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Continuing with my other ‘Top Things to See’ features, here is the list of the top 5 things to see in Botswana. It is a fascinating country and while most of the attractions listed below are primarily focused on wildlife, there is much more to this stunning country if you have the time to explore.
Central Kalahari Game Reserve
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve, home to the San Bushmen, is the largest game reserve in Botswana. Its arid conditions are often considered inhospitable; however, when the summer rains hit Deception Valley, the plains come to life and offer visitors a fantastic safari experience. Here you will find grazing species like gemsbok, sprinkbok, and other antelopes, predators like lions and cheetahs, and a host of other wildlife. Game watching in the Central Kalahari during this time is considered by some to offer a similar experience to migrations in nearby Tanzania and Kenya. The habitat is also the favorite of reptiles, scorpions and insects, since they have known how to adapt to the erratic conditions of the area.
Learning more about the traditional San people of the Kalahari is an incredibly interesting experience and allows the visitor to discover more about how these nomadic people live side by side with their environment.
Chobe national park
Chobe, the second largest national park in Botswana, has some of the highest concentrations of wildlife found in Africa. Probably most famous for its huge population of migratory elephants (somewhere in the region of 120,000 individuals!), The park is home to quite a few other animals as well and is popular with migratory birds as well.
Chobe National Park is diverse and has much to attract all visitors, with four distinct ecosystems apparent within its boundaries. You can experience the lush and dense forests of the Serondela on the banks of the Chobe River, the marshes around the Savute canal, the Linyanti swamps, and the hot, dry plains in between.
The park is a great year-round destination, although hunting concentrations are particularly high during the driest month, usually between April and October.
Makgadikgadi Pan
Makgadikgadi Pan began life as a large lake, but many years ago the water evaporated, leaving a glistening pan encrusted with salt. Today, this amazing natural feature made up of two large salt flats, Sowa and Ntwetwe, and several smaller ones, is believed to be the largest in the world. The Makgadikgadi Pan and the surrounding nutritious grasslands are home to a large number of predators and antelope species. Huge flocks of breeding flamingos flock to the pan just like many other species of birds.
While the wildlife here is fascinating, it is the remoteness and uniqueness of the pan itself that is the main attraction. The sunset over Makgadkigadi Pan is not to be missed as the changing light casts wonderful shadows against the shiny surface of the pan and makes some amazing photographs and images a treasure.
Moremi Game Reserve
Covering the eastern side of the Okavango Delta, the Moremi Game Reserve offers visitors a great combination of floodplains, forested areas, and open savanna plains. This habitat provides shelter for some 500 species of birds, as well as other species of wildlife, such as leopards, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, hippos, hyenas and red lechwe. In addition, the reserve is home to a large percentage of Africa’s wild dog population; Getting a glimpse of these beautiful endangered “painted” creatures is certainly something special.
Taking a mokoro trip is a must here and allows the visitor to observe wildlife from a slightly different perspective while crossing the lagoons and canals. You can also explore by vehicle or on foot. Visit from July to October to see the maximum game when the pot begins to dry out and the wildlife turns their attention to the permanent water.
Okavango Delta
One of the largest inland water systems in the world, the Okavango Delta is a highlight for many visitors to Botswana. The famous deltas floods are created by Angolan rains and a series of other tributaries that flow through Namibia and into Botswana to create the body of water for which this area is famous. At peak flow, the Delta covers an area of about 16,000 km and is reduced to less than 9,000 km in the dry season.
The Delta is home to large animals and birds, including a host of crocodiles, sitatunga, elephants, and baleen cranes, to name just a few. Ornithologists should schedule their visit during the rainy season (November to May) for better bird watching, while animal life is most prolific throughout flooded areas during the May to October period when vegetation has started to dry out.
Choose to explore the Okavango Delta by vehicle, on foot, by elephant, or in a mokoro (a traditional type of canoe)!