What to Do and See in Botswana

There are many safari destinations that will offer you great adventures, but none of them can be compared to Botswana’s. Over the years, Botswana has been regarded as one of the best places for wildlife adventures. Here’s a look into Botswana’s great treasures.

The annual zebra migration in Savute and Linyanti

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Bordering the Chobe National Park and located just above the Okavango Delta is the Savuti and Linyanti area. It is a remote region of Botswana consisting of grasslands, swamps, sandy plains, and is the famous site of the amazing annual zebra migration.
The zebras stay in the Linyanti area during winter and head to Savuti by late November in anticipation of the summer rains which happen between December-March. What makes the annual zebra migration popular and very much anticipated by tourists is because, during this event, they get a chance to experience a superb viewing of the wild-life in person. There are several hides available around the area for guests to use in order to have an exclusive and close-up viewing of the migration. The staggering view of the zebras together with animals running from Linyanti to Savuti will surely leave you astounded.

The Okavango Delta

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Highly regarded as “the jewel” of the Kalahari Desert, the Okavango Delta is an isolated oasis located at the arid desert of Botswana. Okavango Delta is sought after by tourists because of its exemplary flora and fauna diversity. This area of Botswana can be explored through canoes, boats or nature walks.

Chobe National Park

flickr.com/Obliot

Chobe National Park is perhaps Botswana’s best destination for game and elephant viewing. Even though parts of Chobe National Park can be crowded with tourists, it is still the prime safari destination because it is home to an exciting variety of more than 600 bird species and giant mammals. The park is probably best known for its elephants. With over 50,000 elephants it is one of the easiest places in Africa to see elephants. The population of elephants has grown from a few thousand elephants in 1990 and is a testament to the conservation efforts in Botswana.

The Big Five and other game viewing animals

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“The Big Five” is a term coined by hunters referring to Africa’s 5 of the most difficult animals to hunt on foot, namely the African Elephant, the Black rhinoceros, cape buffalo, lion, and leopard. Even though hunting is not allowed in Botswana parks, many tourists still keep track of how many of these animals they shoot, although now they are shooting them with their cameras. There are many places in Botswana where you can have an up-close and personal look of them together with other animals such as wildebeests, hyenas, and zebras.

A diverse bird species

flickr.com/Stig Nygaard

Botswana is truly a bird’s paradise with more than 600 bird species which makes it a perfect place for bird-viewing adventures. Okavango plains is a breathtaking spot where you can see a dazzling array of bird species including the three most popular: Wattled Crane, Slaty Egret, and Pel’s Fishing Owl.

World Heritage Site of the Tsodilo Hills

wikipedia.org

Tsodilo is a UNESCO World Heritage site found at the north-eastern part of Botswana. Tsodilo is highly regarded for the rock paintings that can be found all over the area left by humans who lived in Africa thousands of years ago. With more than 4,500 paintings in a relatively small area (10 square km) the area has been called the ‘Louvre of the Desert’.

The Kalahari Desert

flickr.com/untipografico

The Kalahari “Desert” is an area of semi-arid savannah covering the hollow basin of Botswana. The area gets only  3–7.5 inches or rain per year and 4,000 hours of sunlight. The area includes vast grasslands as well as acacia trees and over 400 kinds of plants have adapted to its harsh environment. The Kalahari Bushmen which have inhabited this area fr perhaps as long as 20,000 years.

In Summary

Botswana’s natural wonders aided by its’ government’s strong commitment to boost their travel industry has made the country a top destination in Africa. This means that the country is geared towards giving its tourists a great experience through the best services that they can offer. The next time you plan your next African safari, make sure to check out what Botswana can offer you.