When you are planning a safari trip to Botswana you need to be clear about the best places to visit and how to get the best experiences.
If you are looking for some adventure where you can experience nature in its purest form then you need to head for some safari tours. Going for a safari experience is a must especially if you want to see how nature works and feel the adrenaline rush as you explore the wilderness. Africa certainly is the first word that comes up when we talk about safari tours. While Kenya and South Africa are among the top destinations where you can head for safaris you must also not overlook Botswana which has gained a lot of attention lately from safari enthusiasts.
With spectacular landscapes around you, Botswana can immerse you in a natural world that offers you pure fun, thrill and excitement. With breathtaking rivers and deltas, a safari holiday in Botswana can provide you with the best experiences that will etch in your memory forever. However, when you are planning a safari trip to Botswana you need to be clear about the best places to visit and how to get the best experiences.
Chobe National Park
A visit to Botswana sounds incomplete without exploring the Chobe National Park. This is one of the largest conservation areas in Botswana. Also, if you are interested in watching herds of elephants going around their routine you can find them here. Around 120,000 elephants live in Chobe National Park and therefore you will find elephants in abundance. Apart from elephants, you can also find a multitude of buffaloes. If you are interested in viewing top predators you can find leopards, lions, hyenas, jackals and African wild dogs that dominate the territory.
Also, if you are interested in boat safaris, Chobe National Park is a good place, to begin with. If you are into wildlife photography, Chobe National Park can offer you the best sunrise and sunset pictures that will stay with you forever.
Bird enthusiasts can enjoy clicking pictures of birds like the Res-crested Bustard, Black-bellied Bustard, Long-toed Lapwing, African Spoonbill, African Fish Eagle, African Skimmer, Squacco Heron and many others throughout the year. Chobe National Park is also a great place for those who enjoy 4X4 game drives, river cruising experiences and learning how to bird watch.
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is the world’s largest inland delta. Hence, when you are in Botswana you would certainly want to visit this World Heritage Site that can provide you with insights into Africa’s wilderness. With numerous private concessions and Moremi Game Reserve, you can get some great safari experiences here.
Being in the Okavango Delta allows you to enjoy some excellent boat safaris. Here you can explore the world’s most unspoilt wetland and go for mokoro rides that help you explore the area the way locals do. However, make sure that you pack right for your African safari trip to stay comfortable.
You can opt for some private concessions where you can focus more on the wildlife. With plenty of game drives, birding, boating mokoro rides and nature walks, Okavango Delta has so much to offer.
The delta is home to white rhinoceroses, black rhinoceroses, lions, leopards and African wild dogs. Bird enthusiasts can find African Skimmer, African Fish Eagle, African Jacana, Slaty Egret, Malachite Kingfisher, Pel’s Fishing Owl and many others.
Savuti Area
When you are looking for some of the exciting places for your Botswana safari trip you must also include the Savuti area. Over the years, the clear waters of the Savuti Channel have transformed this place into a nature’s paradise. Here you can enjoy some excellent game drives as you explore Africa’s top predators going around their daily business. Here you can also witness lions and hyenas competing for food and territory and that’s what makes this place so exciting.
If you are looking for top predators you can find them in abundance as they cover the area. Apart from lions and hyenas, you can also find leopards and cheetahs that hunt for zebras, buffaloes and wildebeests in this region.
Bird lovers can enjoy some excellent bird-watching experiences as migratory birds settle here before they continue their journey forward. Here you can find African Fish Eagles, Kori Bustards, Red-billed Francolins, Carmine Bee-eaters and Quelea Finches flock in great numbers.
Moremi Wildlife Reserve
Covering almost 3900 sq. km. Moremi Wildlife Reserve also known as Moremi Game Reserve lies on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta. This picturesque reserve offers a great experience for those looking forward to an exciting and thrilling safari tour. With a variety of floodplains, grassland areas, forests, lagoons, savannahs and dense woodlands, Moremi Wildlife Reserve is considered the beating heart of the Okavango Delta.
This varied landscape and geography allow Moremi Game Reserve to have a wide range of wildlife existing here in harmony. Here you can find large herds of elephants, buffaloes, wildebeest and zebras that come here in search of food and water. On the other hand, top predators like lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards and African wild dogs are lurking around to hunt them in open grasslands.
The reserve is also home to more than 400 species of birds including the Sacred Ibis, Crested Crane, African Fish Eagle, African Skimmer, Slaty Egret, Carmine Bee-eater, Gray Herons, Marabou Storks, Saddle-billed Storks and many others. You can also spot several species of kingfishers, egrets, and herons here.
Makgadikgadi Salt Pans
Considered one of the largest salt pans in the world, Makgadikgadi Pans can offer you a wildlife experience like no other. The never-ending stretches of white salt during the summer months offer a distinct landscape. During the monsoon months, the area turns into a shallow lake attracting herds of wildebeest and zebras and springboks. Bird lovers can visit this place for capturing some great shots of flamingoes that flock here annually. These salt pans offer a desert landscape which is quite opposite of what you see in Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta.
However, you can spot aardwolf and brown hyenas hunting on the open expanse of grassland. Also, these salt pans are ideal for night drives as you can explore the nocturnal life that lives in this region. Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are ideal for those who want to watch zebra migration and flamingo breeding. Apart from flamingoes, you can also find Abdim’s Stork, African Fish Eagle, Martian Eagle, Black Bustard, Ostrich, Burchell’s Coucal, Kori Bustard, Wattled Crane and Red-billed Francolin.
Also, you can find plenty of meerkats who would often use your camera gear as a vantage point. This place is also a great opportunity for those who love to have exhilarating experiences on a quadbike as you go around exploring the sparse vegetation.
Hence, Botswana is a great place for those looking for an exhilarating safari tour packed with plenty of game drives, night drives, mokoro rides, quad-bike rides, bird-watching and even experiencing the best accommodations of all budgets.
Photo by Felix M. Dorn on Unsplash
