Located in the Southern part of Africa and famous for the wildlife, Botswana is the ultimate place for safaris. Nearly half the country is dedicated to national parks, wildlife management areas, and reserves. The Kalahari Desert, found in Botswana, is the 6th largest desert in the world and 2nd largest in Africa. The Okavango Delta, a vast river delta is both a UNESCO world heritage site and popular migrating site for animals.
Botswana is one of Africa’s most popular safari destinations for good reason. It is home to one of the largest populations of elephants in the world. The country is vast with various ecosystems. Such as desert, savanna, rivers, and marshlands. This provides for exceptional wildlife viewing of the big 5 and so much more.
Moremi Game Reserve
The Reserve is found on one of the star locations for spotting wildlife, the Okavango Delta. It spans over 5,000 sq km and has diverse ecosystems like woodland, floodplains, and lagoons.
Although it is not the largest reserve, the location attracts an impressive array of wildlife. This includes the big 5 and over 500 species of birds. The cape wild dogs are a rare species that live on this reserve and are protected extensively by the park.
There are several options for accommodation within this reserve. Everything from luxurious camps right on Okavango Delta to mid-range options right in the bush. Moremi Game Reserve has over 40 places to stay within the park.
Chobe National Park
You cannot visit any other Botswana Safaris before experiencing a reserve famous for elephants. Chobe has an estimated 50,000 elephants within the park. The elephants found here are Kalahari elephants, the largest of their species. As Botswana’s third largest park, they still have space to roam.
Within this national park, you are able to camp, lodge, or even stay in a houseboat on the Chobe River. For one of the most luxurious and secluded lodges, Chobe Chilwero Lodge is complete with spa and pool. For a high rated luxurious floating hotel, Zambezi Queen offers a unique experience while floating on the river.
Central Kalahari Game Reserve
The Central Kalahari is the second largest game reserve in the entire world. Covering 10% of Botswana’s total land area, this park contains enough wildlife to guarantee an extraordinary wildlife experience. This may be a massive game reserve perfect for a safari but there are still so many other outdoor adventures in Africa.
As it is found in the desert, the land is mostly flat with some bush and grass covering the dunes. This makes for the perfect landscape for game drives on 4×4 vehicles, bird watching, guided walking tours, or even a guided quad bike safari.
The Haina Kalahari Lodge is a fantastic value for money when booking accommodation near the reserve. There are many options for different tents at various price points with several amenities like an outdoor shower and pool.
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
The Makgadikagadi is one of the largest salt flats in the world found in North-Eastern Botswana stretching across 3,900km. This National Park is made of a vast amount of grassland, attracting ample amounts of wildlife. When the Boteli River is mostly full waterbuck, hippos, and bushbuck swarm the pools.
While in this salt flat, expect to see springbok, wildebeest, zebras, and gemsbok as they migrate across. This park does have a vast amount of wildlife but it is better designed for those that want to experience real remoteness. A few recommended lodges within the area are Planet Baobab, Gweta, and Pelican.
