Botswana’s Chobe River, the Okavango Delta and the salt pans of Makgadikgadi, makes it the ultimate safari destination for any travel enthusiast.
Visiting these highly rated Botswana Safaris is a dream come true for many safari lovers:
Okavango Delta, Moremi & Khwa
This is one of the best Botswana tours. The Moremi Game Reserve is part of the Okavango Delta proper; however, as a private concession, visitors must adhere to the rules which allow only game drives and motorboat excursions, but not walking safaris.
Predators abound and there are sensational opportunities to see lion, leopard and the endangered African wild dog.
Many properties within the Okavango Delta specialise in water-based experiences such as mokoro (dugout canoe) safaris and motorboat cruises. The many lagoons and water channels offer a different perspective to 4WD game viewing.
The Kalahari and Makgadikgadi Salt Pans
After the rains, the desert springs into life, attracting herds of antelope as well as all manner of predators from handsome black-maned lion to brown hyena, meerkat and honey badger.
Much of this remote, arid terrain is protected within the immense Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with two smaller but no less spectacular national parks to the east.
The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park harbours the remnants of a super-lake which throughout the year is crusty and dry.
In the short green season however, tender young grasses carpet the parched, white landscape sparking Africa’s second-largest terrestrial mammal migration comprised of tens of thousands of zebra.
Chobe National Park and Savute
The Chobe National Park and Savute is a must tour for safari lovers. Established in the 1930s, this was Botswana’s first reserve and today, it is one of the most biologically diverse wildlife sanctuaries in Africa with all manner of predators, plentiful antelope and some 440 recorded species of bird.
Most visitors to this 11,700km2 park stay aboard luxury houseboats or in well-established safari lodges around the Chobe River, which is very popular with large pachyderm family groups as well as buffalo and giraffe especially during the dry season.
Birding in this area is of particular note, whilst the iconic Victoria Falls is just a little over an hour’s drive from many of the upscale properties on the riverfront.
River cruises are the highlight of a Chobe River safari – the best way to view a quintessential African sunset and to appreciate the diversity of species that inhabit this scenic ecosystem.
Game drives are available from land-based lodges, whilst community visits may also be available depending on where you choose to stay.
Selinda and Linyanti
Selinda and Linyanti is one of the exciting Botswana safaris.The Selinda occupies 320,000 acres in northern Botswana and is nourished by the Selinda Spillway, a channel that is fed by both the pristine waters of the Okavango Delta to the south and the Linyanti floodplains to the west.
This exclusive area is home to a mere handful of safari lodges and camps, offering some of the most intimate wildlife encounters on the planet. It is also a refuge for the rare African Wild Dog and one of the best places in Africa to see this highly endangered species.
The Linyanti encompasses 299,000 acres, sharing a border with the famous Chobe National Park.
Most of the properties in this concession are close to lagoons or floodplains, allowing guests to participate in both land and water-based activities from conventional game drives in 4WD vehicles to canoeing. Those who have participated in this tour have termed it one of the best Botswana safaris.
Again, the low density of visitors ensures that any safari here is a personalised experience.
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