Best Luxury Botswana Safaris

The best time to visit Botswana is from July to October, when the dry season makes for optimal wildlife viewing. Another ideal time to visit Botswana is during the region’s “shoulder season” from May to June, right between Botswana’s low and high seasons, when fewer travelers to the region and comfortable temperatures are a bonus.

If you’re planning a trip to Botswana, the best places to visit include the massive, wildlife-rich Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park and the legendary Kalahari Basin. One of the largest wetland wildernesses in the world, the Okavango Delta encompasses permanent marshlands, seasonally flooded plains and the famed Moremi Game Reserve, where classic safari game drives reveal all of Africa’s Big Five animals. The Chobe River winds through Chobe National Park, where you also find riverine forests, floodplains and a massive population of 120,000 elephants. Primeval desert sands and scrublands define Botswana’s 460,000-square-mile Kalahari Basin. It’s also home to one of the largest salt flats in the world at Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, where rains transform desolation into a wildlife haven and icons such as curios meerkats and Kalahari lions can be seen year-round.

Botswana is blessed with spectacular wildlife and some of Africa’s best game reserves, namely the Moremi Game Reserve in the dynamic Okavango Delta, Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Known as the “predator capital of Africa,” the Moremi Game Reserve boasts an astounding concentration of lions, cheetahs and leopards. Giraffes, hyenas and wild dogs also make their home in the 20,400-square-mile Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the second largest game reserve in the world, while in Makgadikgadi, meerkat societies and African baobab trees rise from the world’s largest network of salt plans, which also draw zebras and flamingos during the rainy season.

The well-known “Great Migration” of wildebeest and zebras does not happen in Botswana but in East Africa, when millions of wildebeests, zebras, antelopes and other herd animals trek from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya.

Deciding what to wear on a Botswana safari is simpler than you may think and can be narrowed down to a few key items. Temperature can fluctuate, so think layers and bring light and breathable cotton or hybrid short-sleeve shirts, sweaters, and a windbreaker or lined jacket. Choose comfy convertible or athleisure pants over jeans and slacks, as well as close-toed shoes you won’t mind getting dirty. You’ll also want to bring a wide-brimmed hat for sun protection, bug spray with a high concentration of DEET, binoculars and a pocket-sized flashlight for any night-time activities. Lastly, when choosing luggage, soft-sided luggage or duffels are preferred and often required for storage on safari vehicles and light aircraft.

There is an extraordinary array of wildlife to see in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. This includes all of Africa’s Big Five animals — the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and Cape buffalo; hippos, cheetahs, giraffes, Nile crocodiles, brown and spotted hyenas, zebras, warthogs, black and white rhinos, chacma baboons; myriad gorgeous antelope species, including the greater kudu, sable antelope and blue wildebeests; and large packs of endangered African wild dog. Roving the salt plains of the legendary Kalahari in Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, wildlife includes the elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and lion as well as the renowned and lively meerkat.