Tourist attractions in Botswana
Almost 40% of Botswana is set aside for national parks, game reserves and wildlife management areas, and a policy of high-value, low-impact tourism keeps visitor numbers small and the wild places truly wild. From the waterways of the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the endless sands of the Kalahari, the country offers some of the finest safaris on the continent.
Landlocked in the heart of southern Africa and roughly the size of France, Botswana is bordered by South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Kalahari sands cover around 70% of the land, yet the country also holds one of the largest inland deltas on Earth, the salt pans of Makgadikgadi and the rock-art hills of Tsodilo, its second UNESCO site. Rather than packing parks with lodges, the government has long favoured small camps and fly-in safaris, which is why game drives here so often end without another vehicle in sight.
Why visit Botswana?
Botswana shelters one of the world's largest elephant populations – estimates put it at around 130,000 – along with lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, rhino and more than 550 bird species. Since independence in 1966 it has become one of Africa's most stable democracies, and its population of around 2.5 million leaves room to travel for hours without seeing another vehicle.
The variety of safari styles is a big part of the appeal. In the delta you glide through papyrus channels in a mokoro (dugout canoe) and walk on islands with local guides; in Chobe you watch elephants swim the river from a boat; in the Kalahari you sleep beneath some of the darkest skies in Africa and meet San communities whose knowledge of the desert goes back thousands of years. Many private concessions also allow night drives, walking safaris and off-road tracking, activities that are restricted in most national parks elsewhere in the region.
Getting there and around
International travellers usually connect via Johannesburg to Gaborone, the capital, or fly straight to the safari hubs of Maun and Kasane. Many visitors also cross overland from Victoria Falls. Light aircraft serve the remote northern camps, while guided mobile safaris move between public campsites by 4x4 – an itinerary such as the 6-day fully catered mobile safari through Moremi and Chobe takes care of all the logistics.
Self-driving is popular with experienced travellers, but the north is serious 4x4 country: deep sand, water crossings and long distances between fuel stops are the norm, and national-park campsites must be booked well in advance. Light-aircraft transfers have strict soft-bag luggage limits, usually around 20 kilograms per person. Citizens of most European and North American countries receive a free visa on arrival, and the local currency is the pula, though US dollars are widely accepted at lodges.
Highlights not to miss
- Okavango Delta: An inland delta explored by mokoro canoe, motorboat and on foot. Each winter the floodwaters from the Angolan highlands spread across some 15,000 square kilometres, turning the Kalahari into a mosaic of islands and lagoons.
- Chobe National Park: Vast elephant herds and boat safaris on the Chobe River. In the dry season hundreds of elephants can gather on the riverfront in a single afternoon.
- Moremi Game Reserve: The eastern heart of the delta, mixing water and land safaris. It is one of the best places in Africa to see African wild dogs and leopards.
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve: Black-maned lions and the ancestral lands of the San, reachable on a 3-day Kalahari camping safari. Fossil river valleys such as Deception Valley fill with springbok and gemsbok after the summer rains.
Planning a route
The classic northern circuit runs from Maun through the delta, Moremi and Savuti to Chobe. You can cover it in eight days on the guided Explore the Okavango and Chobe camping tour, or continue across the border on the 9-day Okavango Delta to Victoria Falls safari.
As a rule of thumb, allow at least three nights in the delta, two in Moremi or Khwai and two on the Chobe riverfront, and add the salt pans or the Central Kalahari if you have extra time. Combining a water-based camp with a land-based one gives the most varied experience, and finishing at Kasane makes it easy to add Victoria Falls, only about 80 kilometres away. Travellers on a tighter budget can choose guided camping safaris, which use the same public campsites as self-drivers but include vehicles, guides and meals.
Best time to visit
May to October is the classic safari season, when wildlife gathers around permanent water and the Okavango flood peaks. November to April brings lush landscapes, newborn animals, migratory birds and lower prices, and is the most rewarding period for the Kalahari and the Makgadikgadi Pans.
Be prepared for big temperature swings: winter mornings in June and July can drop close to freezing in open vehicles, while October regularly tops 40 °C. The rainy season usually falls between December and March, with short, dramatic afternoon storms rather than days of drizzle. The north is a malaria area, so take medical advice before travelling, especially during and after the rains.
Select a tourist attraction below to see its description, images & location. It also shows suggestions of our tours to Botswana which include the selected attraction.
You can also use the map of Botswana below to see where the country's highlights lie.
