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Botswana Travel |
The Land and Its People
Botswana travel can take the form of a luxury safari or a family safari to some of the most unspoilt wilderness areas on the African continent. Botswana is sparsely populated with less than three people per km² (5 p.sq.mile). Being a very poor protectorate of the British, Botswana gained its independence in 1966 since then a remarkable growth has been experienced in all sectors of the economy including tourism, conservation and wildlife management. Botswana Safari Travel affords one the opportunity to visit this intriguing country.Botswana travel will bring you to a land Located at the centre of southern Africa, Botswana’s 581 730 km² (224 548 sq. miles) is landlocked, bordered by Namibia in the west and north, Zimbabwe northeast and South Africa east and south.
When traveling to Botswana you will experience a land that is relatively flat with an average height of 950m (3117 ft) above sea level. 84% of Botswana is covered by the Kalahari sand, an aeolian deposit forming the largest continuous stretch of sand in the world, extending from the Orange River in the south to 1° north of the equator. Hilly ranges and rocky outcrops adorn the eastern landscape.The Kalahari Basin, resultant of the breaking up of Gondwanaland some 200 million years ago, is filled up with Karoo deposits consisting of sandstone, shales, basalt lavas and thin sheets of coal. The base consists of granite gneiss rocks, 3,5 billion years old and contains a few kimberlitic volcanic pipes bringing about the possibility of diamond mining. A Botswana Safari Travel esperience can take you into the heart of this interesting area.
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Destinations to consider when planning Botswana Safari Travel Experiences:
 Chobe National Park
Experience a Chobe National Park Safari with African Sky Safaris and Tours. With the highest population of Elephants in the world this park ensures a traveling experience you won’t forget. Chobe National Park is the second largest park in Botswana and an abundance of wildlife species will be sighted on this safari. Its uniqueness in the abundance of wildlife and the true African nature of the region, offers a safari experience of a lifetime. Chobe offers lodges which are suited to family travel as well some of the most exclusive lodges in the world which are the ultimate luxury travel destinations.
The park is divided into four distinctly different eco systems and is one of the most popular Botswana Travel destinions: Serondela with its lush plains and dense forests in the Chobe River area in the extreme north-east; the Savuti Marsh in the west; the Linyanti Swamps in the north-west :the hot dry hinterland in between.Savuti is famous for its predators, particularly its resident lions and spotted hyena populations. It is one of the best, wildlife-viewing areas in Africa today. Savuti boasts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife left on the African continent. Animals are present during all seasons, and at certain times of the year their numbers can be staggering. Mosquitoes are prevalent throughout the park and visitors are strongly advised to take anti-malarial prophylactics.Safari travel in botswana is a wonderful option to viewing this fascinating area.
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 Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is one of the last totally unspoiled Wildlife areas in Africa.The Okavango Delta is one of the world’s largest inland water systems. It's headwaters start in Angola’s western highlands, which then flows through Namibia (called the Kavango) and finally enters Botswana, where it is then called the Okavango. The delta’s water dead ends in the Kalahari – via the Botetle river, with over 95 per cent of the water eventually evaporating. The Okavango Delta is a must see when traveling to Botswana.
Traveling to the Okavango Delta ensures sightings of a high concentration of wild life species enjoying the magnificent oasis. Some rare species, such as crocodile, red lechwe, sitatunga, elephant, wild dogs, buffalo, wattled crane as well as the other more common mammals and bird life can be viewed in this area.The best time for game viewing in the delta is during the May-October period, as the animal life is concentrated along the flooded areas and the vegetation has dried out.
The Okavango delta is ieally suited to both family travel as well as luxury travel.
The rainy season (Nov.- April) is the best time for birding and vegetation as the migrant bird populations are returning and the plants are flowering and green.We can arrange Botswana Safari Travel can organise an unusual and exciting way of exploring the Okavango waterways in a mokoro - a dug out canoe which is 'poled' along by your Guide. Motor launches travel on the main waterways and lagoons. |
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 Botswana Travel, Makgadikgadi Pans
The largest salt pan in the world, the Makgadikgadi Pans is a Botswana Safari Travel experience unlike anything else. The large pans of Makgadikgadi are the most visible remnants of a lake that has been formed more than five million years ago. One of the largest zebra populations in Africa is found on these pans where usually only quad bikes are permitted on the fragile plains in single file.
Both dry season and wet season Boswana Travel experiences to this park are recommended in order to witness the dramatic appearance of the pans at their driest and to experience the transformation to a water wonderland, and see the wildebeest and zebra migrations, in the wet season followed closely by predators, making for fantastic game viewing. The rains usually begin in November and ends in about March and the pans can retain water until April or May. The area becomes transformed as grasses sprout and the salt pans fill with algae soup. Large breeding flocks of Flamingo congregate here which affords one an unforgettable Botswana Travel experience. Accommodation is this area is limited to a few luxury tented camps, it is neccessary to book well in advance. |
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 Botswana Travel, Kalahari
Derived from the Tswana word "Kgalagadi", meaning "the great thirst", the Kalahari is one of the world's most extensive mantles of sand that extends south into South Africa, west into Namibia and north into Angola and Zambia. This Kalahari sand covers the hollow basin of Botswana and forms a flat plain that covers nearly 70% of the country. It is a great wilderness where the intrepid traveler can find isolation and marvel at Africa in the raw.
A Botswana Safari Travel experience through the Kalahari , including the Central Kalahari Game Reserve a place of golden plains, sweltering heat and a wide variety of wild life species roaming the lands gives one a wonderful perspective of this area. The Kalahari Desert is not a true desert in the sense that it is well vegetated and receives copious but very unpredictable rainfall. It does however hold no permanent surface water and has resulted in a fascinating ecological challenge for flora, fauna and the San Bushmen who have inhabited the area for thousands of years. In the right season and the right place, visitors can see huge herds of animals following ancient migrations. Some animals are particularly adapted to the arid conditions. The distinctively marked gemsbok, with their long straight horns, gave the name to the Gemsbok National Park (now called the Kgalagadi Trans-Frontier Park) on Botswana's south west border with South Africa. The park is also famous for its magnificent black maned lions and for the barking geckos, which leave their shelter for the last few hours of the day. Other species of game and their attendant predators only venture onto the Kalahari savannah when conditions are right after the rains. One can experience all these natural phenomena with a Botswana Travel experience provided by African Sky Safaris and Tours. |
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