Botswana Travel Guide

I have now been to several spots in South Africa and Botswana. I can highly recommend Botswana - particularily the Okavango, Chobe River, Moremi and Makgadikgadi Pans. Each area has its own beauty - even at the end of dry season. The wildlife is rich. Camping wild is thrilling. The people are lovely. And if you are a meat eater - Botswana has the best beef in Africa!

A vast range of habitats - we visited the Kalahari, Okavango Delta and Chobe all three were entirely different but captivating. Botswana is quieter and you feel more at one with nature as there aren't the hordes of vans viewing every Cheetah or Leopard you come across, you really are out in the country but feel totally safe, well fed and watered.

We only visited the north and west but the contrast between Chobe and the Okavango was quite marked and the two really complemented one another.

Botswana is an excellent safari destination, there are easy safari's such as the one in Chobe where the roads are easily passable and the wildlife is plentiful. You can also do more challenging safaris such as the one in Makagadikgadi where there are fewer tourists and the roads are quite sandy. Botswana has a reputation for being expensive and whilst there are many luxury lodges, it is possible to do the holiday on a budget. Our biggest expenses were the flights and car hire.

Botswana was a very friendly country. I never felt in danger, and everyone was always happy to help you out. We camped at numerous locations throughout the country and never had an issue. Beautiful scenery and wonderful people! and so many elephants!!

We found Botswana an excellent country to visit as an independent traveller. We entered at Ngoma border crossing in the north. The custom staff were friendly and there was no visa charge, unlike Namibia and Zimbabwe. It was then possible to drive through Chobe National Park on the tarred road to Kasane and incorporate some game viewing on the way. We saw Elephant and Southern Ground Hornbills easily from this road. Roads generally in Botswana are excellent, with the main routes now tarred. It is possible to drive long distances, as a result. We travelled from Kasane to Francistown; Francistown to Gabarone and Gabarone to Kimberley in South Africa, in day trips with relative ease in a small two wheeled drive car. Four wheeled drive may be necessary, if you were intending to go to other game parks, particularly those of a sandy nature ( e.g. Kgalagadi and the Kalahari). This would be costly in car hire and petrol. It would probably be cheaper to fly to Maun, say from Johannesburg, and organise car hire from there.

We loved the country and the landscape, the people were very friendly and we enjoyed the whole experience. There was a wide range of wildlife to see and in large numbers. I was also surprised by the changes in landscape from dry bush and scrub to the lush delta, in what is a relatively small distance.

Botswana is an excellent safari destination with sufficient tourism infrastructure.

The tour guides are very friendly and knowledgable.
They really know how to spot wildlife and how to position their vehicles to provide great photo opportunities.
To maximize your experience, let the tour guide the purpose of your visit.
They will be glad to assist you.
Don't forget to tip your tour guide!
I suggest at least $10 per person.

Spotting wildlife is easy, there are large numbers of animals and birds and they are close by. Walking safaris and wildlife spotting by canoe are possible.