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About BOTSWANA
Awesome Okavango Delta Travelogue
Choose from one of these Botswana Experiences:
11 Day Great Wilderness Luxury Journey in Botswana & Victoria Falls
10 Day Stanley Comfort Camping Safari in Botswana & Zambia
14 day Botswana Wildlife Camping Safari (semi-participation)
20 day Southern Cross Camping Safari - Cape Town to Victoria Falls
22 day Desert & Delta Lodge Safari in Botswana & Namibia
Botswana
- A huge country in Southern Africa, known
to be hot and dry, with the exception of the lush oasis of the Okavango
Delta in the north of the country - reputedly one of the most beautiful
places in the world. Largely off-the-beaten track, Botswana is a haven
for wildlife and especially elephants.
• Area: 600
370km²
• Capital: Gabarone
• Currency: Pula
• Climate: Hot summers with
afternoon rains, from October to
April. Dry and cooler weather occurs between May
and September
• People: Botswana 95%, Kalanga,
Basarwa, Kgalagadi 4%, European 1%
• Official language: Setswana is
the national language and English is the official language
• Time: GMT plus two hours
History & Background: Botswana
was formerly known as Bechuanaland and was a British colony until 1966.
It was first inhabited by the San (Bushmen) and then by the Khoi-Khoi
(Hottentots) and Bantu groups. Botswana is a landlocked nation,
bordered by South Africa in the South, Namibia to the west, Zambia to
the north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. Botswana is
one of Africa's most stable and peaceful democracies with its economy,
closely tied to South Africa's, being dominated by cattle raising and
mining, boasting huge diamond deposits.
Best Game Viewing Months: There
are four main parks in Botswana - Chobe National Park, Savuti, Moremi Game Reserve and
the Okavango Delta. Game viewing is generally best from June to September, fair in April and May and fair from November to March.
Landlocked, and a little larger than
France, much of Botswana is semi-desert with the wide plains of the
Kalahari covering 2/3 of the country. In the north the Okavango River
flows into the country from Angola and opens out to farm the massive
Okavango Delta. A complexity of channels, lagoons, floodplains and
islands, the Okavango eerily melds into the surrounding Kalahari.
The area is alive with bird and wildlife. One of
the best ways to explore it, when the waters are right is by open
mokoro (the traditional dugout canoe) paddled by a local guide. It's very quiet
and you're really close to the water. You and your poler go out from
your camp into the narrow waterways. Once you reach an island, you get
out and walk. Some days you'll encounter mostly birds and a few shy
antelope. Other days you may end up face to face with an elephant - a
rather exciting experience. They are much bigger than you can imagine!
 Botswana's Bayei people, who live around the
Okavango Delta make dugout canoes from trees that have been chosen for
them at birth. They call them Mokoro - and it's the best way to see the
wide variety of birds and mammals in this area.
You
can choose between daily mokoro trips from one base camp, or fly-in to
camps on the many different islands for more diversity. I stayed at
Xugana, Mombo and Shindi camps - each of them unique in their setting
and in the wildlife they offer, but all fantastic for bird watching.
The guides are so knowledgeable - they can name every "L.B.J." (Little
Brown Job!).
Many of Botswana's game reserves are world
renowned. In Chobe National Park, for example, huge herds of elephants
roam wild and free. Botswana is famed for its basketry, wood carvings
and Bushmen crafts. Visitors have many opportunities to purchase
intriguing mementos of this exciting country.
Throughout your journey, there is one thing we can guarantee. The spirit of Africa and its people will touch you. It might be a herd of elephant against a blood red sunset, the cooling spray thrown up by the thundering waters of Victoria Falls or a simple handshake and a smile from a village elder. Somewhere along the way, you will experience something uniquely African, leaving an indelible print on your memory.
Awesome Okavango Delta by Chris Boecker
 The serpentine channels of the Okavango River course like arteries through the harsh Kalahari Desert, bringing life to this vast landscape and creating a diversity of habitat unrivaled in Africa. Towering stands of ancient Mopane forest and open savannah mingle with seasonal flood plains, secret lagoons and riverine vegetation.
Botswana is synonymous with wildlife and unspoiled wilderness. It is a land of desert and water, endless plains and savannah woodland, perennial rivers and the unchartered Okavango Delta. The wildlife roams free across the primeval landscape, abundant in number and diversity, and the guides are committed to sharing the pristine wilderness of Botswana with you, the traveller.
Moremi Wildlife Reserve supports the most diverse habitat and animal populations in Botswana, including elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, lechwe, sable and roan antelope, as well as lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog.
You can thrill to the excitement of tracking these animals on foot and on open landrover gamedrives, conducted by experienced resident naturalists. Birdwatching is excellent throughout the year.
I have visited Botswana three times and would go back again and again. During my trips I stayed at camps such as Mombo, Chindi, Kwaai River and Tsaro Lodge. These luxury camps afford the discerning visitor the very best service, warm hospitality and an unsurpassed African safari experience.
 I also enjoyed camping at 3rd Bridge and North Gate in Moremi and at Linyanti in Chobe. Botswana is unbelievably beautiful, no matter where you choose to stay.
EVERYONE DESERVES TO VISIT AFRICA AT
LEAST ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!
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