Botswana: water, space and the biggest herds

Why Botswana

Botswana made a decision in the 1990s that shaped everything that followed: it would keep visitor numbers low and prices high. The result is that in the Okavango Delta or the Linyanti you can spend a whole morning at a sighting and never see another vehicle. Camps have eight or ten tents, not eighty rooms. The land is unfenced, the animals move as they always have, and the sense of space is unlike anywhere else in Africa.

Then there is the water. The Okavango River rises in the Angolan highlands and, instead of reaching the sea, spreads out across the Kalahari sands into a 15,000-square-kilometre fan of channels, lagoons and islands. The flood arrives in the dry season, so the Delta is at its fullest when the rest of the country is parched, and wildlife concentrates on it. Exploring it by mokoro, the traditional dugout canoe poled through the reeds, is one of the quietest, most memorable things you can do on safari.

And there are the elephants. Botswana holds the largest elephant population on earth, around 130,000 by the most recent aerial survey, and in the dry season tens of thousands of them line the Chobe riverfront. The honest trade-off is cost: a Delta camp is two to three times the price of an equivalent lodge in South Africa, and getting between camps means light aircraft. Botswana is where you go when the safari itself is the point of the trip.

Where to go

When to go

• June to August (peak dry season): the Delta is in full flood, the air is cool and clear, and wildlife concentrates on the water. Mornings are cold enough for gloves on an open vehicle. This is the most popular and most expensive time; book camps nine to twelve months ahead.
• September to October: hot and dry, with the flood receding. The best big-game viewing of the year, as animals crowd the remaining water. Elephant numbers in Chobe and the Linyanti peak. October can reach 40°C.
• November to March (green season): the rains arrive, the bush turns green, and the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi come alive with zebra, wildebeest and newborn antelope. Camp rates drop sharply, sometimes by half. Game viewing in the Delta is harder, the birding is superb, and some camps close for a few weeks.
• April to May: the rains end, the flood begins to arrive, and prices are still below peak. A very good time for value.

Getting there and around

Almost everyone arrives via Johannesburg, with a two-hour connecting flight to Maun (for the Delta and Moremi) or Kasane (for Chobe). From Maun, camps are reached by light aircraft: twenty to forty minutes over the Delta, and part of the experience. Your lodge or operator arranges these transfers as part of the booking.

Self-driving is possible but serious. Moremi, Chobe and the Kalahari require a 4x4, recovery equipment, water, fuel planning and experience with deep sand and water crossings. Public campsites must be booked far in advance. For most visitors a fly-in safari is the practical choice, and it is what the country's tourism is built around.

Victoria Falls, in Zimbabwe or Zambia, is 90 minutes by road from Kasane, which is why Chobe and the Falls are so often combined.

Where to stay

• Fly-in safari camps: the standard Botswana experience. Tented camps of eight to twelve rooms in private concessions, all-inclusive with activities, meals, drinks and the flights between camps. A three-camp circuit of about nine nights, mixing water and land areas, is the classic itinerary.
• Lodges in Kasane and Maun: hotels and lodges in town, with day trips and boat cruises into Chobe. The affordable way to see the elephants, and good for a short stay combined with Victoria Falls.
• Mobile safaris: a guided camping trip that moves between Moremi, Savuti and Chobe with a crew who set up each camp. Less luxurious, far cheaper than fly-in camps, and often the best wildlife of all.
• Houseboats: on the Chobe River, a few nights afloat watching elephants from the deck.

Practicalities

Visas. Citizens of the United Kingdom, the United States, European Union countries and most Commonwealth countries do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Your passport should be valid for six months beyond your arrival and have at least three blank pages. Children under 18 need an original or certified copy of their birth certificate.

Malaria. The Okavango, Chobe, Moremi and Linyanti are malaria areas, with the highest risk in the wet months from November to June. Prophylaxis is recommended year-round for the north; discuss it with a travel clinic. The Central Kalahari and Makgadikgadi carry a lower risk.

Money. The pula is the currency, but safari camps price in US dollars and accept cards. Carry some small US dollar notes and pula for tips and purchases in town. Tipping guides, polers and camp staff is customary and is usually done at the end of a stay.

Health. No vaccinations are compulsory unless you arrive from a yellow-fever country. Camps are remote; comprehensive travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is not optional in Botswana.

Electricity. 230V. Plugs are mainly the South African three-round-pin (Type M) and the British three-pin (Type G). Remote camps run on solar and generators and may limit charging to certain hours.