Botswana

Bordered by the Linyanti River in the north (at the Namibian border), and the Chobe National Park in the east, the Linyanti reserve covers 1,250 km² of river, open floodplains and dense forests that protect a high concentration of wildlife. The national park only touches the river for a short section on the far eastern edge of the swamp.

One of the remotest and most inaccessible parts of Africa, the private reserve may be called a hidden paradise for safari enthusiasts. It offers more remote, private safari opportunities than the national parks allow, with walking and night drives, as well as off-road driving. Shared by a very small number of private camps, the enormous reserve is one of the least visited in Botswana, and ensures a very private and exclusive experience for those aiming to view abundant wildlife in a priviledged context.

The magnificent area boasts unparalleled wilderness with highlights of big herds of buffalo in the dry season and close encounters of unique wildlife species such as aardvark. Large herds of elephants can be viewed at the rivers and waterholes, and thousands of zebra concentrate in the winter before heading south. Other wildlife seen includes lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, giraffe, eland, sable, hippo, hyena, aardvark and various other nocturnal species.The endless vistas of the Linyanti marsh makes an incredible playing field for the avid bird watcher combined with breath taking views of a scenery carved by defiant forces of nature. Water birds, including pelican, are common.

The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Swamp) is formed where the Okavango River, flows from the rain-rich Angolan highlands, empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea. Each year approximately 11 cubic kilometres of water irrigate the 15,000 km2 area and some flood-waters drain into Lake Ngami. The world’s largest inland delta gives birth to Africa’s largest and most beautiful oasis of lush water-wilderness. It takes the shape of a hand, with the palm permanently filled with water, and the fingertips seasonally flooded with a blue-green wilderness of fresh water, shaping million of islands and a labyrinth of papyrus-lined canals, water-lily lagoons, shady forest glades and rich savanna grasslands – an incredible source of life in a country that is 80% arid.

Sometimes dried out with salt, the islands are inhabited by hundreds of species of birds, while hippos, elephants and crocodiles move from one to another in very pure waters. From the smaller tropical fish to the larger animal, there is always something that will catch your eye and admiration, making a safari to the Okavango Delta one of Africa’s top game safari destinations. Lions, leopards, elephants and buffalos are regularly seen in the Delta – the White Rhino is more difficult to spot. The Big Five are in good company with a remarkable number of species: 164 mammal, 400 birds, 157 reptiles, 84 species of fish and 5,000 different insects.

Measuring almost 100 feet (30 metres) deep, over an area of 30,888 sq. miles (80,000 square km), Lake Makgadikgadi began to dry up as recently as 10,000 years ago and further evaporation turned the lake into large pans with a surface glistening with salt. Today The Makgadikgadi provides one of the most dramatic African safari travel experiences.

When the summer rains fall in this region bringing life to the arid landscape and temporarily obscuring the glittering salt shine from the dry pans, an entirely different aspect of Botswana can be experienced. Fish and shrimps lying dormant in the mud wake up, flocks of flamingos and pelicans head to the area and the impressive migration of large groups of wildebeest and zebra is kickstarted. Stay in luxury safari lodges in this region and allow yourself to be guided to view some of the most exciting game watching you are ever likely to see.

The black-maned Kalahari lion and leopard stalk the empty landscapes looking for the herds of antelope that are resident here. Wild dog, cheetah and both the brown and spotted hyena also form part of the impressive array of predators in this region.

White-backed vultures, bateleurs, black-breasted snake eagles, falcons and pale chanting goshawks are just a few of the thousands of birds that are attracted by the water, fresh vegetation and new found life around the saltpans in the wet season. An excellent destination for those looking for an African birding safari, the Makgadikgadi Pans region offers a superlative experience.

Venturing far into the centre of the Makgadikgadi, on 4WD quad bikes, one can explore remote archaeological sites, periodically discovering never before documented fossil beds of extinct giant zebra and hippo. The fact that you can travel across the pans at great speed and still arrive nowhere only underlines the pans immensity (the size of Switzerland).

It is also the only place where guests able to walk through the Kalahari with a gang of habituated, but wild, meerkats!

Covering the centre of Botswana, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the largest game reserve in the world, has only recently been opened to the public and yet it reserved to well-organised self-sufficient groups of adventurers who can confront the remoteness, wilderness, harsh terrain and unforgiving climate. Although called a desert, the Kalahari is covered with a wide variety of habitats: sand dunes with many species of trees in the North, flat bushveld in the central area, mophane forests to the south and east, wide grasslands in vast open plains, acacia trees forrests, saltpans and ancient riverbeds…

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve was originally designed to provide a homeland for the San Bushmen, a people of nomadic hunters and gatherers who inhabited the area for the past 30,000 years. Most of them now mixed with other local tribes and live in villages or settlements in the Southern part of the reserve, and often work as guides in the desert.

The main wildlife concentrations are to be found in the northern part of the reserve; the desert truly comes to life when the summer rains (December to April) provide for green grazeland in the North: a spectacular migration then takes place, the animals congregate in large number and variety in the pans and valleys. Giraffe, wild dog, leopoard, lion, brown hyena, cheetah, warthog, a wide variety of antelope, kudu and springbok, among others, can be viewed. The visitors will also enjoy fascinating reptiles, scorpions and insects, magnificent skies at days (with impressive cloud formations during the summer rainstorms) and nights (spectacular starry skies), and the great spectacle of the Deception Valley – a 80km long ancient riverbed where mirages take place.