Botswana

In Botswana, space changes the way you safari. Across private concessions and adjoining wilderness areas, small camps and low vehicle numbers give guides the freedom to follow fresh tracks, stay longer at a sighting or change course when the wild does something worth watching.

Delta channels direct the narrative. Seasonal floodwater travels from Angola’s highlands into the Okavango Delta, spreading through channels, islands and floodplains, while boats and mokoros carry you beyond the reach of the vehicle. 

Further south, the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi Pans replace waterways with salt flats, open grasslands and wide horizons. These regions feel completely different from the Delta and Chobe National Park, which is precisely why combining them works so well.

Quick Facts About Botswana

• Where It Is: Landlocked in Southern Africa, sharing borders with Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa

• Best For: Low-density luxury safaris, water and land activities, wildlife photography, honeymoons and return safari guests

• Signature Experiences: Okavango Delta Mokoro trips, Chobe River boat safaris, predator tracking in Moremi and Makgadikgadi Pans

• Ideal Trip Duration: 7-10 nights, comfortably covering two or three regions

• Getting There: Fly into Maun for the Okavango Delta and Moremi, or Kasane for Chobe, followed by short light-aircraft flights between camps
  
  

Why Visit Botswana?

Botswana suits those who want nature to take the lead. Rather than filling its wild spaces with lodges, the country limits how many camps operate in each area, keeping guest numbers deliberately low and the safari experience deeply immersive. You may spend an entire morning without seeing another safari vehicle, which means a lion pride can settle without a queue forming behind you.

Wild reasons to visit:

• Predator country: Moremi and the Okavango Delta are strong for lion, leopard, wild dog and hyena, with varied habitats giving guides plenty to read and follow

• Chobe elephants: Large herds gather along the Chobe River, particularly in the drier months, with some of the most memorable viewing happening from the water

• River creatures: Hippo, crocodile and a remarkable variety of waterbirds thrive along the Delta’s channels and Chobe’s permanent water

• Dual safari: A safari that moves between land and water, mokoro excursions, boating and game drives can all form part of the same trip

• Rare sightings: Pangolin, cheetah and other less predictable species reward patient tracking and a little luck

• Widely different landscapes: The Delta’s papyrus channels give way to Chobe’s riverfront and then to the salt, sky and openness of the Makgadikgadi Pans
  
  

In the Delta, a morning might be spent moving through papyrus channels before an afternoon tracking leopard across an island. Chobe puts the river at the centre of the day, while the Makgadikgadi Pans strip the landscape back to salt, sky and an almost startling sense of scale. 

Why Choose Botswana for Your Luxury Safari? 

Botswana does remote luxury exceptionally well. Camps are often small and considered, with attentive teams, thoughtful design and the kind of service that makes being hundreds of kilometres from anywhere feel like home.

That can mean:

• Longer, less crowded sightings

• Off-road tracking, guided walks and night drives where permitted

• Freedom to adapt around the diverse wildlife, weather and pace of the day

• Traditional mokoro excursions, boat trips and game drives within one itinerary

• Scenic light-aircraft flights between remote regions

The route matters just as much as the lodge. Two beautiful Delta camps can deliver very similar days, while a better-balanced itinerary might combine a water-led Okavango stay, strong predator viewing in or around Moremi and a completely different finale in the Kalahari. 

A typical Botswana safari will generally move between two or three regions by light aircraft to avoid lengthy road transfers. The flights are short, practical and worth a window seat, particularly when the Delta’s channels begin to spread beneath you. We usually recommend at least three nights per camp, giving you enough time to settle into the place rather than feeling as though you have only just arrived when it is time to leave.

When Is the Best Time to Visit Botswana? 

Botswana’s seasons affect far more than the weather. The Okavango flood and the country’s summer rains arrive at different times, changing wildlife movements, water activities and how each region feels.

May to October: Dry Season and Delta Flood 

As vegetation thins, wildlife gathers around permanent water and sightings become easier to find and follow. The Okavango’s floodwaters generally rise from April or May and reach their fullest levels during winter, although timing varies each year.

This is a strong period for mokoro canoe excursions, boating and elephant viewing along the Chobe River. Days are usually warm and dry, but early mornings can be cold. Pack another layer. We mean it.

July to October is especially popular, so the most sought-after camps need to be booked well ahead.

November to April: Green Season 

Summer rain brings fresh grass, migratory birds and newborn antelope, with predators close behind. Wildlife spreads across the landscape, so sightings may take more patience, but the dark skies and green backdrops are excellent for photography.

The Kalahari and Makgadikgadi Pans are particularly rewarding during these months, when water returns to parts of the pans and zebra and wildebeest move through the grasslands.

How We Choose the Right Season 

For Delta safaris and concentrated game viewing, we usually favour the drier months. For birdlife, newborn animals, photography and the Kalahari at its most active, the green season is a strong choice.

We match the timing to the route and camps, rather than treating every part of Botswana as though it behaves the same way.

What to Do in Botswana

Mokoro Safari in the Delta

A mokoro is a shallow canoe poled from the back by a guide who knows how to read these waterways. Sitting low to the surface, you move between papyrus and reeds while kingfishers flash overhead, frogs cling to stems and elephants continue feeding along the bank. It’s one of the Okavango Delta’s defining activities because it changes what you notice. 

Many Delta camps combine mokoro excursions with boat trips and game drives on the islands. Water levels vary by camp and season, so if this is high on your list, we choose the location accordingly.
 

Cruise the Chobe River

Along the Chobe riverfront, the wildlife comes to you. A boat safari places you closer to the action, which is particularly rewarding for photography and wildlife viewing. From the water, watch elephants gather to drink, buffalo line the banks and hippos surface beside the boat. You may see a herd swim towards an island or see younger elephants disappear almost entirely beneath the surface, trunks held above the water like snorkels. 

Game drives through Chobe National Park add the woodland and floodplain beyond the river, while its proximity to Victoria Falls makes the two destinations easy to combine.

Track Predators in Moremi Game Reserve

Moremi Game Reserve sits where floodplains, lagoons, woodland and drier islands meet, and that variety is exactly what makes wildlife viewing here so rewarding. Lion, leopard, wild dog and hyena move between very different habitats, so a game drive can change direction quickly as tracks, calls or fresh signs pull the guide somewhere new. 

Moremi works particularly well alongside a water-focused Delta camp. One gives you the classic land safari, the other opens the waterways, and together they show two very different sides of the Okavango.

Cross the Makgadikgadi Pans and Kalahari

South of the Delta, the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and the surrounding Kalahari Desert give Botswana a completely different feel. Salt flats stretch towards the horizon, night skies arrive without light pollution and habituated meerkats may decide that your knee is the best available lookout post.

Activities vary by camp and season, but can include game drives, guided walks, time with local guides and sleep-outs beneath the stars. We generally favour the pans or Kalahari as a second or third stop. After several days in the Delta, that sudden openness feels even more extraordinary.