Botswana – A booming economy in a stable country with no mass tourism, dominated by the Kalahari Desert and home to only 1.8 million people.  A high quality/low volume tourism philosophy has created a sustainable safari industry which employs 50% of the population and offers visitors the most remote, pristine and private safari experience in Africa.

I’m in the Okavango Delta.  It’s 6 a.m., the winter allows an extra half hour of sleep, its August and the morning is cold, about 48F as I sip my coffee next to the crackling fire.  Rain is never in the forecast this time of year; the cool crisp morning will give way to an 80F cloudless sunny day.  There are ten people in camp plus the staff and all around me the shimmering expanse of a 4,000 square mile network of papyrus lined waterways, lagoons, grasslands, and palm trees on sand islands.  I hear elephants sloshing through the shallow water en route to feed.  I leave the warmth of the fire and board the open Land Rover and put on the wool lined poncho provided for me.  The cool air hits my face as we leave camp and moon gives way to warming sun.  Red lechwe, zebra, wildebeest, hippo, elephant, lion, leopard and sable antelope await my gaze.  The two areas for visitors within the Delta are the Moremi Game Reserve and the large private reserves called ‘concessions’ that surround Moremi; these concessions are leased by safari companies and offer visitors the most remote, game rich and private safari experience in all of Africa.   Botswana’s high quality/low volume safari philosophy means that while expensive, this is the best place in the world for a safari where you will see loads of animals and no people except those in your small camp.  There are no permanent structures in the Delta; and while luxurious, all the camps can be dismantled without a footprint in short order.

The afternoon is warm.  I climb into a mokoro and the  poler pushes his pronged branch into the Kalahari sand under the clear shallow water and we silently slip through the tall grass penetrating the water.  A tiny painted frog clings to a blade of grass and we silently pull up next to him and observe at eye level; an African Skimmer nest with eggs inside is right on the side of our mokoro waterway; an African Fish Eagle is perched on a branch overlooking a lagoon and calls to his mate for life across the channel; in the distance elephants are on the move.

The Okavango Delta is a wetland paradise utop the white sands of the Kalahari Desert.  The Okavango River flows from the highlands of Angola into northern Botswana where it hits a fault and fans into fingers, creating a 4,000 square mile labyrinth of crystal clear waterways, lagoons, grasslands and palm islands teeming with wildlife.  The water from Angola doesn’t reach Botswana until the dry season, the result is that the Delta is in full flood when the sky is blue and there is no rain.  Moremi Game Reserve covers about 20% of the Okavango Delta and is surrounded unfenced by private safari concessions; the whole area is a pristine wildlife wonderland.  The difference between the camps within Moremi and the private concessions is that in Moremi walking safaris and off-road game drives are not allowed.  Palm trees, sandy islands, grassy plains, wooded islands, slow meandering papyrus lined watercourses and quiet lagoons provide the visitor a very unique and diverse ecosystem which in itself is worth the trip.  The safari camps are small and intimate with some of Africa’s best safari guides and bush chefs; and you will see very few other people while there.  Activities are numerous, both water and land based are on offer.  Mokoro (low dugout canoe) trips through the Delta are surreal; power boating  through the passageways and lagoons is a thrill and the fishing is relaxed and peaceful in secluded lagoons.  Game viewing is excellent year-round and birding is spectacular in the summer months.  Game drives are done in open safari vehicles day and night and walking safaris are allowed on the private concessions.   It is peaceful and divine and I believe, provides one of the world’s best, if not the best, safari experiences in Africa.  Rhinos are being re-introduced into the area, and sightings are slim.  In the Delta there are both water and land based camps, at the land based camps the activities revolve around game drives in open safari vehicles and walking safaris, while at the water based camps the activities focus on mokoro trips, power boating, walking and fishing; game drives are usually on offer with a boat bringing guests to the safari vehicles waiting on dry land.  It is a good idea to combine water and land based camps on an Okavango itinerary to take advantage of the different experiences and different species found at both.  Camps are relatively expensive in the Delta because of the remoteness which means you must fly into camp; the camps are small, intimate, wonderfully staffed and provide true bush luxury.

Game Viewing

Over 160 mammal species including: zebra, wildebeest, kudu, warthog, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, hippo, crocodile, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, jackal, genet, serval, monkey, baboon

Unique species include: red lechwe, sitatunga, sable antelope

Over 500 species of birds including: Pel’s Fishing Owl, lilac breasted roller, African Fish Eagle, Slaty Egrets, ostrich, kori bustard, African Skimmer, pennant-winged nightjar

Dry season: April to October: easy to spot animals as vegetation is less dense; cool/cold nights, sunny warm days; the Delta is in full flood, water activities are abundant under the warm African sun; nights are cold, fires are warm; peak season rates.

Consider visiting Botswana in the shoulder months: May – June and November – December, the wildlife viewing is very good and you benefit from shoulder season rates.