Top 7 Things to Do in Botswana

Botswana's safari model is built on a commitment to trading crowds for exclusivity. In doing so, it will foster in you a much deeper, more personal connection with the wilderness.

The Luxury of Exclusivity: The Power of Private Concessions

The "low-impact, high-value" model is built on vast private concessions, many of which are leased to a single lodge. This means you won't encounter crowds. Instead of a dozen vehicles at a lion sighting, you may be the only one, allowing for quiet observation. This exclusivity also permits activities not allowed in national parks, such as off-road driving to track elusive predators and guided night drives to witness nocturnal hunters.

The Intimacy of a Water-Based Safari

Much of your safari, particularly in the Okavango Delta, is experienced from the water. Gliding silently in a mokoro, or traditional dugout canoe, brings you to eye-level with the wilderness. Without the sound of an engine, your senses are heightened. You might hear the splash of a lechwe, the call of a fish eagle, and the rustle of an elephant feeding in the reeds. This slow, immersive travel creates a personal, sensory connection to the ecosystem that a traditional 4x4 safari cannot replicate.

A visit to the Kalahari Desert will unveil a vast, ethereal landscape that covers nearly 70 percent of Botswana. Far from being a barren wasteland, this ancient desert is alive with uniquely adapted wildlife and cultural history. It provides a safari experience defined by striking contrasts, from its salt pans to its golden grasslands. It is home to the legendary black-maned lions, elusive cheetahs, and endearing meerkats.

What to Expect

• San Cultural Walks: Join San trackers for an illuminating and respectful walk, learning ancient survival skills, the medicinal uses of plants, and the many secrets of the bush.
• Meerkat Encounters: Spend enchanting mornings observing habituated meerkat colonies as they warm up, forage, and stand sentry against the desert backdrop.
• Kalahari Lions: Track the iconic black-maned lions, uniquely adapted to this arid, challenging environment, on thrilling game drives.
• Vast Salt Pans: Venture onto the shimmering, otherworldly expanse of the Makgadikgadi Pans, a landscape of silence and breathtaking scale.
• Zebra Migration: In the green season, witness the remarkable zebra migration as thousands of animals move toward the pans to graze on the new grasses.

Best places to experience the Kalahari

• Central Kalahari Game Reserve
• Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
• Nxai Pan National Park
• Deception Valley
• Jack's Camp and San Camp concessions

If you are a photographer or just an enthusiast, find inspiration in our Photographer’s Paradise: Spectacular Botswana Safari.

Gliding through the crystal-clear channels of the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the signature experience of Botswana. This aquatic paradise allows you to view wildlife at eye level from a traditional dugout canoe, or mokoro. In the massive wetland that floods the Kalahari sands, drift past everything from tiny reed frogs, floating lilies, and massive elephants feeding in the channels for a truly sensory-rich luxury safari.

What to Expect

• Mokoro Excursions: Glide silently through reed-lined, shallow channels in a traditional mokoro, poled by an expert guide, for an intimate and peaceful perspective.
• Motorboat Safaris: Explore the deeper, permanent lagoons and wider waterways by motorboat, accessing remote areas for spectacular birding and big-game viewing.
• Island Game Drives: Embark on 4x4 drives on the delta's larger "islands," such as Chief's Island, a renowned predator hotspot.
• Water's-Edge Sightings: Photograph elephants, hippos, lechwe, and buffalo from the unique, low-angle perspective of the water.
• Delta Sundowners: Enjoy cocktails from a boat or a secluded island as the sun sets, painting the water in gold and crimson as the evening sounds of the bush become music to your ears.

Best places for an aquatic safari

• Moremi Game Reserve
• Chief’s Island
• Jao Concession
• Xugana Island
• Khwai Community Concession
• Duba Plains Concession

Explore these intimate water safaris with our Okavango Delta safaris and vacation packages.

Chobe National Park is a land of giants. It is world-famous for supporting the largest concentration of elephants in Africa and a visit to its riverfront is a non-negotiable for any Botswana itinerary. The park's diverse ecosystems offer a comprehensive and thrilling safari experience, from lush floodplains and dense woodlands to the remote and wild Savute Marsh,

What to Expect

• Riverfront Safari Cruise: Take a morning or afternoon boat safari on the Chobe River to witness hundreds of elephants drinking, playing, and swimming.
• 4x4 Game Drives: Explore the riverfront and forested inland areas in an open 4x4, tracking lions, leopards, and vast herds of buffalo.
• Photographic Opportunities: The combination of prolific wildlife, soft afternoon light, and river reflections makes this a dream if you are a photographer.
• Explore the Savute Marsh: Venture to the remote Savute region of Chobe, famous for its lion-hyena rivalries and the mysterious, cyclical Savute Channel.
• Exceptional Birding: Discover a paradise if you are a birder. There are over 450 species in the region, including African fish eagles, skimmers, and colorful bee-eaters.

Best places to explore Chobe

• Chobe Riverfront
• Savute Marsh
• Linyanti Wetlands
• Nogatsaa Pans

Combine this experience with Victoria Falls when you customize our Fly-In Okavango Delta and Desert Safari.

To truly grasp the scale of Botswana’s landscapes, you must see it from above, from the watery labyrinth of the Okavango to the stark immensity of the pans. For many luxury travelers, these scenic flights are a seamless part of the journey, as light aircraft and helicopters are the primary mode of transport between remote, exclusive lodges.

What to Expect

• Lodge-to-Lodge Transfers: Experience the thrill of flying in small bush planes as a standard, exhilarating part of your luxury safari itinerary.
• Helicopter Excursions: Opt for an exclusive helicopter tour, offering the ability to hover low over herds, land on remote, inaccessible islands, and enjoy "doors-off" photography.
• Delta Perspective: Grasp the sheer scale and intricate beauty of the Okavango Delta's branching "fingers" and game trails invisible from the ground.
• Kalahari Vistas: Fly over the stark, mesmerizing geometry of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, stretching in a white-hot expanse to the horizon.
• Aerial Photography: Capture incredible, abstract-like photos of elephant herds crossing water, hippo-carved channels, and vast, untouched landscapes.

Best Regions for Aerial Tours

• Okavango Delta
• Makgadikgadi Pans
• Linyanti Swamps
• Chobe River

Learn more about this perspective in our Reasons You Should Choose Botswana for Your Safari.

Journey into the heart of the Kalahari to connect with the San people and their ancient culture. This is one of the most authentic experiences in Botswana. It offers a respectful, illuminating glimpse into one of the world's oldest and most resilient cultures. These encounters are led by local trackers who share their deep, ancestral knowledge of the land, its flora, and its fauna, passed down through generations.

What to Expect

• Interpretive Bush Walks: Walk with San guides who will reveal the secrets of the Kalahari, from identifying medicinal plants and finding water in unseen places.
• Tracking Demonstrations: Witness unparalleled tracking skills firsthand as guides interpret the faintest signs of animal movement in the sand.
• Cultural Storytelling: Gather around a fire to listen to traditional stories, the unique click language, music, and dance, sharing in a vibrant oral history.
• Ancient Skills: Learn the traditional methods of fire-making using sticks and crafting tools, an art perfected over millennia.

Best Places to Interact with San Communities

• Makgadikgadi Pans
• Central Kalahari Game Reserve
• Kubu Island
• Savute Marsh

Enjoy this experience when you embark on Zicasso’s Hidden Botswana: Undiscovered Safari Highlights of Okavango and Kalahari.

For the angling enthusiast, Botswana’s powerful northern rivers offer an adrenaline-pumping challenge: catching the formidable, hard-fighting tiger fish. This prized game fish, known for its glinting, saber-toothed appearance and acrobatic leaps, provides a thrilling counterpart to a tranquil game-viewing safari. This activity is practiced on a strict catch-and-release basis to preserve the delicate river ecosystems.

What to Expect

• A Prized Catch: Battle the powerful tiger fish, renowned for its aggressive strike and aerial acrobatics.
• Catch-and-Release: Practice sustainable, catch-and-release fishing in respect for the river's ecological health.
• Expert Guides: Travel with specialist fishing guides who know the best spots, water conditions, and techniques to maximize your chances.
• Specialized Boats: Fish from well-equipped, stable tender boats designed for navigating these powerful rivers, often spotting elephants and hippos as you go.
• Prime Season: Find the best fishing during the warmer months, from about September to April, when the water levels recede and fish are more concentrated.

Best Places for Tiger Fishing

• Chobe River
• Okavango Panhandle
• Zambezi River
• Selinda Spillway

Ask your travel specialist to add this specialized adventure to your Adventure in Botswana and Zimbabwe: Horseback Safari, Tiger Fish Excursion, and More.

The Makgadikgadi Pans are the remnants of an ancient super-lake, now one of the largest salt-pan complexes in the world. Visiting this stark, white landscape is like stepping onto another planet. During the dry season, it is a mesmerizing expanse of cracked earth and shimmering mirages. In the wet season, it transforms into a shallow lake, attracting a spectacle of migratory birds, including thousands of flamingos, and massive herds of zebra.

What to Expect

• Quad Biking Expeditions: Traverse the immense, flat expanse on a quad bike during the dry season, an experience of pure freedom and boundless space.
• Star Bed Sleep-Outs: Spend a wonderful night sleeping out on the pans under a blanket of stars. The silence so deep it's audible during one of the most romantic experiences in Africa.
• Green Season Migration: Witness the dramatic transformation in the wet season from January to April, as the pans fill with water, attracting the zebra migration and flocks of flamingos.
• Baines' Baobabs: Visit the historic and majestic cluster of seven baobab trees, famously painted by 19th-century explorer Thomas Baines.
• Fossil Beds: Discover ancient fossilized beds and prehistoric tools that hint at the area's ancient, watery past as the cradle of early humans.

Best Salt Pans to Visit

• Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
• Nxai Pan National Park
• Sua Pan
• Ntwetwe Pan
• Kubu Island

Find out more about this unique landscape in our Best Places to Visit in Botswana on Safari.

Best Time to Visit

Botswana is a year-round destination, but its seasons offer different experiences.

• Dry Season (May to October): This is the peak safari season. Water sources shrink, concentrating wildlife around permanent rivers and waterholes, which makes for spectacular and predictable game viewing. The weather is mild and dry.
• Green Season (November to April): Also known as the "emerald season," this period sees afternoon rains that transform the landscape into a lush paradise. It is the best time for birding, seeing newborn animals, and witnessing the zebra migration in the Kalahari.

Is Botswana Safe?

Botswana is widely regarded as one of the safest and most politically stable countries in Africa. Its tourism model is well-managed and on a Zicasso safari, you are in the constant care of expert guides.

Getting Around

Due to the Delta's watery landscape and the vast distances, Botswana is a "fly-in" destination. There is very little driving between parks. Instead, you'll take small bush planes from camp to camp, which is an adventure in itself, as it offers incredible aerial views of the landscapes below.

Botswana vs. South Africa

While South Africa offers world-class safaris like those in Sabi Sand, they are often in private reserves that, while excellent, can be fenced. Botswana feels wilder and more vast. Its model is built on unfenced, remote concessions. The primary differentiator is the Okavango Delta; South Africa has no equivalent to this massive inland water system. Botswana is almost exclusively a “fly-in” destination, whereas many South African safaris are accessible by road.

Botswana vs. East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania)

East Africa is famous for the Great Migration and the iconic, endless grasslands of the Serengeti and Maasai Mara. Safaris there are often focused on these vast plains. Botswana’s signature experience is water-based. The mokoro safaris and motorboat excursions in the Delta offer an intimacy and perspective you won't find in East Africa. Furthermore, Botswana’s private concession model means it is far more exclusive, guaranteeing you a private, uncrowded experience that can be harder to find in the more popular East African national parks.

This list is only a glimpse into the beauty of Botswana. Whether you dream of a water-first safari in the delta, a multi-country journey that includes Victoria Falls, or an immersive desert adventure, our travel specialists can bring your perfect journey to life. The diversity of pristine ecosystems ensures every visit is exclusive, unforgettable, and deeply personal.

To find out more, see our Botswana safari guide or our sample Botswana safari tours and vacations. Then, contact our destination experts to start crafting your personalized Botswana adventure today.