Botswana

Botswana has a huge array of wildlife ranging from endangered animals such as Rhinos and Wild Dogs to numerous Bird life that inhabit areas making it a favourite amongst tourists. The country’s natural landscape is also extraordinary from the vast and striking Kalahari Desert to the calmness of the Okavango Delta. Gaborone is the Capital of Botswana and also the largest city in the country with modern buildings, decent hotels and restaurants.

Chobe National Park Game Reserve is the third largest in Botswana and has one of the largest concentrations of rare game animals across the African continent. The park takes its name from the Chobe River, which is guaranteed to take your breath away. As well as being a beautiful sight, the river supports an ecosystem of rare and exotic animals including Elephants, Lions, Giraffes, Buffalo and Birds.

Savuti is one of the most popular safari destinations in Botswana due to its prime location in the very corner of the Chobe National Park. Throughout the year, all of the most popular and impressive animals except for Rhinos visit the region due to the river here. The area has plenty of luxury as well as some great campsites for drivers through the area.

The Moremi Game Reserve is one of the best game reserves on the African continent. Founded solely by local residents it is situated on the east side of the Okavango Delta. The reserve offers some of the most stunning scenery in the country and boasts an equally impressive ecosystem.

The Okavango Delta is an awe-inspiring wilderness location. This unspoiled wilderness has a terrain ranging from dry grasslands to swamps. Both safaris and game watching are the most popular activities in the park and some of the animals that can be sighted here include Cheetahs, Giraffes, Elephants, Zebras, Rhinos and Crocodiles to name but a few.

Kasane is located between the ‘Four Corners of Africa’, where Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia all meet. This is an excellent spot to stay to see the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or Botswana’s own Chobe National Park. The town’s other attractions include a huge Baobab Tree that was once used as a prison due to its trunk that is so large a human can enter.

The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park stretches from the Boteti River and supports a vast and diverse ecosystem. The wildlife are particularly varied as in the dry season animals come from miles around to the river, which is their only source of water.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is thrilling, mysterious and extremely vast, a true wilderness that will give you the impression that you are exploring Africa alone. Astonishing grasslands engulf you by day whilst by night the skies are the clearest in the world. In summer the rain brings out countless wild beasts of all shapes and sizes including massive herds of animals like Wildebeest and Springbok.

The Tsodilo Hills appear almost unexpectedly out of the ground in the northwest Kalahari. These imposing rock formations of varying shapes and sizes are even more impressive by the relative flatness of the surrounding land in the Kalahari. The Tsodilo Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to a staggering 4000 cave paintings spread out over 200 locations. The best time to visit is through the winter months as the summer is just too hot.

Francistown is the oldest town in Botswana, built on gold mining before the Europeans came and prospered for themselves. The main sights in the town include the Supa Ngwao Museum, which documents the life and culture of the Kalanga people through various exhibits. There is also a refuge for orphaned wild animals called Birds and Game Botswana.

Gabane Village is a great location for exploring the hills by foot. The village is surprisingly productive and houses a number of small manufacturers such as glassworks, metal and pottery on the appropriately named Pelegano Village Industry. The pottery factory in Gabane is especially worth a visit due to its shop selling wares such as crockery, vases and other handcrafted decorative items.