If you decide to visit Botswana, prepare for a unique journey, with both humid and semi-desert-like scenery, abundant and varied wildlife, and both traditional and future-oriented culture...
1
Discover the Okavango delta
2
Spend a night (or more than one) in the Kalahari
3
Take some safari snaps
4
Travel through the Pans, and salt deserts with incredible scenery
5
Lose yourself in the Gaborone and discover its inhabitants
1. Discover the Okavango delta
Aboard a dugout canoe named Mokoro, you can crisscross the waters of the delta, one of the largest landbound deltas in the world. Situated in the North-West of the country, not far from the Namibian border, the delta occupies an area of almost 15,000 km2, home to a rare ecosystem: the marshes along the sides of the lagoons are full of reeds; hippopotami splash about in the canals; when the waterline recedes, mounds of earth become islands and are quickly covered in grass, which becomes pasture for ruminating animals...
2. Spend a night (or more than one) in the Kalahari
When visiting Botswana, you should definitely make a detour, long or short, through the Kalahari. Covering the entire South West and centre of the country, as well as part of neighbouring countries, the Kalahari is a huge arid area which becomes a grassy savannah for several months of the year. The best time to discover it is during this season, between February and May. You'll come across the San people, who live there, and you'll meet lions and oryx...
3. Take some safari snaps
The wildlife is particularly abundant and varied in Botswana, and the parks and reserves are well kept. You'll have many chances to take safari photos: in the Chobe National Park, in the North, where there are lots of elephants; in the Nxaipan and Makgadikgadi parks, with their herds of zebra; in the Kalahari Central or the trans-border Kgalagadi park, where you'll see large predators, always an impressive sight.
4. Travel through the Pans, and salt deserts with incredible scenery
The Makgadikgadi pans, located in the North-East of Botswana, between Francistown and Maun, are a salt desert made up of arid scenery stretching as far as the eye can see. Travelling through this endless salty expanse in a 4x4, their monotony occasionally relieved by rocks and baobabs, is an incredible experience.
5. Lose yourself in the Gaborone and discover its inhabitants
When you visit the capital of Botswana, you'll discover a modern but slightly sprawling city; the urban area is home to only 400,000 inhabitants. There are modern high-rise flats and the government city; centres of commerce and congress, museums which seem to merge together in the lower city, and a sprinkling of bars, restaurants and discos. At Gaborone, the locals know how to unwind and have fun! It's one of the places where you can discover Botswana's culture, music and crafts.
The best time to travel to Botswana is between May and September. At this time, the days are hot, and the animals stay near the watering holes: they're easy to spot. Summer, which lasts from October to April in Botswana, is much less appealing: the heat is stifling and rain is frequent and heavy.