Botswana is a landlocked nation in the South African continent that is a real treasure to the travellers who want to experience the wildness and the nature of the African continent. Comprising of an excellent flora and fauna, beautiful scenery, and a welcoming environment, Botswana provides its visitors with a wide scope of good experiences that will be remembered forever. Things to do in Botswana are tailored to all kinds of travelers whether you are an adventure seeker, a wildlife enthusiast, or someone who needs to relax on a peaceful trip.
Minimalists like the Okavango Delta to arid splendour of the Kalahari Desert, Botswana is a land of diversity that accommodates amazing flora and fauna and captures exotic cultures. This guide will illustrate the best 10 things to do in Botswana, the most iconic attractions, activities and hidden secrets of the country that will leave your trip in the country to be really memorable.
1. Explore the Okavango Delta
Location: Northern Botswana
Specialty of It: The Okavango Delta is one of the cleanest and most diverse ecosystems in the world and are definitely among the activities that should be in the list of best things to do in Botswana. This UNESCO world heritage site is a huge inland delta that is seasonally flooded to form a greensaturated waterlogged wildlife utopia. It is where a person can get acquainted with the unique safari experience as its waters, islands, and grasslands provide an impressive diversity of ecosystems.
What to Expect:
• Mokoro (Traditional Canoe) Safari: An ideal destination to go to explore the Okavango Delta is mokoro, or a traditional dugout canoe. Cruise on serene water with the noise of the bush around you. Your guide would guide you through the tranquil trip along the small canals and provide you with the opportunity to see wildlife, such as elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and a great number of different bird species.
Game Drives and Walking Safaris: Game drives and walking safaris are also available to people who are interested in land-based safari activities. You can determine the wildlife of the region such as lions, buffalo, giraffes, leopards among others, and get to relax in the calm environment of the delta.
The Okavango Delta is a key destination to a traveller in Botswana in things to do in Botswana- it is an experience that brings a possible incomparable access to one of the most magnificent wildlife and landscape on earth.
2. Visit Chobe National Park
Setting: Baratje, Transkei, north of Botswana.
Why It’s Special: Chobe National Park is currently one of the largest game reserves in Botswana and is famous due to the huge concentration of the elephants, approximately 120,000 of them become the inhabitants of this park, and this makes it the elephant capital of Africa. Chobe is a position where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe all meet, giving the visitors the opportunity to see an impressive range of wildlife in these natural habitats.
What to Expect:
• Boat Safaris on the Chobe River: It is also a good attraction to the Chobe since one gets to have a boat ride through Chobe River which goes through the park. Not only will you be able to view wildlife in a totally new outlook, but you will also see the elephants bathing, playing with water, the buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, and a wide array of bird species.
• Game Drives: Chobe also has the big five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino), and when a person takes game drives, he/she also has a chance to see these great beasts with his/her own eyes. The wide ranges of landscapes dotted in the park such as woodlands to the savannahs are the best place to take the safari.
Chobe National Park is another place that needs to be mentioned as the things to do in Botswana among people who think that wildlife and photography are the best activities to do.
3. Visit the Makgadikgadi Pans
Location: Central Botswana
What Is Special about it: Makgadikgadi Pans are a large, salty desert landscape; a miniature of a large inland lake. The region is stark contrast to the fertile deltas and rivers of Botswana but provides a breathtaking and unrealistic experience to the tourists. Makgadikgadi is among the best activities to do when in Botswana as people wish to be alone, in a unique land, and experience adventure.
What to Expect:
• Quad Bike Safaris: Hit on your adrenaline as you enter Madekgi pans on a quad bike. It will be an exciting adventure that will leave you on a large open plane on the pans giving you chance to have a glimpse of the rare animals in the desert such as meerkats as well as having one of the largest flocks of migrant birds during some seasons of the year.
– Salt pans: the salt pans are especially beautiful in sunset time, or at sunrise when the faces of the sky are reflected in the glittering surface of the salt. The silence and remote nature of the pans make the environment seem like a sense of calm and wonder.
The Makgadikgadi Pans are a special attraction to the tourists who wish to see the more unlikely and wilder scenery of Botswana.
4. Explore the Kalahari Desert.
Geography: Central Botswana and Southern Botswana.
Why It’s Special: The Kalahari Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world and it is not barren. This huge semi desert area is full of wildlife and they include the desert adapted lions, cheetah and the San people which are very interesting. The best attraction in Botswana is visiting the Kalahari, because it is one of the places where the traveler can relate him/ herself with nature and can also have a taste of life in the desert.
What to Expect:
Wild life viewing: The Kalahari, although in a harsh environment, has a large number of wildlife. Gemsbok, springbok, hyenas and lions can be found on a safari. It is also known to have the desert that hosts the Kalahari lions that have evolved to cope with the desert environment.
Visitors can get a glimpse of the common life of the San people who have inhabited the Kalahari since time immemorial. San guides can treat you to walking tour around the desert to learn about the plants and animals in the desert as well as how they can survive in such a harsh surrounding as their fore fathers were able to.
One thing that one can do in Botswana that is very unique is the Kalahari desert where one can discover another terrificly wild and antique landscape.
5. Okavango Delta Go horseback riding.
Geography: Okavango Delta, North Botswana.
Why It Is special: Horseback riding safaris represent an ultimately close and personalized experience of the Okavango Delta. Riding through to the wilderness in the delta, you get very near to the animals compared to riding in a vehicle since the rider travels silently through the terrain.
What to Expect:
Safari on Horseback: You will be taken on safari on the grand wilderness of the delta, on horseback, with your entourage of experienced guides and get to see elephant, antelope and the numerous species of birds close at hand. Since horseback riding is more of a low-profile activity, you can come close enough to see a variety of wildlife in a more intimate setting.
• Scenic Views: When you are riding with the green fields of the Delta and the looping turns of the water ways, you will have the nice sight of the water and the wildlife, good enough to capture some photos and bond better with the land.
The horseback safari in the okavango delta is also one of the most unforgettable activities in Botswana as it involves a more engaging and closer bond to the land and wildlife.
6. Explore the Tuli Block
Place of residence: Southeastern Botswana.
Why It’s Special: The Tuli Block is a 7000km square parcel of undisturbed wildlife area along the Zimbabwean border. The area is characterized by dramatic landscapes, wildlife, and rock formation and it is one of the hidden treasures of Botswana.
What to Expect:
Game Drives and Wildlife Game Drives: The Tuli Block is also the habitat of elephants, lions, cheetahs and leopards, and numerous species of antelopes and birds. Game drives give great chances of seeing wild animals particularly during a season when there is a dry season and the animals tend to congregate around the waters.
• Bush Walks and Cultural Experiences: Bush walks and cultural tours are also available in Tuli by use of local guides. The region is highly historical, and people can check out old archaeological locations, including the ones that contain San rock carvings.
The Tuli Block represents a less traveled safari experience, so it is amongst the best things to do in Botswana when one wants to have a more quiet and bespoke adventure.
7. Explore the Okavango Panhandle.
Location: Northern Botswana
Why It’s Special: This is the primary watercourse which supplies the Okavango Delta, the Okavango Panhandle. It provides a special environment to view and explore the wildlife and gives the chance of experiencing the rich ecosystem of the delta without the tourists.
What to Expect:
• Fishing and Water Activities: The Panhandle is a perfect place to fish as there are species such as tiger fish in its waters. Besides the fishing activities, the visitors have the opportunity to go fishing, sightsee birds, and even explore the ancient cultural sites in the region.
• Bountiful Wildlife: The area is a home to hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and numerous birds. Although it is not as loud as the central delta, the animals and landscape are also spectacular.
The Okavango pan handle is a serene and personalized experience, which is good to those seeking to avoid the flock and get to be in touch with nature.
8. Going stargazing in Kalahari Desert.
Position: Central and Southern Botswana.
Why It’s Special: The Kalahari Desert can be considered one of the most suitable locations to go stargazing on Africa since the skies are clear, and there is a lack of light pollution. The expansive, expansive desert offers a flawless location to a memorable night out in the stars.
What to Expect:
• Astronomical Experiences: Sightseeing entails many Kalahari camps include guided stargazing tours, in which qualified guides detail the constellations, planets, and other heavenly bodies that can be seen in the night sky. The desert skies are clear giving a beautiful scene of the stars.
Night Drives and Desert Beauty: A night tour of the desert will give you an opportunity to understand the darker side of the Kalahari, and you also have a chance to spot the elusive wildlife, such as aardvarks and night predators.
Kalahari Desert stargazing is a romantic experience, and thus it has been ranked among the most fascinating activities in Botswana.
9. Explore the Tsodilo Hills
Place: The Northwestern Botswana.
Why It’s Special: Tsodilo Hills, also known as the Louvre of the Desert, is a prehistoric site, where more than 4,500 prehistoric rock paintings are found. The location is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it has great cultural and spiritual depth to the San people.
What to Expect:
Cultural Exploration: You will be able to visit the rock art and know more about the cultural significance of the area. Guides at San give very interesting background information about the artwork and the religious meaning of the location.
Hitches and Views: The Tsodilo Hills was an excellent place to hike and to take photos because they have excellent positions where people can see the entire desert setting.
Tsodilo hills can be called one of the most outstanding places in Botswana that tourists should visit to study the ancient history, culture, and San people art.
10. Explore the Salt pans of Nxai Pan national park.
Location: Central Botswana
Why It’s Special: Nxai Pan salt pans are found in Nxai Pan National Park, a place where wildlife can be easily observed, especially during the rainy season. Other reserves are higher in visitors compared to the park; hence, they provide more peaceful safari.
What to Expect:
• Gameland sightseeing: Nxai Pan is the place where huge zebras, springboks and giraffes are found and when it is raining, you could get to see massive wildlife assemblies. The salt pans offer amazing out of this world scenery that contributes to the beauty of the park.
Visit the Baines baobabs: The legendary Baines baobabs are situated right outside the park. These old baobab trees, named after painter Thomas Baines are used as a setting to take pictures with.
Nxai Pan is a good place to visit in Botswana as one of the best things to do as a wildlife lover and photographer because it provides serene and picturesque safari experience.
Conclusion
Botswana is a country that is full of memorable activities to visitors who want adventure, wildlife, and nature. There is simply something there to everyone desiring to immerse themselves with the wonders of this country of Southern Africa, be it in the fertile Okavango Delta or the dry Kalahari Desert. With the desire to follow the routes of elephants, discovering ancient rock art, seeing stars in the desert, things to visit in Botswana are as many and thrilling as the country is. If a true African adventure is desired, then Botswana is the place that will give you an adventure you will never forget.
