the Botswana sunsets.
Take the accommodation; you are going to find yourself in astoundingly comfortable luxury tents or chalets fashioned from indigenous materials in the Okavango Delta. All the little extras are there in terms of en suite bathrooms, ceiling fans, cupboards, luxuriously comfortable beds and service to match.
Your meals vary from great home cooked style meals, to a touch of the exotic. When you remember that – in Botswana – most supplies are flown in to bush airstrips, one begins to appreciate the lengths that lodge staff go to, in order to provide the best they possibly can.
In fact, probably one of the reasons for the mystique surrounding the Okavango Delta is the fact that virtually every camp is accessible only by light aircraft, so the process of getting to your lodge or camp actually enhances the feeling of getting away from civilization.
In Botswana, you won’t see the huge herds of antelope as one does in East Africa, but the environment in which you enjoy your safari will leave an indelible impression. At certain times of the year herds of a thousand and more Buffalo, move between the islands.
If you are planning a Botswana tour, try and include the Okavango Delta and – at least – Chobe National Park.
Make sure that the people you speak to, know Botswana intimately, because different areas of the Okavango Delta and Botswana as a whole, offer different experiences – at different times of the year.
The secret is to enjoy a “sample” of as many of those varied experiences as possible.
The advantage of using an independent Tour Broker or Operator is that they will recommend lodges that will give you the best experience without being under pressure to commit you to a particular accommodation supplier – at no extra cost!
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