Botswana is a land for those who love the outdoors and adventure, as the landlocked country is packed with natural attractions, game reserves and sanctuaries that offer plenty of fun in the sun. Botswana tour operators focus on providing the best experience with safety and comfort in mind, and with tours covering Botswana as well as other parts of East Africa, there is plenty of choice.
To help you choose the best Botswana tours for you, we’ve compiled a list of the top things to do.
Visit Khama Rhino Sanctuary
Botswana has led the way in African conservation efforts, with critically endangered black and white rhinoceroses offered refuge, keeping poachers at bay while welcoming local community development and education at this fascinating sanctuary.
Mirages at the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans
Go thirsty for delusional mirages at some of the largest salt flats on earth, where flamingos dancing at the closest waterhole punctuate an eerie arid landscape.
Adventure at the Okavango Delta
The world’s largest inland delta is a spectacle of tributaries that serve as lifelines to fertile crops before the river hits the desert. Bushwhacker guides for Botswana tour operators lead travellers through the panhandled swamplands to wild bush campsites or exclusive luxury safari lodges, and at sunrise on walking safaris (sans jeep) among nature’s greatest.
Relax – if you can – on a Mokoro Cruise
Be brave – the only way to truly navigate the Okavango is in a dug out mokoro canoe, gliding with an expert poler past yawning hippos and crocodiles basking in the sun.
Spot the Big Five at Mosemi Game Reserve
Okavango’s safari park ousted the poachers from the wildlife playground of grassy savannah, woodlands, swamps and lagoon-dotted floodplains. The protected residents are as diverse as their homeland, with the Big Five (and rather elusive rhinos), tons of birdlife, and large populations of red lechwe and wild dogs.
Elephants at Chobe National Park
Big eared and out to play, bathing herds of elephant families are Chobe’s biggest draw, with over 35,000 inhabitants – the most of any African Park.
Stand in awe of the Kalahari Desert
The largest sand desert on the planet is the ‘Soul of the World’, according to the traditional nomads of the San Bushmen. The Kalahari stretches over 900,000 km2 through Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Look out for the black-maned Kalahari lions that inhabit the area.
Local crafts in Gaborone
The capital of Gaborone is a great place to stock up on souvenirs, with markets and boutique stores selling traditional, locally-made crafts such as baskets and elephant dung paper – made from real-life elephant dung!
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
