A Botswana safari rides high on many bucket lists. We know, because we have probably planned more trips to Botswana than any other country in Africa – and that’s saying something!
The pristine landscapes and story-book wildlife make the Okavango Delta a safari superstar, but there’s also the culture and astonishing beauty of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, where the magic is in the minimalism. Combine the two and you’re all set for a spectacular Botswana safari as our Travel Specialist, Meg, discovered.
Follow Meg on her journey and immerse yourself into Botswana…
“Our first stop was Jack’s Camp in the Makgadikgadi Pans. It’s a unique and absolutely unforgettable camp with huge, ornately decorated suites and plunge pools overlooking plains dotted with zebra and wildebeest. Ancient artefacts from Botswana fill the camp, gathered and curated by the Bousfield family over decades. I could have spent an entire day walking around the museum to learn all about their impressive collection.”
“Most people go to the Makgadikgadi for the views, but there are some incredible experiences to enjoy. The wildlife really surpassed my expectations; we watched elephants around a waterhole at sunset and saw black maned lions swaggering across the landscape. The Bushman walk was also fascinating, educational, and an absolute highlight of the trip.”
“Our next stop in the Makgadikgadi was San Camp, the sister to Jack’s Camp. Our highlight? The sunset meerkat encounter, without a doubt. It was incredibly fun to walk and sit amongst the meerkats, observing their antics and snapping photos. One even chose to use my head as a lookout post!”
“Next up, the Okavango Delta and the Golden Africa Roving Camp. It’s a mobile camp and one of the few in the Moremi Reserve, which meant having the area nearly all to ourselves in the early morning and around sunset. It was a gloriously authentic safari experience and definitely my favourite part of the trip. To top it off, the team in camp was phenomenal and it felt like leaving family when we departed.”
“I’ll never forget first evening in Moremi when we came across a pride of around 17 lions feeding on a buffalo. As sunset approached, the other vehicles had to clear out, leaving us to keep watching well after dark. We ended up having sundowners in the vehicle surrounded by lions. Pure magic…”
“We then moved on to Gomoti Plains, a fantastic camp with lots of intimate, comfy nooks to curl up in on the deck. The meals were superb and a true stand-out was the egg station, which was available at breakfast and lunch so you could order eggs any way you like and cooked right in front of you! Be sure to get a massage while you’re here — some of my travel companions were lucky enough to indulge and raved about it.”
“Gomoti Plains offers the chance to explore the Central Okavango region, and on our first morning, we took to the waterways on a mokoro ride. On the water, the atmosphere is overwhelmingly peaceful; the only noises are the softly lapping water, and plenty of chirruping birds and frogs. We even had the chance to spy on elephants and antelope in the distance.”
“After an incredible helicopter flight, we touched down at Kiri Camp, which boasts the most spectacular views of the Delta floodplains from the private decks. Later on, we enjoyed very memorable sundowners at a pop-up gin bar in the bush. Certainly a first for me!”
“Our third and final stop in the Delta was the Okavango Panhandle. I had no idea what to expect from this remote area, but I knew it was somewhere special from the moment we cruised along the river and straight into Xaro Lodge. Whilst here, we visited Tsodilo Hills, an archaeological site that is home to pottery, iron, beads, and carved bone tools dating back 90,000 years, and explored the stunning surroundings by boat, on foot and by car. An amazing end to a fantastic trip!”