Botswana Things to Do

 
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  • A croc on the riverbank
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Visit Chobe National Park

by magor65

Chobe national park is our last destination in Botswana. Next we are going to head for the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and the organised part of our trip will be over. Sitting on the truck I'm thinking of all fantastic places we've seen so far and those ahead of us.The Chobe National Park is the second largest in Botswana. It was declared a national park in 1967. Its boundaries were altered several times and now its area covers over 10 000 square km. The park is world famous for its abundance of wildlife, especially the highest concentration of elephants in Africa. The number of elephants in Chobe is estimated at 50 000. The park is divided into four distinct parts, each with a unique eco-system. The most popular with tourists and the best accessible is the Chobe Riverfront. The other three: Savuti, Linyanti and Nogatsaa are harder to reach as you need either 4WD or fly-in.

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Sunrise ... sunset ... in the Okavango delta

by magor65

We get up early enough to see the sunrise in the Delta. The mokoros glide almost soundlessly across the water and we can contemplate the dawn. The sky is painted with all shades of pink, the shapes of palms emerge slowly against the horizon and suddenly the river is lit up and sparkles with hues of silver. We go on another island in hope of spotting more game. Bad luck - apart from the skull of a giraffe, there's no trace of any animals. We come back a little disappointed and spend a lazy few hours in the camp. Then I and my sister-in-law ask one of the polers to go for a walk with us - we are not going to repeat the mistake from the previous day when we left the camp alone. The walk is great - the young man turns to be a great and knowledgeable guide and he speeks good English. We can see a big group of zebras and a lone wildebeest. Again they are so close - they seem to be waiting for...

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Bush walk and other activities

by magor65

In the afternoon we are divided into small groups and each group is to follow their guide (one of the polers) for the bush walk. We are told to behave quietly and follow the guide in line. Not far from our camp the guide suddenly stops - he senses something that we are not aware of yet - but after a moment we see an elephant behind the bushes, just a couple of metres from us. Oh, it feels so different from the Etosha Park - there we could observe the animals from the confinement of a vehicle or the safety of the camp - here we are almost face to face with them. To my horror I realise how stupidly I and my sister-in-law behaved an hour before. We left the camp and went for a short walk without notifying our guide. What would we have done if the elephant had crossed our way? From now on we are going to take all precautions and obey all the rules. The walk is very interesting. We see...

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Camping in the Okavango delta

by magor65

We stop at one of the numerous islands in the delta. It's to be our home for two nights. We are told to pitch our tents next to the river bank on an uneven terrain of a very modest size. In result, the 15 tents ( there are 16 people in our group plus the polers) are so squeezed that there's hardly any space to walk between them. We are surprised. The island is so big - why can't we camp in a more spacious place? We are to find out the answer later - it's for safety reasons. They show us the toilet - a hole in the ground surrounded by some bushes. Everybody must think about the same - how to use it without being disturbed by others? The first impressions are rather discouraging. I think to myself: " What am I doing here? I didn't use to be a girl-guide and never regretted it. It's not for me". In the meantime our guide and cook in one person makes a meal for us; it's delicious, as usual....

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Okavango Delta from the mokoro

by magor65

We come to the harbour from which we are to be taken on the mokoro ride. The polers are already there. After a few minutes of confusion because we don't know what to do, a young boy grabs our bags and leads us to his mokoro. His boat looks a bit older than others and has some puddles of water at the bottom - but it's too late to withdraw. We sit on the mattresses folded in such a way as to make seats with a back. He pushes the boat onto the water and the 'cruise' begins. We notice anxiously that the boat is in water almost up to the edge. Seeing our apprehension, the poler calms us down and explains that his mokoro is made from the sausage tree while others are of fibre glass. So we are lucky to travel in the traditional version of the boat. We look around - the view is beautiful and serene. The river looks like a water meadow full of reeds and papyrus and dotted with beautiful pink and...

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The adventure begins

by magor65

Equipped with basic necessities like a 5-litre bottle of water, torch, toiletries and warm clothes, we set off on our 3-day trip to the Okavango delta. We know that we'll be camping in the bush having no facilities like showers or toilets. We load our tents, matresses and sleeping bags on a 4wheel drive open truck and off we go. It will take us about an hour to get to the point where mokoro polers are waiting for us. We leave Maun behind and go off the road passing on the way some tiny settlements consisting of a few traditional rondavels - cylindrical huts with a conical thatched roof.

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Maun - the gateway to the Okavango Delta

by magor65

Maun is the fifth largest town in Botswana and the tourist capital as it's hard to imagine any trip to this country without visiting the Okavango Delta. Although it's home to 30 000 inhabitants, it feels rather like a big village. But on the other hand, it's a great place to do shopping before 'leaving civilisation behind'. There are some chain supermarkets, like Spar or Nandos, banks like Barclays offering foreign exchange facilities. In numerous travel agencies and safari companies you can book tours not only to the Delta but also to other parts of Botswana. Scenic flights over the Okavango Delta are one of the attractions on offer, but the price (about 130 US dollars for half an hour in the air) was too high for us to afford.

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Meet the San people

by magor65

In the evening we are invited for a tribal dance by the San people. The San are indigenous to Botswana (and Namibia) and have been living here from time immemorial. Traditionally, they were nomadic hunter gatherers. Having no possessions or animals they were very mobile and could easily move in search of food and water in small family groups counting 20-30 people. Today there are about 55 000 people left with 60% living in Botswana. Most of them have been relocated from their ancestral lands to new government settlements. However, many of of the San cannot accept the modern way of life and make every effort to preserve old traditions. We sit around the fire waiting for the performance. The evening is cold - each of us is wearing a warm jacket. A few metres from us the group is getting ready for the dance. They are dressed in animal skins just covering their private parts. The dance...

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First impressions

by magor65

We spend our first night in Botswana on a campsite near Ghanzi. Getting there from Windhoek (the capital of Namibia) took us about 8 hours, which is not too long considering the distance of over 500 km. But the road is really good, mostly tarmac, and the traffic scarce. The landscape is monotonous - flat and featureless with some bushes and grassland on both sides of the road. Finally, we drive off the main road and after about 15 minutes along a bumpy pathway we get to the Ghanzi Trail Blazers camp. Again we have to pitch our tents in the dust - how much I miss the grass. .. There's a possibility of upgrading for a hut with a bed but somehow it doesn't look very encouraging, The thought of all insects in the straw roof and the sight of the dirty matresses on beds put me off. So yet another night in our small tent in the dust and sand.

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Chobe NP and the Okavango Delta

by MikeBird

Chobe NP in Botswana is about an hours drive from the Zimbabwean border at Victoria Falls. You'll need to check out what the situation is regarding the border facilities. Chobe is one of the best places in Africa to see Elephant in large numbers. You can do your game viewing from the hotel or from a boat on the river or on a game drive. All the other game is there but it's the elephants that are truly wonderful. We were watching a herd once when a youngster got separated from its mother. When the mum realised the youngster had wandered off she went chasing after it and gave it a whack round the head with her trunk as if to say 'how many times have I told you not to run off'! A great game viewing moment.August in the Okavango Delta is a really good month to visit because the water levels will be high. Don't expect to see huge numbers of game at this time though. With the area well...

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Fun things to do in Botswana

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Reviews and photos of Botswana attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Botswana sightseeing.

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Things to Do: Cities in Botswana
  1. Gaborone Things to Do
  2. Kasane Things to Do
  3. Chobe National Park Things to Do
  4. Maun Things to Do
  5. Serowe Things to Do
  6. Nata Things to Do
  7. Shakawe Things to Do
  8. Mogoditshane Things to Do

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Questions and Answers

annsnook profile photo

Q:  Hi, want to do this trip last week in March/1st week April, should we get good weather or is it a bit too early for the Okavanga... 

CatherineReichardt profile photo

A: Hi Chanes are that you'll see far fewer animals if it has flooded, as when the water is scarce, the animals congregate around the little water that's around. Once the... 

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