Dumela. Hello in Setswana.
I have so many Safari stories to share with you from my Safaris in Botswana and South Africa; two amazing Safari destinations and each so unique. I am so excited to have explored these country so I can now tell you first hand why you too should go on Safari here.
My first stop was Botswana and I have fallen in love with this country so here goes with my ….
Top 5 reasons to visit Botswana on Safari!
1 - Okavango Delta and the surround marshes.
If you love wildlife, you know you have the Okavango Delta on your must-visit Safari area in Africa. Well, I am so fortunately to say I have been and it did not dissappoint. The Okavango Delta floods usually from June onwards to October when the water arrives from the rains in Angola. In February, it was still dry and hot [the permanent channels and river had water but they will fill out to the brim once the water arrives] but wildlife viewing was spectacular in the many different areas of the Okavango Delta and it’s surrounding. I saw 3 packs of wild-dogs, huge elephant herds with lots of babies, beautiful lion prides with lots of little playful cubs, leopards, birds and so much more.
Wild dogs so close to the vehicle from Kwando Splash.
By the beautiful channel near Machaba Camp in Khwai concession.
A stunning morning with these cuties from Kwando Lebala.
2 - Exploring the waterways.
There are many options of enjoying water activities because of the permanent water channels and rivers. I had a sunset and sunrise water activity almost every day from the different lodges I visited. Sunset cruise was on a big boat with a roof [you can see me sitting up here when it was my time slot] which was lovely.
Then, mokoro. All Botswana Safaris photographs you see show you a mokoro, which is a canoe boat that was used as a mode of transportation. Well, I did a few of these and the verdict - worth it. It is calming yet checks your fear meter [hippos close by], and each guide has their stories of how their parents taught them to ride, using the mokoro to get from the village to town, usually Maun - the gateway town in Botswana, or how they went fishing on the mokoro. Some riders still use mokoros in their villages. In some lodges, the mokoro rider is different from your Safari guide - fun way to get to know more Setswanans.
The mokoro in the Safari land is made of fibreglass so no tree has to be cut but in the old days, it was carved out of large tree trucks.
Sunset cruise from Kwando Splash in private Kwando concession.
Ailin and I with our fantastic Kwando guide Joseiya on a mokoro in Kwando concession.
3 - Off-roading.
I had the luxury of going off-road. This gives you the advantage of getting so close to the wildlife almost always. The main reason this is doable is because the areas in and around the Okavango Delta that I went to are private concessions and have only a few lodges there which means fewer vehicles in that area. The landscape does not take as much beating unlike some place like the Serengeti [a National Park] where there are so many vehicles and if every vehicle went off-roading, it would be awful. This leads me to my next reason …
Mitre, my fantastic guide from Gomoti Plains scanning.
We were so close - we saw the male lion eating a whole impala - nature!
4 - Fewer vehicles.
Because again these areas are private and only a few number of lodges, you have the advantage of controlling the number of vehicles you can have in the area and the guides are part of the the company hence same standard of guiding.
If you are enjoying a sighting, another 3-4 vehicles will be with you but really, no more than that. You also have the unspoken rule of sharing [they said around 3-4 vehicle per sighting] so if you have been with the sighting for say 10-15 minutues, you offer the courtesy to the other vehicle to come and enjoy the sighting while you leave and look for your next adventure which is always around the corner.
Baby leopard and mama seen early in the morning from Machaba Camps with my amazing guide Moreri.
Black backed jackel showing lots of loving from Kwando Lebala. Love Kwando Lebala.
A yellow-billed hornbill - spotted from Kwando Lebala.
5 - Water-animals.
With a lot more water channels and rivers, you have aquatic antelopes like the red lechwes. Such beautiful animals splashing back and forth. I spotted a not so commonly seen situnga on my sunset boat ride from Kwando Splash camp. My guide Joseiya and Kwando rep Ailin were so excited - I had to come back and Google situnga to realize I did spot something rare. Birds like lesser jacana was also seen but it flew away before I could capture it.
The beautiful Red Lechwe jumping the Linyanti Swamps from Kwando Lebala.
The rarely spotted sitatunga - a water antelope from my sunset boat cruise from Kwando Splash.
So would I say go on a Botswana Safari, a loud Yes!
Amazing people, great Safari lodges, and spectacular wildlife in a country who have done a fantastic job of conservation. With 45% of the land set aside to wildlife and low human population, Botswana, you have something really special to offer.
And I can help you.
Let’s chat about Your Safari to Botswana!