Botswana is a vast, flat dry land - as big as France but with a population of only 1.6 million, many of whom live in or near the two main cities of Gaborone and Francistown. Over 80 per cent of the country is semi-desert, but, in spite of this, abundant wildlife thrives, and with so few people, Botswana boasts the largest percentage of land given over to wildlife in the world – a remarkable 17 per cent is national park, and with the many huge private concessions in the Okavango Delta and Tuli Block, it reaches a staggering 38 per cent. All national parks and game reserves have camping areas.
For all information and reservations within the National Parks, contact the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, PO Box 20346, next to Police Station, Maun (tel: 686 1265; fax: 686 1264
or 0053); and Gaborone (tel: 318 0774; fax: 318 0775; e-mail: dwnp@gov.bw
or dwnp.parrogabs@gov.bw; website:
www.botswanatourism.org).
The SoutheastGaboroneThe capital, Gaborone, is situated in the southeast of the country. There is an excellent National Museum open from Tues to Fri 0900-1800 and weekends 0900-1700, with natural history and ethnological exhibitions. As well as permanent displays, there are also temporary exhibitions and various symposia and conferences. Gaborone has several good bookshops and libraries, including the University of Botswana Library, which has a ‘Botswana Room’ devoted solely to publications on the country. There are good craft shops and markets in the town, where pottery, basketwork, leatherwork and handwoven objects can be bought.
ExcursionsThe 600-hectare Gaborone Game Reserve, along the Ngotwane River, about 5km east of central Gaborone, is nothing like as good for game as the major parks, but does have a number of species of antelope. 10km southwest of the city is the privately operated, 3000-hectare Mokolodi Nature Reserve, where visitors can go on guided game walks amongst the elephant, cheetah, leopard and antelope. Both reserves have small numbers of white rhino. The St Claire Lion Park, 14km from the city on the Lobatse road, is a good place to see the animals up close, but in a situation far from a natural environment. It also has a vulture restaurant, children’s playground, riding and other entertainments.
The Gaborone Dam is a center for watersports, and day trips can be made to see local crafts at Oodi, Thamaga and Pilane. A trip to the weaving center at Lentswe-La-Odi, just north of Gaborone, is especially recommended. Local craftwork can be bought here at a fraction of its cost in the big cities. The center is a non-profitmaking organization, with proceeds going back to the craftspeople. Mochudi, also north of Gaborone, is the regional capital of the Bakgatla tribe. The Phuthadikobo Museum chronicles the history of the Bakgatla people in fascinating detail.
SeroweHalfway between Gaborone and Francistown, Serowe is one of the largest villages in Botswana, the seat of the Bangwato tribe, and the birthplace of Botswana’s charismatic first president, Sir Seretse Khama. He is buried in the local graveyard. The Khama III Memorial Museum, located in the Red House at the base of the Serowe Hill has memorabilia of the Khama Family. On Khama III’s grave (Sir Seretse’s grandfather) is a bronze duiker sculpted by the famous South African artist Anton van Wouw. Thathaganyana Hill is home to the ruins of an 11th-century settlement.
Nearby, the small Khama Rhino Sanctuary houses almost all of Botswana’s rhino collection, gathered here to protect them from poachers. There are also 28 other animal species and over 150 bird species.
The Tuli BlockThis patchwork of private game ranches and concessions covers about 120,000 hectares in the southeastern corner of the country adjacent to South Africa. It is quite different to anywhere else in Botswana, with ruggedly beautiful countryside famed for both its birdwatching potential and its large herds of elephant. The pot pourri of rocks, varying in age from 2700 million to 3700 million years old, makes for incredible scenery. Horse riding safaris are available, as are mountain bike tours. Mashatu main camp and Mashatu tented camp are in the area.
The NortheastFrancistownFrancistown is a stopping-off point for visitors on the way to the Okavango, Moremi and Chobe game reserves. The area has been inhabited for about 80,000 years, but the town was created in 1867 with the discovery of gold. There are still mines working in the area. The Supa-Ngwao Museum has displays on local history, an information center and a craft shop with books and maps. There are several reasonable hotels and restaurants, and some of Botswana’s best nightlife, which is still somewhat limited.
Makgadikgadi and Nxai PansSituated only 37km (23 miles) north of the main Francistown to Maun road, the entrance to Nxai Pan National Park marks the start of a vast area (roughly the size of Portugal) once covered in giant, shallow salt lakes. Only rare shallow islands of palms and baobabs break the flatness of the countryside. The 2578 sq km park, incorporating the Nxai and Kgama-Kgama Pans, is grassland, teeming with plain animals such as zebra and wildebeest.
The sands of the Makgadikgadi Pans, part of which is protected by a 4900 sq km national park, gleam white with salt in the dry season and transform into a shimmering lake in the rainy season, when thousands of brilliant pink flamingos arrive to paddle in the brine. Herds of zebra and wildebeest also come to drink here. When the Makgadikgadi loses its water, the animals move on to the Boteti River, where they remain until the following rainy season, which heralds their movement northwards again to the Nxai Pan. A new cultural village, Planet Baobab, has been established close to the Nxai Pan, and luxury camps in this area include Jack’s Camp and San Camp. Non-game-viewing activities include quad biking in the dry season.
The NorthwestKasaneBoth border crossing and safari town, Kasane lies on the Chobe River between the Chobe National Park and the Zimbabwean border. It is a pleasant little town, with a good range of lodges, hotels and campsites including the Chobe Chilwero, Chobe Game Lodge, Elephant Valley Lodge and Cresta Mowana (all at the luxury end of the market); and Chobe Safari Lodge, Muchenie, Chobe Marina Lodge and Kubu Lodge (standard accommodation). It also has an airport, used mainly by charter flights, taking people deep into the Delta or southern Chobe; most international arrivals use Victoria Falls, only 40 minutes’ drive away, in Zimbabwe. Like Maun, Kasane has a wide range of tour operators and facilities such as banks.
Chobe National ParkThis area of 10,566 sq km (4081 sq miles) is the home of a splendid variety of wildlife, including elephants who move in their thousands along the well-worn paths of the Chobe River every afternoon to drink. Chobe boasts the highest elephant population in the world, with an estimated 45,000 to 90,000 elephants. There are also large herds of buffalo to be seen at the river’s edge, as well as hippo, lechwe, kudu, impala, roan and puku. The tourists, like the elephants, all tend to congregate in a narrow, 20km (12 mile) strip in the north of the park, doing game drives from the lodges in Kasane. It is undoubtedly spectacular, but it is also very crowded with other vehicles and boats.
In an effort to spread people and elephants out and save the river’s ecosystem, the park authorities are now pumping water to a series of waterholes in the Nogatsaa area, about 65km (40 miles) south. As yet, there are only simple campsites in this dry area, but better facilities are being planned.
Further south and west, the Linyanti Marshes are a mini-version of the Okavango, a river twisted by a volcanic fault to splay out into a lush green, animal rich oasis. Nearby, the Savuti area marks the northern shore of what was once the giant superlake which covered most of Botswana, its flat dry lakebed now a sea of grass, scattered by rocky kopjes beloved of leopards and baboons.
With the exception of certain sections, which are closed in the rainy season during November to April, the park is open throughout the year. The best time to visit it is between May and September when it is possible to see several thousand animals in a day. In the Linyanti region, the camps include Kings Pool Camp, Selinda Camp, Zibaliania and Lebala Lodge. Although this is the most developed of Botswana’s parks and reserves, many of the roads in the area are passable only by 4-wheel-drive vehicles.
The Tsodilo HillsSituated northwest of the Okavango Delta, close to the border with the Caprivi Strip (Namibia), these four granite ridged hills (Male, Female and Child Hills, plus a fourth, unnamed and said to be the first discarded wife) are considered to be a sacred site by the Basarwa (San or Bushmen), who regard them as the final resting place of the dead, and the home of the gods. Known to have been inhabited for at least 100,000 years, they have been decorated with around 4000 rock paintings, mostly portraying animal life; the eldest of the paintings is believed to date back more than 4000 years. The hills are reached by air or road but there are no camping facilities or water supplies so visitors should allow for water, food and fuel needs. The Caprivi strip is currently suffering from security problems, so visitors should seek advice before traveling in this area.
The DeltaMaunOn the southern edge of the Okavango Delta, nearly 950km northwest of Gaborone, Maun is the main jumping-off point for most tourists visiting Botswana. It is a sprawling, scruffy little town, founded in 1915 as the administrative center for the Batawana people. It has an international airport and a number of reasonable hotels, including Riley’s Hotel, Sedia Hotel and Maun Lodge, while lodges include Motsensela Crocodile Camp, Audi Camp, Maun Lodge and Island Safari Lodge. Okavango River Lodge is a campsite. Most hotels have a swimming pool as well as a bar and restaurant. This is also the best place to book safaris, with many tour operators’ offices, a National Park office and the only banks for several hundred miles.
There is an 8 sq km game reserve with several pleasant walking trails along the Thamalakane River near Riley’s Hotel.
Okavango DeltaUndoubtedly the most striking region in the north of the country, situated in the Kgalagadi (or Kalahari) Desert and easily accessible from Maun. It is the greatest inland delta system in the world. The region is extremely beautiful, covering an area of about 15,000 sq km (5600 sq miles) and composed of vast grass flats, low tree-covered ridges and a widespread network of narrow waterways opening into lagoons. The thick reeds and grasses that thrive in these waters make much of the delta section impenetrable except by dug-out canoe (
mokoro), which is the local people’s traditional form of transport. The waters are clear, and crocodiles, hippos and hundreds of fabulous birds can be seen, as well as elephants, zebras and giraffes.
The few people who live here are mainly fishermen, in the west. The only part of the park that is officially protected is the Moremi National Park in the east (see below). Most of the land in the delta is carved up into giant private concessions, scattered by luxury lodges and camps, including Mombo, Xigera, Kwetsani, Xudum, Chiefs Camp, Khwai River Lodge, Eagle Island Camp, Xaxanaxa, Shinde, Camp Okavango, Camp Moremi, Xugana, Pom Pom Baines, Vumbera, Tubu, Nxabega and Sandibe. Bizarrely, with the channels and lagoons shifting every season, these lodges, as the only permanent landmarks, have become an integral part of mapping and navigating in the Delta.
The Delta has three main areas – the Panhandle, a 15km- (9 mile-) wide fault in the northwest, where the fishing is superb but the game-viewing less spectacular; the central permanent swamp, with its maze of pans and watermeadows; and the arid seasonal swamps to the south and east. Although the Delta is home to about 36 species of large mammals, 480 species of birds, 80 species of fish and a wealth of flora, it is not the best place in Africa to find big game – there is plenty there, but it is often hard to see.
The Delta has its own micro-climate with three main seasons. It is warm to hot and dry in August to November, which is when the game-viewing is at its best, but the water is too low for many mokoro trips. December to March is hot and wet, the game vanishes into the undergrowth, but the bird and plant life is at its best. Many lodges close. April to August is cooler and dry, but with flood waters from the Angolan Highlands still fuelling the river channels.
Moremi Game ReserveThis beautiful park covers 1812 sq km (700 sq miles) in the northeast corner of the Okavango Delta. It comprises permanently swamped areas, seasonally swamped areas and dry land. It not only offers water activities such as boat trips but also top game-viewing and incredible scenery, with giant bullrushes fringing hidden lagoons shining blue between the solid trunks of the baobabs, tottering termite mounds and the cracked red mud plains. Small boats travel around the delta, visiting lagoons like Xaxanaxa, Gcobega and Gcodikwe, with their abundance of birdlife. Elephant, hippo, buffalo, lion and most other game can be viewed in abundance. Fishing, walking and night drives are possible outside the park boundaries. South of here, the Gcwihaba Caverns, about 240km (150 miles) from Tsau, contain beautiful stalactites. The name means ‘Hyena’s Hole’ in the Quing language of the Bushmen.
The Center and SouthCentral Kalahari Game ReserveThis remote and virtually unexplored reserve was set up as a refuge both for animals and the country’s few remaining
San (Bushmen) people. The terrain is very varied, with open plains, salt pans, sand dunes and mopane scrub in the north (which also has the best game-viewing), bushveld in the center and woodland in the south. There are five designated but undeveloped campgrounds. Self-drivers with 4-wheel-drive vehicles can go year-round with a permit. The Deception Valley area is used by several upmarket mobile safari operators. Deception Valley Lodge stands on the edge of the Park Border and caters for upmarket clients.
Khutse Game ReserveThis 2500 sq km (965 square mile) expanse of dry savannah land in the center of the Kalahari incorporates a series of shallow pans, which, when filled with water, attract hundreds of bird species as well as an abundance of springbok and ostrich, giraffe, gemsbok, lion, leopard and the rare brown hyena, amongst others. It joins the southern boundary of the Central Kalahari National Park, about 240km (150 miles) northwest of Gaborone. Camping facilities are basic, and water, food and fuel should be brought. Many of the campsites are on the edge of the pan, which enables one to game-watch from the comfort of a camp chair. There are still a few small bands of
Basarwa (San) living in this region, one of the last Stone Age races on earth, some of whom guide visitors around the reserve and teach them about edible and moisture-bearing plants and how many of the animals survive despite the lack of water.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier National ParkThis remote park straddles the border with South Africa in the southwest of the country, the first of a number of ‘peace parks’ planned to cross national boundaries and re-open ancient animal migration routes. The park has deep fossil river beds and high sand dunes, and the area is also known for its salt pans which reflect amazing color changes during the day. Many herds of gemsbok and springbok (as well as other species of antelope), cheetah and famous black-maned Kalahari lion can be seen here and brown hyenas and jackals occur in abundance. The best time to visit is from March to May. It can be reached by a paved road from Gaborone to Tsabong, after which a 4-wheel-drive vehicle is necessary. The main entrance, easiest access point and accommodation are all on the South African side of the border in what was the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. At present there is no accommodation on the Botswanan side and you will need to take a tent and all supplies, including water and fuel.
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