Tourist areas

The Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is situated deep within the Kalahari Basin, and is often referred to as the ‘jewel’ of the Kalahari.

One of the most sought after wilderness destinations in the world, the Okavango Delta gives entrance to the spectacle of wild Africa such as dreams are made of – the heart-stopping excitement of big game viewing, the supreme tranquility and serenity of an untouched delta, and evocative scenes of extraordinary natural beauty.

A journey to the Okavango Delta – deep into Africa’s untouched interior – is like no other. Moving from wetland to dryland – traversing the meandering palm and papyrus fringed waterways, passing palm-fringed islands, and thick woodland, resplendent with lush vegetation, and rich in wildlife – reveals the many facets of this unique ecosystem, the largest intact inland delta in the world.



Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park is located in the northwest corner of Botswana, stretching over 11,000 sq kms.

Established in 1968, the park encompasses floodplains, swamps and woodland. It is the most accessible and frequently visited of Botswana’s national parks, with the Chobe riverfront being noted for its huge herds of elephant and Cape Buffalo, which converge on the river to drink during the dry winter months.

During this season, it is possible to see hundreds of elephants together at one time. Most of Botswana’s varied wildlife can be found in the park, including zebra, lion, giraffe, African wild dogs, kudu and wildebeest. However, it is Chobe’s prolific elephant population that draws many visitors, estimated at over 155,000.



Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pans National Park

Imagine, if you will, an area the size of Portugal, largely uninhabited by humans. Its stark, flat, featureless terrain stretches, it would seem, to eternity, meeting and fusing with a milky-blue horizon. This is the Makgadikgadi, an area of 12,000 sq kms, part of the Kalahari Basin, yet unique to it, one of the largest salt pans in the world.

For much of the year, most of this desolate area remains waterless and extremely arid; and large mammals are thus absent. But during and following years of good rain, the two largest pans – Sowa to the east and Ntwetwe to the west – flood, attracting wildlife – zebra and wildebeest on the grassy plains – and most spectacularly flamingos at Sowa and Nata Sanctuary.

Flamingos often arrive in the thousands (sometimes tens of thousands), and the spectacle can be completely overwhelming.



Central Kalahari Game Reserve

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is the second largest wildlife reserve in the world, covering an area of 52, 800 square kilometres.

Offering the beauty of the wilderness, superb wildlife viewing, serenity and vast space, the CKGR is the ultimate for tourist with a mind for adventure. The reserve supports a wide variety of mammals, including wildebeest, eland, gemsbok, kudu, red hartebeest and springbok, giraffe, steenbok, duiker, lion, cheetah, leopard, wild dog and brown hyena.

Game viewing is often at its best between November and April when, if the rains have been good, animals gather at the pans and in valleys. The northern Deception Valley is an area of dense concentrations of herbivores during and after the rainy season, and is one of the most travelled areas of the reserve, offering amenities at a number of public campsites and several fixed lodges.



Nothern Tuli Game Reserve

Situated in the northeast corner of Botswana at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers, this area is a collection of privately-owned game reserves and concessions covering over 300,000 hectares. It is one of the largest privately-owned game reserves in southern Africa.

A land of big vistas, huge skies, giant trees and great herds of game, it is a place where the present echoes with footsteps of the past.

Scenically the landscape differs from the rest of Botswana, with dominant basalt formations rising from the Mophane bush, towering sandstone hills and ridges and complex networks of riverbeds.

From vantage points on top of the rock formations Botswana’s seemingly endless bushveldt stretches into the distance. It is at its most evocative when the day ends with an amazing sunset.



Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Africa’s first formally declared transborder conservation area, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) on the border of South Africa and Botswana was officially opened in 2002.

The KTP is completely unfenced, thus allowing wildlife to move freely along the ancient migration routes so essential for their survival in the desert.

To maintain Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park's pure wilderness experience, there are strict limits as to the number of vehicles that can travel the wilderness trails, how many nights a camping party can stay at a campsite, and how many people can camp at each campsite. Hence booking well in advance is essential.

Immigration and customs facilities have been designed to allow travellers to enter the park in one country and depart in the other. The park is one of Africa’s last great wildernesses. Much of this dramatic landscape is a desert with stunning red and gold sand dunes.



Gaborone

Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana, is the country’s centre of government, commerce and industry.

The city has a fascinating history. At independence Gaborone was chosen as the capital because of its strategic location, its proximity to the railway line, its accessibility to most of the major tribes and its closeness to a major water source.

In only 18 months the city emerged from the bush and could boast National Assembly buildings, Government offices, a hospital, a school and an airfield amongst others.

With the rapid development of infrastructure in recent years, the city now offers activities for visitors and business travellers. It has an estimated population of 300,000 inhabitants. Gaborone is reputed to be the fastest growing city in the world with all the amenities of the 21st century. It’s very interesting to see traditional culture existing side by side with cell phones, cars, nightclubs and haute cuisine.