Botswana - Main Attractions
Botswana Safaris and Holidays in the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Moremi Game Reserve...
Botswana is surprisingly still a young wildlife safari destination w
ith tourism only being seriously introduced during the 1970's; nowadays however it is home to some of the best wildlife viewing and safaris on the African continent and has built its name around being one of the most luxurious safari destinations in Africa.
The principal areas for wildlife safaris include the infamous Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park. These areas are also divided into various private concessions which provide access to world class game viewing and the ultimate Botswana holiday.
OKAVANGO DELTA
When travelling on a Botswana holiday one m
ust understand that different areas and parks offer different possibilities. A number of the main parks are divided into private concessions which offer different activities and possibilities. In private concessions for example, it is often possible to take part in walking safaris or game drives at night whereas in the National Park areas this is not possible. This factor obviously dramatically affects the insight you have into Botswana and each unique ecosystem that it offers, and therefore it is essential that this is taken into consideration when tailoring your itinerary.
For this reason we have sub-divided the National Parks into their smaller more personal private concessions where possible. As I am sure you appreciate, it is not possible to list all of the private concessions in existence.
Moremi Reserve - Moremi Reserve is only a section of the Okavango Delta and is surrounded by a series of private concessions which, along with other areas such as the Mopane Tongue, make up the Okavango Delta. Each area does have its wildlife highlights with some areas being better for lion, others for cheetah and wild dogs, etc, however one must remember that the lines of the map do not exist on the ground and therefore a free flowing movement of wildlife operates between these areas. Moremi Reserve provides predominantly land based activities.
Moremi Reserve predominantly covers the central and eastern areas of the Okavango Delta and 
consists of mostly flat areas with a variety of floodplains, waterways and the two principal land masses of the Mopane Tongue and Chief's Island. Moremi covers a huge tract of land and water that is home to one of the most dense and diverse populations of wildlife on the African continent; nowadays with the re-introduction of the rhino it is also possible to see the Big Five on your Botswana wildlife safari! Other wildlife includes elephants, buffalo, zebra, a variety of antelope including the rare swamp dwelling sitatunga and red lechwe, lion, leopard, spotted hyena, cheetah, and also wild dogs which primarily range through the northern sections of the Okavango Delta. These areas, as they are within the National Park, do not permit night game drives or walks however this is often made up for by the sightings that you have had during the day! In regards to rhino, the best place to see them is on Chief's Island as this is where they were re-introduced and therefore they do not roam far from here due to natural constraints. Chief's Island is also an exceptional area for predator sightings with strong prides of lions (including the Mambo Boys - three immense lions that have moved back into the Chief's Camp area!) and regular leopard and cheetah sightings. As a result of the high density of the larger cats in this area cheetah are often harder to see although your chances improve as the dry season progresses especially on Chief's where two cheetah brothers are often seen scanning the horizon from their resident termite mounds! A highlight of your Botswana holiday...
Accommodation on Chief's Island is limited to two very upmarket camps. Chief's Camp is located in the centre of the island with 12 stilted luxury tents overlooking the waterways with electric blankets and wireless internet! Mombo Camp is the other alternative and is probabaly the most expensive camp in Botswana; the camp stands on wooden decking with large luxury tents. Both Chief's Camp and Mombo Camp provide access to some excellent wildlife viewing and are perfect for a honeymoon safari.
Mopane Tongue in the eastern corner of the Okavango Delta, alo
ng with Chief's Island, provides an excellent safari experience but at slightly more affordable prices. Travellers will notice that on driving round the park there are definitely more vehicles as a result of this area also being accessible to people on self drive safaris. The "Tongue" is a land mass that juts out into the Okavango Delta and the Xakanaka Lagoon providing some of the best wildlife viewing in Southern Africa as large densities of wildlife congregate in a very small area. Accommodation in this area includes the newly refurbished Camp Okuti with its fashinably new design, the traditional Xakanaka Camp and the rather larger Camp Moremi. Each of these camps has its unique selling points and we would be happy to discuss the various options with you on the phone.
NG21 - A private concession located in the north east of the Okavango Delta with a mixture of land based and water based activities possible. As this is a private concession it does give you more freedom in the variety of activites that you wish to do which means that you are not primarily constrained to daylight game drives. Other activities include tranquil mokoro trips along the waterways of the delta, walking safaris with a professional guide allowing you to get up close and personal with the wildlife of the Okavango Delta and also night game drives which maximise your chances of seeing the larger predators and cats which are often only visible during the night hours; these night drives are optimum times to hopefully catch lions hunting as a pride or even leopards stalking their prey...Accommodation in this area is limited to only two camps, Shinde and Camp Okavango which provides exclusive game viewing on your safari as only a limited number of safari vehicles are able to access the area.
NG32 - A private concession with only Stanley's Camp and Baine
s Camp having access to the area. Predominantly land based activities and controlled by the local communities. Lion are the predominant predators in this area which means that leopard are not as common (although saying that the last time we visited the area we had the privilege of watching two leopards mating for two days!!) Cheetah are also around although they do tend to stick to the drier areas of the concession with wild dogs making appearances from time to time.
This concession is also home to the Grey Matters project which is run by Doug and Sandi Groves. This is a non profit organisation which was started in 1999 in order to protect three elephants which had found themselves in a spot of trouble! This project offers clients the opportunity to spend the morning with the elephants and to touch, walk and learn about these friendly giants in their natural habitat. A truly educational experience the morning finishes with a delicious lunch in the middle of the bush as your new friends (the elephants) wander around in the background...a real wildlife treat!
CHOBE NATIONAL PARK
Bordered to the north by the Chobe River, Chobe Nat
ional Park consists of four main areas, Chobe Riverfront, Linyanti, Savuti and Ngwezumba Pans. Home to some of the largest herds of elephant and buffalo Chobe provides some spectacular game viewing as the inland waters dry up and the game migrates towards the riverine areas of the Chobe and Linyanti. On occasions herds of elephants in this area can number in their thousands as they inhabit the Chobe flood plains! Aside from these huge herds there are also regular sightings of lion and hyena with slightly less frequent sightings of wild dogs, leopard and cheetah. Chobe is an excellent area to include in your Botswana safari itinerary...
Chobe Riverfront - one of the best areas for game viewing with the seasonal migration to the river providing a handy water source. This river also means that a variety of wildlife boat cruises, sundowner cruises, etc are also available providing a different slant on your Botswana safari holiday as you see more of the aq
uatic life that is around including huge crocodiles, monitor lizards, fish eagles and herds of elephants coming down to drink, bathe and on occasions swimming across the channel to reach the renowned Caprivi Strip of Namibia on the northern bank. The best lodges to stay in this area are either Chobe Game Lodge, which is the only lodge located in the park, or alternatively Chobe Chilwero, an upmarket lodge affording great views out over Chobe River and the Caprivi Strip.
Linyanti - a good area for safaris although one must bear in mind that it has been hunted in the past. At present this is not taking place as it is being managed by Wilderness Safaris who are concentrating on photographic safaris. Lion and spotted hyena are the principal predators with leopard being sighted primarily on night drives. Game densities improve as the season progresses and the wildlife moves closer to the water source of the Linyanti River. Accommodation is limited to four camps in this area including Linyanti Tented Camp (an old
style safari camp with simple, modest comforts), King's Pool (a Wilderness Safaris Camp and one of the most luxurious in Botswana), Duma Tau (luxurious tents on wooden platforms) and Savuti Camp (located alongside the Savuti Channel with Meru style tents).
Savuti - A great area for wildlife holidays and famous for its large pride of lions that has adapted to hunting elephants! Other predators that exist in numbers include large numbers of spotted hyenas and rather surprisingly a number of leopard as they favour the rocky outcrops that are present. Birdlife in this area is also a highlight with over 300 listed species.
N.B. - Why not combine a Botswana wildlife safari with a visit to Victoria Falls in Zambia, the Garden Route of South Africa or the pristine beaches of Mozambique...
