Botswana Travel Guide

Botswana felt exotic, with lots of wildlife easily seen, even just driving through town! The people are pleasant, and I never felt unsafe at any time.

It's hard not to love the place...

The best thing for animal viewing is that in Botswana they don't allow too many tourists and the drivers must keep on track. Because of that you will see a better preserved region of Africa. On others countries you will find better prices, but lots of tourists and not so scenic drives.

Drive slowly or you might hit an elephant turning around a corner, careful when getting out of the car as lions and leopards are many in numbers inside all the parks.
The only thing we did not see were rhinos and cheetas, everything else was present.

It is the most wonderful country for lovers of wildlife with the greatest variety imaginable.

No hassle - no self-drivers/campers, unspoiled nature and lots of game to spot.

Botswana was beautiful, wild, warm and true

Camping our way through several Botswanan and Zimbabwean parks was one of the most transformative journeys I have ever made. (And I have traveled). The land has a sense of immensity that is humbling and awe-inspiring. The camping was very basic, with no modern amenities or fences, so the feeling of being in the wild, versus watching a performance of the wild, was complete. The guide was truly learned and local: A dedicated naturalist not a tour guide. And the camp hands were amazing. Warm, knowledgeable, friendly, and excellent cooks given one pot and a fire. The wildlife. What can you say? I was perpetually transfixed, even when rooted to the spot with terror (a face-off with a Bull elephant and hyenas raiding the cool box in our truck come to mind). The cats (the big drawcard for me) were astounding. Many lions, a close-up with a leopard in a tree above us, and a dusk sighting of two cooperating cheetahs hunting. At night we saw a serval, so incredibly hard to spot and very high on my list. Crossing into Victoria Falls was wonderful: despite the woes of its country, a town and a people so warm, funny, smart and welcoming. And I was surprised by the quality of the wildlife there, too (as well as the white water rafting and nightlife). Botswana and Zimbabwe are countries that will sear images onto your retina and memories into your mind, and and these things conspire over the years to produce a kind of soul-magic not easily found in other places. They call you back to Africa.

A country where one feels at risk as regards personal safety. We walked around after dark. Slightly more developed than Zambia or Zimbabwe, maybe because the clientele were largely South African.

Less "mass" touristic" than in other countries. Wild experience in preserved nature.
People in Botswana is very open and helpful.

Botswana is a safe, secure and friendly place to visit Africa. The people welcome tourists and have carefully conserved the game and birds of Africa.