For those who enjoy the wilds, a Botswana safari is perfect: vast tracts of Africa in pristine condition. Huge herds of game roam here between the Kalahari's plains and the Okavango's waterways; it's one of Africa's top safari destinations. Unlike in many countries, the movement of Botswana's wildlife is not restricted. Together its national parks and huge private game reserves protect about 40% of the Botswana's area. It's a huge, fenceless wilderness around which the game roams freely.

When you think of a Botswana safari, the Okavango Delta leaps to mind. It certainly hosts the greatest concentration of different environments. However, the patchwork of ecosystems that make the Delta so fascinating are found all over northern Botswana. So don't restrict your safari trip to just the Okavango Delta, instead try to see a number of Botswana's different habitats, and you'll leave with a much broader picture. The main areas to consider are:

The Okavango Delta – Private Reserves

A patchwork of private reserves around northern Botswana offer small camps and exclusive game-viewing safaris. Flexible rules allow 4WDs to go off-road in search of game, night drives and walking safaris. (Read more about the Okavango…)

Moremi Game Reserve

Long-protected area which covers a varied slice of the Okavango Delta, this now popular for mobile safaris and ringed by top private reserves. (Read more about Chobe …)

Kwando-Linyanti – Private Reserves

Three excellent private safari reserves clustered around the waterways of the Kwando and Linyanti Rivers, and the nearby dry Selinda Spillway. It's outside the Okavango, but still top-class big game country. (Read more about the Kwando-Linyanti Reserves…)

Chobe National Park

Huge amounts of big game congregate beside the Chobe Riverfront, in the north of the park, as the dry season progresses. His riverfront is easily accessible, although sadly is often very busy. Further south, Savuti is a magical spot for mobile safaris, with less visitors. (Read more about Chobe…)

Kalahari's Great Salt Pans

Vast flat saltpans at the heart of the Kalahari host fleeting herds of game – but come for a magical sense of wilderness – one or two tiny, offbeat camps and the occasional mobile trip. It's a fascinating place for old Africa hands. (Read more about the Kalahari's salt pans…)

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

This is the Kalahari at its most remote – best visited on an intrepid mobile safari in the early months of the year. North of the park, Deception Valley Lodge offers a more accessible (and much more comfortable) taste. (Read more about the Central Kalahari…)

The Okavango Delta – The Panhandle

As the Okavango River enters the Kalahari, it's a huge, deep river that gradually widens. Before it spreads too much, it's known as the Panhandle. This area doesn't have the game densities of most other areas in the Okavango, but gives a good taste and can sometimes be visited as a side-trip to a self-drive safari around Namibia. (Read more about the Panhandle…)

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Although partly in Botswana, we've included this area as part of South Africa's Cape, because it's usually best visited on a 2WD self-drive trip, from the South African side. It offers a great Kalahari safari and simple camp facilities, but needs time spent here to get the best from it. You can't rush this park! (Read more about the Kgalagadi…)

The Choices?

At first glance, the choices for a Botswana safari are bewildering. Here we'll try and answer a few basic questions.

All Botswana's permanent safari camps use open 4WD safari vehicles and professional safari guides; and most are very comfortable. Tents usually have en-suite flush toilets and hot/cold showers; often they also have fans. Talk to us: we can describe them from personal experience, and guide you to the best options for your trip.

However you visit, you'll see that a huge area of Botswana is wilderness. It's never cheap, but it can be good value. Most trips include meals, activities, laundry and park fees; some even include drinks. There are no hidden extras. You'll see superb wildlife and have pristine environments virtually to yourself. For a safari Botswana is wild, magical and very exclusive!

Parks: public vs. private

Chobe National Park and Moremi Game Reserve form the core of northern Botswana's protected areas. In these public parks you'll find campsites and a few safari lodges. The wildlife and scenery here are often superb, but you will share the area with other vehicles and people so these public areas don't offer the most exclusive of game-viewing experiences. Strict park rules forbid anyone in these parks from driving at night, conducting walking safaris, or driving off the tracks – especially annoying when interesting game is spotted far away from the track.

Lying around these parks and reserves is a patchwork of private wildlife reserves. These are sometimes called 'concessions', and many are marked on the more detailed map of Northern Botswana. Each of these covers about 800–2,500km², yet each contain just a couple of small, private safari camps. Guests arrive at these by air. They have no campsites or public access, so game-viewing here is generally undisturbed.

Private reserves also offer much greater flexibility in their safari activities: their guides are able to drive off the tracks when searching for game; most offer night drives; and some offer walking safaris guided by expert armed guides.

Environment: dry areas vs. wet areas

Of course there are many different environments in the region, but to start thinking about them, you can divide them very roughly into two categories: dry and wet areas. We'll usually advise travellers to mix different types of camps and environments, to experience the full range of activities, flora and fauna.

Most camps stand on, or close to, large dry areas. These are easiest to explore by 4WD safari trips and night drives. It's in these drier areas that you'll usually have the best sightings of big game, plus dry-country bird species.

Many camps also have access to wet areas – some with deep water, others with shallow. You'll usually explore areas with deep water using motorboats, driven by a guide. Shallower floodplains are best seen from a mokoro, or dug-out canoe. Both are excellent for bird-watching, but you'll usually see less game in a wet area than in the drier areas.


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