A Botswana Safari Journey

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A Botswana safari is often a traveller’s second trip to Africa.

It’s the trip they find after they’ve cut their teeth on better-known and more predictable places, and once they find themselves yearning for something more remote, something intrepid, a safari that is almost primal.

When the sun sinks low on the grasslands or over the calm waters of the Okavango Delta and the Square-tailed Nightjar begins its evening calls, there’s an unmistakable sense of being some place few get to see.

A Botswana safari gives travellers peace in a way that few other safari places can, and with Botswana being abundantly blessed with huge populations of wildlife, elephant in particular, there’s never a moment that feels dull.

As with any trip, planning everything down to the finest detail is the only way to ensure that your holiday not only caters to your needs and expectations but that it also happens at the best time of year and suits your budget.

In this guide, we’re going to help you put together a Botswana safari journey that will make even the most experienced traveller green with envy.

And once you’ve gone through our guide and you’re ready to book a safari, you can get in touch with our travel consultants who’ll help you put it all together.

Is Botswana Good for Safari?

Botswana is known in travel circles as being one of the best places in Africa to have a safari.

Although it is a premier destination, travellers, especially first-time travellers, have in the past been hesitant to make a booking because it is far-flung, on the more expensive side, and it can be a little more complex to thoroughly plan.

But a lot of that is just perception, and a Botswana safari is great because:

A Botswana safari is really easy to reach

Botswana can be easily reached by air, via Johannesburg. Because it is such an accessible destination, you can:

• Fly straight into Maun
• Take a connecting flight from the Victoria Falls
• Combine your Botswana safari with a Cape Town tour or a tour of Zimbabwe
• Travel to Windhoek and have a Namibia desert safari

Botswana is becoming more affordable

The country has a reputation for being a high-end, luxury safari destination, and while that is true, there are budget-friendly options too.

Camping is a great way to see the country if you are travelling on a budget, and it is also a wonderful option if you are looking for the most authentic getaway.

Another way to save on a Botswana safari is to travel during the off-season, when prices are generally lower.

Lower prices don’t necessarily mean you have to miss out on the luxury or experiences.

It just means that you’ll be travelling during the green season, when you might not see as much wildlife as you would if you travelled during the peak season.

That said, Botswana has more wildlife than most safari destinations

A Botswana safari will treat you to an abundance of wildlife, in the shortest space of time, and even in the off-season.

Over 40% of the country is protected, and the wildlife walks freely across huge tracts of unfenced land.

This alone gives travellers a unique wilderness experience, without having to fight through crowds of other tourists.

Fewer visitors not only means you are likely to be alone when out on safari, but it also means there is less strain on the conservation areas, making it a great destination if you are looking for sustainable travel.

As for the wildlife you’ll encounter along the way, a Botswana safari is famous for its incredible selection of species, which can be seen throughout the country, and especially in the Okavango Delta.

What Makes Botswana Special?

There are parts of Africa where crowds and commercialisation have begun to erode what makes the continent so unique.

Botswana is not one of those places.

Instead of going along with what its fellow safari destinations are doing, Botswana has deliberately chosen a different path, one that focuses on giving travellers solitude, staggering natural drama, and an almost reverent commitment to the wild.

What makes Botswana so special is that much of the country is protected as national parks, reserves, or concessions, creating vast, unfenced expanses where animals roam freely without the constant hum of vehicles or the pressure of too many eyes.

This low-density, high-value approach, prioritising quality over quantity, means the wilderness is genuinely wild, as if you’ve slipped into a secret corner of the continent that has not yet been discovered.

Then there’s the Okavango Delta, quite simply one of the planet’s most astonishing sights, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

This isn’t a river that rushes to the sea; instead, the Okavango spills from the highlands of Angola into the thirsty sands of the Kalahari, fanning out into a shimmering inland wetland that swells and shrinks with the seasons.

During the dry months (when much of Africa thirsts), the Delta comes alive with floodwaters, drawing enormous herds of elephant, buffalo, and red lechwe antelope that wade through the watery channels.

Gliding silently in a traditional mokoro, a poled canoe carved from a single log, you feel the rise and fall of the water, hear the soft splash of hippos nearby, and watch kingfishers diving for their dinner.

It’s an experience that slows time itself.

And then there are the elephants of Chobe National Park.

Botswana shelters Africa’s (and the world’s) largest population of these gentle giants, and along the Chobe River at sunset, the herds converge in their thousands.

Watching them trumpet, bathe, and cross the river in long, swaying lines against a fiery sky is the kind of moment that lodges deep in your memory.

Botswana is also home to a variety of fascinating ecosystems.

As much as the country is known for its greenness, it is also home to the Kalahari Desert and its salt pans and sparse vegetation, which are inhabited by meerkats, which can be seen standing sentinel on their mounds at dawn, and the rarely seen black-maned lion.

When is Best to Visit Botswana on Safari?

The best time to book a Botswana safari is between May and October, the country’s “dry season’. During this season, the wildlife sightings are at their absolute best.

May to October is Botswana’s winter, and being a summer rainfall area, most of the country’s conservation areas have dried up for the season, forcing wildlife to congregate around the few water sources left.

Being the best time to visit, you can expect more fellow travellers and, in most cases, prices for tours and accommodation go up too.

What Animals do you See on a Botswana Safari?

Botswana is well-known for its wildlife.

Some of the animals you’ll see during your Botswana safari include:

Iconic Predators and Big Cats

• African Elephant
• Lion
• Leopard
• Cheetah
• African Wild Dog
• Spotted Hyena and Brown Hyena

Large Herbivores and Plains Game

• Cape Buffalo
• Giraffe
• Plains Zebra
• Blue Wildebeest
• Hippopotamus
• Warthog

Unique and Water-Adapted Antelopes

• Red Lechwe
• Sitatunga
• Greater Kudu
• Sable Antelope
• Roan Antelope
• Tsessebe
• Impala

Other Notable Species

• Nile Crocodile
• White Rhinoceros and Black Rhinoceros

To see the most wildlife, you should focus on the northern regions, and consider booking a mokoro (canoe) trip, boat safari, or night drive for the best chances at spotting elusive species.

What Makes the Okavango Delta Special?

The Okavango Delta is special because its river, the Okavango, is the only one in the world that spills out into a desert rather than flowing out into the ocean.

The delta stretches across 6 000 to 15 000 square kilometres, and between the waterways, there’s a network of small islands, making it an oasis for wildlife.

The river starts in the Angolan Highlands, flows through Namibia, floods the Delta, and ends in the Kalahari Desert.

A trip to the delta is widely considered to be one of the most exclusive getaways, and the wildlife viewing here is simply out of this world.

Can you see the Big Five in the Okavango Delta?

The Okavango Delta is home to all of the Big 5, although rhinos are rarely spotted.

Along with the Big 5, the delta is also a habitat for some 2000 other species, making it the perfect place for a Botswana safari.

If you’re inspired to turn your dream Botswana adventure into reality, booking a tour with African Travel Concept is the best way to see it all.

We handle everything from exclusive fly-in camps and expert local guides to sustainable experiences that let you get closer to Botswana’s incredible wildlife.

Book your Botswana safari today and secure your spot in one of the world’s last authentic safari destinations.