BOTSWANA

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

2. VIDEO  COMPILATION

3. PHOTO GALLERY    

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Botswana is a sparsely populated country. population about 2.2 million people.  That low population density is one reason the country’s great wilderness areas can feel so vast. Away from the capital Gaborone and the larger towns, it is entirely possible to drive for hours through landscapes where the horizon is broken only by acacia trees, wildlife and distant hills.

No fences. No safety net. Just wild Africa. Bush camping with Cheetahs, Lions, Hyena’s, Elephants, Hippo’s, Giraffe, Crocodiles and more. That is Botswana it also means learning when to retreat. One morning woken up by elephants and lions by 5AM,  we realized we were witnessing a lion kill. Fifteen lions vs. one elephant. This is true wilderness.

A few days living with the Kalahari Bushmen made it even more humbling. Wild, real, and unforgettable.

Botswana is bordering Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Since gaining independence in 1966, it has become one of Africa’s most stable democracies, known for its peaceful environment, strong conservation efforts, and sustainable tourism. The capital city, Gaborone, offers a blend of modern development, cultural attractions, and warm hospitality.

The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Botswana’s most famous attraction. This unique inland delta creates a lush oasis in the Kalahari Desert and is best explored by mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe. The Okavango disappears into the Kalahari Basin, creating a huge network of channels, lagoons, floodplains, islands and seasonal wetlands. Depending on rainfall and water conditions, the Delta can cover roughly 15,000 to 22,000 square kilometres.

The Okavango Panhandle. In the far north-west, the Okavango Panhandle follows the river before it spreads into the Delta and offers fishing, birdwatching and encounters with communities along the river.

Chobe National Park is another highlight, renowned for one of the world’s largest elephant populations and its amazing off road tracks, and river safaris. On land, game drives reveal lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffalo, giraffes, zebras and antelope, while the waterways provide encounters with hippos, crocodiles and extraordinary birdlife. The Chobe River forms the park’s northern boundary and attracts enormous concentrations of animals during the dry season. In 2010 we bush camped at the Chobe River and did numerous game drives inour own vehicle. But a boat safari along the Chobe River is another must do, with elephants gathering at the water’s edge, crocodiles lying on the banks and buffalo moving through the floodplains. The nearby town of Kasane is an important gateway to Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.

Moremi Game Reserve, Chief’s Island and the Delta’s remote private concessions offer some of the most memorable safari experiences in Africa.

Further north lies Chobe National Park, another of Botswana’s great wildlife destinations. The region is particularly famous for its elephants, with Botswana Tourism describing Chobe as home to Africa’s largest elephant population.

Savuti and Linyanti, for Overlanders looking for somthing remote, the Chobe region extends into the wild landscapes of Savuti and Linyanti. Savuti is famous for its changing waterways and dramatic predator-prey encounters, while the Linyanti area offers a quieter wildlife experience and great bush camping near the floodplains, woodland and lagoons. These remote concessions can feel worlds away from civilisation and are particularly appealing to overlanders looking for intimate, low-density wildlife experiences.

Then there is the Kalahari, Covering about 52,800 square kilometres. The vast desert landscape that dominates much of Botswana. The Kalahari is not an empty wasteland but a complex ecosystem of grasslands, scrub, dunes, fossil river valleys and wildlife adapted to an intensely seasonal environment. Botswana’s Kalahari region includes the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Khutse Game Reserve and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve, known for its vast desert scenery, diverse wildlife, and the cultural heritage of the San people, known as the Kalahari Bushman.

For us it was the ultimate destination and during our 2010 and 2015 visits we were lucky to stay with the Kalahari Bush man for a few days. We learned about traditional knowledge of the Kalahari, including tracking, plants, dealing with wildlife and the extraordinary skills required to live in such an unforgiving environment.

In the far south-west, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. provides overlanders another opportunity to experience the Kalahari on a grand scale. Shared by Botswana and South Africa, it is a wilderness of red dunes, dry riverbeds, grassland and thornveld where wildlife has adapted to a harsh desert climate. Black-maned Kalahari lions, cheetahs, gemsbok and springbok are among the animals you will find around you bush camp at night or in the early morning.

In the Makgadikgadi region, is an enormous landscape of salt pans, grasslands, dunes and baobabs covering about 12,000 square kilometres. For much of the year it appears stark and almost lifeless, but seasonal rains can transform the pans into shallow lakes and bring huge numbers of zebra and wildebeest to the surrounding grasslands. In wet years, flamingos can gather in remarkable numbers around places such as Sowa Pan and Nata Sanctuary.

Nxai Pan National Park offers a completely different atmosphere, with open grasslands, wildlife and some of Botswana’s most striking baobab landscapes. This is also the region where overlanders can encounter meerkats and experience the extraordinary sense of isolation that makes the Makgadikgadi so special.

Tuli Game Reserve, located in the East, provides a dramatic contrast, with rocky landscapes, ancient baobabs and the Limpopo River forming a natural boundary. The Tuli area is sometimes described as the “Land of Giants” because of its impressive elephants and enormous trees.

Tsodilo Hills, a remote collection of ancient rocky outcrops in the north-west. The hills are famous for their archaeological and rock-art heritage and hold deep spiritual significance for San communities.

With its breathtaking landscapes, incredible wildlife, rich culture, and commitment to conservation, Botswana offers an unforgettable overland  experience.

Gaborone, the capital,  The capital is very different from the wilderness areas, with government buildings, businesses, restaurants, shopping centres and museums providing a glimpse into contemporary urban life. Francistown, Botswana’s second-largest city, is another important urban centre and a historic commercial crossroads. Yet it is when you leave the cities behind that the character of Botswana becomes most distinctive.

Botswana’s political stability is another important part of its appeal as a travel destination. The country has a long democratic tradition and is widely regarded as one of the more politically stable states in Africa. Its 2024 general election was particularly significant because the long-ruling Botswana Democratic Party lost power for the first time since independence in 1966, followed by a peaceful transfer of power to the coalition led by President Duma Boko. The World Bank describes Botswana as having strong democratic traditions and political stability, while Freedom House noted the peaceful transfer of power as an important democratic achievement.

What makes Botswana truly memorable, is the feeling of space. Bush camping beside the Okavango as elephants move through the reeds, watching the sun sink over the Chobe River, hearing the silence of the Central Kalahari at night, or looking across the endless white surface of the Makgadikgadi salt pans. It is easy overlanding through a country where wilderness has been given room to breathe.

For overlanders searching for easy travel Botswana is Africa at its wildest and most expansive, Botswana offers something increasingly rare: the chance to feel genuinely far away from the modern world and tourism when willing to go off th beaten track.

VIDEO COMPILATION

1. BOTSWANA

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3. PHOTO GALLERY