Safari in Botswana

safari is centred on the miraculous
Okavango Delta

Botswana is the wealthiest and arguably the best governed, fairest and least corrupt country in Africa. It is certainly one of the sunniest and most crime-free places in the world, a real joy to visit every time.

The country has a very strong conservation ethos, with over 30% of the total land area under full protection. It is home to some of the finest wilderness areas in Africa, containing some of the very best safari lodges on the continent and delivering some truly exceptional wildlife viewing.

Safari is centred on the Okavango Delta, a miraculous wetland whose floodwaters arrive from distant Angola during the middle of the Kalahari dry season, leading to enormous concentrations of wildlife as animals migrate in from the dry desert hinterlands.

Further wetland safari can be found in the Linyanti Waterfront, whilst complementary desert safari is centered on the Makgadikgadi and Central Kalahari areas.

Around 95% of the prime safari areas in Botswana are contained within wonderful private concessions, each typically containing just two or three high quality lodges.

Guests are able to enjoy these pristine wilderness areas in blissful solitude, rarely encountering vehicles from other camps.

On most concessions, operators are able to drive off-road and undertake walking safari, which facilitates serious tracking and enables guests to make the most of important sightings. Most areas are also able to offer night vehicle safari and various water-based activities.

The best private concession lodges are almost always accessed by air, either light aircraft or helicopter.

The remaining 5% of safari areas outside the concessions (notably including Chobe and Okavango Mopane Tongue) are accessible to self-drivers and overland vehicles and can get extremely busy, with unsightly vehicle clustering and animal harassment. We avoid these areas completely.

Seasonality

It is important to understand the seasonality of safari in Botswana, which also has a very significant impact on the costs.

The most popular period is the Jun-Oct dry season,when the flood arrives from Angola and the wildlife is most concentrated around water. Prices during this season are unavoidably high, in the range USD 1000-4500 per person per night.

These prices are around 30% higher than equivalent properties in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania, around 50% more than South Africa.

During the Nov-Mar green season, discounts of over 50% are not uncommon, with prices from as low as USD 500 per person per night.

The conditions in the early part of that season can be a little challenging, but Feb-Mar is much improved, with lots of wildflowers and baby animals, making this something of a ‘secret season’, that needs to be booked at least 18 months in advance.

The intermediate Apr-May season is a really nice time to be in the bush, with prices towards the upper end of the range.

Trip durations

When it comes to trip durations, most visitors combine 2, 3 or 4 lodges by light aircraft over 6-12 nights, often in combination with further nights at the Victoria Falls and/or down in the Cape.

Getting there

The majority of safari trips hub out of the main airport at Maun, which is usually reached from Johannesburg or Cape Town.

From Maun, most safari camps are accessed by flight aircraft.

The camps are also connected to the airport at Kasane in the north, for onward routes to Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Where to stay

The majority of the best safari camps in Botswana are located in the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront areas. Most people combine two, three or four of these properties into a trip.

Great care needs to be taken to ensure that the camps you choose offer complementary experiences, at the specific time of year.

Jun-Oct is
famously expensive
but Feb-Mar is great value