Botswana is a country of contrasts and one of the few remaining wildlife sanctuaries in the world. Picture a mélange of species and unspoilt landscapes, with winding waterways fringed by papyrus plants and otherworldly glittering salt pans. It's also home to a third of the world's elephants, an impressive big cat population, and adorable meerkat mobs, to name just a few! Most importantly, it's a haven for endangered wildlife like African wild dogs and black rhinos, making it a dream come true for conservation enthusiasts. As one of our personal favourite safari destinations, here's why Botswana should be next on your bucket list...
There are so many reasons why Botswana should be next on your bucket list, Image Credit: Wilderness Safaris
Who Will Enjoy Botswana?
Botswana is the perfect holiday destination for photography and wildlife enthusiasts, romantic getaways, and solo and group travellers. It's for you if you want to dig a little deeper, see more, and get face-to-face with nature in its wildest form.
With incredible wildlife, making it one of the best photographic safari destinations in the world and a high-quality but low-impact tourism model, it's a fantastic destination for eco-conscious and sustainability-centred guests. If you want all the wilderness but still like the bells and whistles of a luxury safari, you can rest assured that these accommodations offer luxury, and some have private airstrips for fuss-free travel between destinations.
The guides here are in a league of their own, knowing their local areas like the back of their hands. Then, there's the diversity of safaris, from game drives, mokoro, houseboats, bush walks, quad biking and horseback safaris; you'll never run out of ways to admire the vastness and wow moments they bring.
Admire the Chobe River from sunrise to sunset, Image Credit: Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero
Where to Go in Botswana
Here are some of our must-see destinations when visiting Botswana. Each will feel like a world of its own, bringing plenty of pinch-me moments.
Chobe, The Land of Gentle Giants
Immensity and diversity are the name of the game at Chobe National Park, with an abundance of species calling it home. Known as the "Elephant Capital" of the world, Chobe is dominated by countless of these grand creatures, as well as many other wildlife species.
For example, you can look forward to seeing the rest of the Big 5, as well as the zebra, giraffe, endangered African wild dog, civet, hyena, baboon and puku antelope. In addition to these land animals, crocodiles and hippos lurk beneath the water's surface. There are also so many ways to explore this wildlife-rich area. For instance, game drives, photographic safaris, bush walks and boat cruises.
Imagine being surrounded by these Gentle Giants, Image Credit: Chobe Game Lodge
Why We Love It
- As the elephant capital, Chobe is home to around 120,000 elephants depending on the season
- Chobe National Park is Botswana's third-largest national park
- Endangered animals like the African wild dog thrive here
- Home to over 450 bird species, it is a birder's paradise
Boat tours offer uninterrupted views of elephants in the Chobe River
Our Favourite Places to Stay in Chobe
We've slept in the beds, tasted the food, and gone on all the activities! It's a tough life, but someone's got to do it. Here are our top places to stay when visiting Chobe National Park.
1. Chobe Game Lodge
As the oldest and only permanent accommodation inside this national park and located on the banks of the Chobe River, Chobe Game Lodge is one of the best places to stay.
We also love their "silent safari" offering, taking an eco-friendly approach to the traditional safari with solar-powered boats and game-drive vehicles. This creates a deeply immersive experience and ensures you leave minimal impact. Each suite is built to give you prime views from your private balcony over the Chobe River.
Welcome to paradise, Image Credit: Chobe Game Lodge
2. Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero
With its incredible hilltop location, Chobe Chilwero proudly overlooks the Chobe River and its floodplains, making every angle a spectacular vantage point.
Accommodation is limited, so you're guaranteed personal service where no detail is overlooked. From delectable cuisine to comfortable game-drive vehicles and motorboats with experienced guides, this is a true "sanctuary" experience.
A gentle wash of natural colours and textures, Image Credit: Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero
3. Ngoma Safari Lodge
Private plunge pools, indoor and outdoor showers, a deck overlooking the Chobe River, and a flood-lit waterhole... What more could you ask for?
Perhaps being located in Botswana’s most prolific wildlife destination known for its exceptionally high-density wildlife population. It's not a dream, but a dream stay at Ngoma Safari Lodge.
How's this for a view? Image Credit: Ngoma Safari Lodge
4. Chobe Bakwena
We love how unique, eco-friendly, and luxurious Chobe Bakwena Lodge is! Treetop accommodation, coupled with fine dining prepared by expert chefs and enjoyed on your private terrace, makes this lodge a firm favourite of ours.
The lush riverine forest it's embedded in makes you feel like you're sitting on Mother Nature's lap. Plus, other than plenty of safari and nature-based activities, Chobe Bakwena offers a cycling adventure through the wilderness!
Tap into the heartbeat of Mother Nature, Image Credit: Chobe Bakwena
Linyanti Wildlife Reserve
Two-thirds of the Savute channel is found within the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, combined with the unique Linyanti River and vast woodlands. In short? It's a special place! Although its neighbour, the Okavango Delta, is more well-known, Linyanti Wildlife Reserve is not to be skipped. Like with siblings, you should never assume they're similar, as these two destinations offer remarkably different experiences even though they're near one another.
All the space your heart could desire
Why We Love It
- Linyanti is a private game reserve, so you can enjoy guided walks, fishing, and off-road and night safaris
- Sleep out in one of the hides for an immersive wildlife experience
- This reserve is a bit trickier to get to, which makes it only that much more exclusive
- With a high concentration of predators and herbivores, this destination promises great action
Favourite Places to Stay in Linyanti Wildlife Reserve
From eco-havens and bush tents, here are all the places we love recommending to our guests – and they keep wanting to return to!
1. Duma Tau
The name "Duma Tau" means "roar of the lion", which already alludes to the wildlife show you can look forward to. The Duma Tau lodge is eco-consciously built from sustainable timber, running on solar and mindfully constructed along the bustling corridors to give you easy access to the wildlife's daily rituals.
We especially love the sun loungers half-immersed in the pool overlooking the river, our favourite place to cheers to another day in paradise with our toes in the water as we watch the sun slink towards the horizon in a spectacular display of colour.
Admire the Linyanti River with a sundowner in hand, Image Credit: Wilderness Duma Tau
2. Kings Pool
One of the best places to admire elephants (and we mean a lot of elephants), King's Pool, is a must if you're a big fan of the Gentle Giants. Birders will also enjoy the nearby bird hides, positioned to give you the best views of the flurry of feathery beauties calling this region home.
The accommodation feels authentically African, and the space – oh, the space – of the wilderness rolling into the distance is enough to stir your deepest emotions. They have a fantastic semi-circle boma overlooking the river, the cosiest setting to share safari stories around the fire.
Just because you're coming to Africa doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your luxuries, Image Credit: King's Pool
3. Savute Safari Lodge
A place of mystery, Savute Safari Lodge is found, like its name suggests, on the banks of the Savute River. This area is known for its thriving elephant and lion populations, and you'll often be treated to sightings right from the lodge's deck.
Although the region is fairly flat, a hilly landmark and natural art gallery calls to you – Gubatsa Hills. Here, you admire the ancient rock art paintings giving you insights into the rich cultural past.
Elephants coming for a sip, Image Credit: Savute Safari Lodge
4. Linyanti Bush Camp
Venture into the Chobe Enclave in the Linyanti Swamps, one of the most wildlife-rich and sought-after settings in northern Botswana. And it does feel like a bush camp in every way, as if you're becoming one with your surroundings.
The Linyanti Bush Camp offers accommodation (and adventure) in Meru-style canvas tents, complete with luxe outdoor clawfoot baths so you can soak while you soak in the views. The only problem here is that you'll never want to leave!
Slip into a foamy bath with an ice-cold flute of bubbly, Image Credit: Linyanti Bush Camp
Okavango Delta, Nature's Miracle
"The river that never finds the sea" perfectly describes the Okavango Delta, as many have scratched their heads over why this Delta floods in the dry months. As the largest inland delta in the world, it comprises winding waterways snaking through a maze of thousands of little islands. This water wonderland lures a wealth of animals to quench their thirst, splash around, or hunt down their prey. Moreover, crocodiles and hippos also patrol the water, waiting for their moment to pounce.
What a sight the Okavango Delta is from the sky
Why we love It
- It's one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa
- The Delta was declared the 1,000th UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is a pretty big deal!
- An incredible diversity of animals, so you can expect unbelievable sightings
- With an ever-changing landscape, you're guaranteed not to see the same thing every day
Splish, splash, wildlife's taking a bath
Our Favourite Places to Stay in Okavango Delta
In such a remote setting, it's important to know where to stay to get the best experience. And, of course, all the luxury you need for a comfortable stay.
1. Duba Plains Camp
A classic 1920s safari-style accommodation, Duba Plains Camp is in the northern reaches of the Okavango Delta, overlooking game-rich grasslands and seasonal floodplains. It's in an area so exclusive and remote that you can only get there by light aircraft! Now, that's something we can get behind.
If you're really looking to escape the world's madness, Duba Plains will call to you. And speaking of action, as this region is packed with lions on the prowl and plenty of buffalo trying to stay out of their way. We also love that they offer an entirely flexible routine, so you can really do what you want, when you want.
Imagine being here right now, Image Credit: Duba Plains Camp
2. Machaba Safaris
Hello, 50s bush glamour! Machaba Camp is the perfect tented camp to indulge your inner adventurer. We love how the sides of the tents roll up to really feel like your room is outdoors! They refer to their camp as giving you access to "unedited Africa", and we could not agree more.
Dancing delicately with Mother Nature, Machaba Camp gives you access to her splendour but at the same time trying to leave minimal impact. And with deliberately small camps, you can get an exclusive experience and peace of mind that you're not harming the surroundings.
Room with a view, Image Credit: Machaba Camp
3. Xigera Safari Lodge
Named after the pied kingfisher, Xigera refers to their lodge and safari experience as a "love letter to the magic of the African bush". The lodge is raised on wooden stilts and seems to hover, just like its namesake bird, over the seasonal floodplains it's built upon.
We adore their helicopter safaris, Baobab Treehouse, and Art and Design Tour. With a strong focus on African art and celebrating creativity, the interiors are as delightful as the exteriors and take you on a journey into what makes our continent so alluring as a destination.
Go on a journey into Botswana's most bountiful spaces, Image Credit: Xigera Safari Lodge
4. Jao Camp
Imagine finding yourself on an island in the Okavango Delta. At Jao Camp, this is your reality. One of our favourite things you can do here is to go on a glass-bottomed mokoro (dugout canoe) safari for a unique game-viewing experience.
In fact, everything about Jao Camp makes a bold statement. It's an artwork in itself, constructed from natural and recycled materials like wood, steel, and glass, with lots of wow moments throughout.
Spectacular architecture in an even more spectacular setting, Image Credit: Wilderness Jao Camp
Makgadikgadi Pans, Shimmering Salt Pans
Spanning across 30,000 square kilometres, the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans is the largest in the world, roughly the size of Switzerland. However, don't let this moon-like isolation fool you , as it's anything but lifeless and home to a variety of desert-adapted species.
As a result of the different seasons, the pans look completely different throughout the year, transforming from parched plains to lush wetlands when the rainfall finally brings relief, subsequently luring animals from afar with predators close on their heels.
One of the best ways to experience the Makgadikgadi is to head back to a simpler time before 4x4 vehicles and planes were invented and to make your way across the vast plains on horseback.
Makgadikgadi Pans makes you feel like you've landed on a different planet
Why We Love It
- It's the largest collection of salt flats in the world.
- Home to amazing wildlife such as adorable meerkat mobs and the second-largest zebra migration in the world.
- You can spend the day with local bushmen to learn how they hunt, cook, and more.
- The stargazing is simply exceptional.
Rain transforms the pans into a feast for zebras passing through, Image Credit: Jack's Camp
Our Favourite Places to Stay in Makgadikgadi
Ready to feel like you've stepped off the planet? There's nothing quite like finding yourself surrounded by the otherworldly landscapes of the Makgadikgadi Pans!
1. San Camp
Oh, the beauty of nothingness! At first, San Camp is set in what seems like a blank canvas: vast salt pans. However, upon closer inspection, you'll notice the many secrets that make it world famous. One of which is the comedic meerkat mobs scurrying across its landscapes.
If you're aching for space and silence in a low-impact solar-powered camp, look no further than San Camp. Or, if adventure is more your speed, you can trot freely across the glittering pans on horseback, speed along in quad bikes, or be humbled and enlightened by the local bushmen's ancient traditions.
The meditation and yoga setting of your dreams, Image Credit: San Camp
2. Meno a Kwena Tented Camp
An Eco Tourism Accredited enterprise on the Boteti River, Meno a Kwena Tented Camp is for you if you want to go deep into the belly of Botswana.
The tents offer stripped-back luxury, making you feel like a true adventurer. And the activities do deliver just that – plenty of adventure! From Bushman-guided nature walks, sunset floating hide experiences, flights over the salt pans, cultural excursions, mobile camping out in the wild, and much, much more, you're in for a memorable time.
Incredible views from Meno a Kwena Tented Camp, Image Credit: Natural Selection
3. Leroo La Tau
Winding through the desert landscapes of the Makgadikgadi Pans, the Boteti River is a lifeline for the region's wildlife. And Leroo La Tau is privy to the perfect vantage point from which to admire it. Or, get even closer to the action from the game-viewing hide embedded in the riverbank.
The name means "lion's paw", and you'll certainly follow in their footsteps here, with the area being abundant in this beloved big cat species.
After a day of exploring, sit back and enjoy the view, Image Credit: Leroo La Tau
4. Jack's Camp
Does the image below make you feel like you've stepped onto a Wes Anderson Hollywood film set? If that's your scene, you'll love Jack's Camp. In fact, many celebrities sing its praises, including the likes of Jeremy Clarkson.
Desert-holiday-meets-safari, the East African-style tents adorned with Persian rugs and other luxe touches, is a dream come true for the traveller who enjoys an aesthetically pleasing backdrop.
Jack's Private Camp is a luxury safari lodge not to be missed, Image Credit: Natural Selection
Ready to Tick Botswana off Your Bucket List?
We can't wait to show you all the reasons we just can't get enough of Botswana. Our Travel Experts will get to know you and your fellow travellers before crafting a unique journey just for you – that ticks all the right boxes!
We can also recommend the best African destinations to add on to your Botswana itinerary, like Victoria Falls and South Africa, which pairs perfectly with it. Reach out today, and let's start planning!
Well, I visited Gaborone, Botswana a few years ago for a Trade Fair. And believe me this country has such beautiful lands with such sweet animals. Really Positive!
Hello Aeco,
Thank you for reading, and we fully agree with you. Botswana is an incredibly beautiful land.
Best regards
Unathi