Luxury Botswana Holidays

Highlights

Chobe National Park

Located in the north of Botswana bordering Namibia, Chobe National Park was established in 1968. The park covers an area of 11,700 square kilometres and has a diversity of eco-systems including flood plains, swamps and woodlands. The park is perhaps most famous for its vast herds of elephants, reputed to be the biggest concentration in the world. Aside from these gentle giants, you can expect to see Cape buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, lion and leopard. Bird watchers won’t be disappointed with 460 bird species identified including carmine bee-eaters, fish eagles and the sacred ibis. Nothing can quite beat watching an African sunset, especially when you are cruising the Chobe River. See the vast herds of elephants and pods of hippo wade into water as you sip on a cocktail.

Okavango Delta

There is nowhere quite like the Okavango Delta on this planet. Botswana is blessed with this ecological paradise, courtesy of tectonic plate shifts that swell the Kwando River and flood the plains, thus providing the perfect sanctuary for animals to thrive. The abundance of animals is astonishing to witness, as the flooded plains are the perfect location to drink and graze in almost incomprehensible numbers (from May to October). In turn, this creates a spectacle that is not replicated anywhere else in the world. Species that may be seen during this time include the elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, hippo, rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, impala, African wild dog and wildebeest. Explore the waterways of the delta in a traditional dugout canoe. Known locally as mokoros, this is an excellent way to see wildlife as polers gently guide the vessel through the reeds and channels. Get closer to the bird life, listen out for the snorts of hippos and watch the splashes of the red lechwe as they run through the lagoons.

Linyanti Wildlife Reserve

Located further north of the Delta, this area is a wonderfully isolated location boasting stunning scenery and prolific numbers of animals and birds, including herds of elephants that reach enormous densities in the dry winter months. Additionally, you'll find species of zebra, antelope, buffalo, wildebeest, hyaena, lion, leopard and cheetah, along with wild dogs, no doubt attracted by the marshes, waterways, riverine forests and grassland. At Kings Pool Camp you can enjoy spectacular sunsets and elephant-watching on a cruise aboard the camp's double-decker barge, Queen Silvia.

Moremi Game Reserve

Covering a staggering one-third of the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve is home to some of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. It is also very unique as it is the only part of the Okavango Delta that is cordoned off for the conservation of wildlife. Moremi is also home to the renowned ‘Big Five’ (lions, leopards, Cape buffaloes, elephants and rhinos) and, notably, the work done to protect one of the largest remaining populations of wild dogs in Moremi is commendable.

Savute Channel

Situated in a remote corner of Chobe National Park, the Savute Channel flows from the Linyanti River for about 100 kilometres into the Savute Marsh. Geologists are fascinated by the region, not least that during the last century, it dried up completely for almost thirty years and then started to mysteriously flow again. When the channel is full, a wealth of migratory birds can be seen, as well as large herds of zebra and hungry predators.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Remote, untouched and isolated, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the largest in southern Africa and the second largest in the world. A scattering of seasonal camps, such as Kalahari Plains can be found here, from which you can appreciate the solitude of this barren landscape. Despite its remote location, the reserve is also home to the Kalahari black-maned lion, and sightings of cheetah are quite common. Deep in the remote Kalahari, the Zu/’hoasi bushmen have survived in the barren landscape for centuries. Join them on an interactive bush walk as they share their knowledge of the desert plant and wildlife as they hunt and gather.

 

Selinda Reserve

Selinda Reserve is a glorious area of Botswana comprising 320,000 acres of pristine wilderness. It is home to the ancient, mesmeric Selinda Spillway, which flows in two directions and leads to the Okavanga Delta in the south and the Linyanti wetlands in the west. Here, you’ll find the largest concentrations of elephants and buffalo in Southern Africa, along with the endangered ‘painted wolf’, or African wild dog. Get set to enjoy early-morning and late-afternoon game-drives, guided bush walks and boat-based activities when water levels permit.

Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve

Stretching some 12,000 square kilometres, the Makgadikgadi Pans form one of the largest salt pans on the planet. Formerly one of the world’s great lakes that covered most of Botswana, it dried up thousands of years ago following tectonic shifts in the Kalahari Basin. The area is flat, arid and remote with just a scattering of desert palms and baobab trees, making it a place of solitude, silence and peace. San Camp and Jack’s Camp provide excellent bases to explore this vast wilderness. Activities include walking with the local Zu/’hoasi Bushmen, meeting the curious meerkats or setting off across the desert landscape by quad-bike.