Botswana Safari Tour
A Botswana safari tour should be on everyone’s bucket list. If you love African wildlife and peaceful, remote places then this is for you. Our last Botswana safari tour was 22 days of incredible adventure. We also popped into Namibia to check out the Zambezi region as it is now called.
The trip started with a 3 hour drive leaving Johannesburg to get to the border with Botswana. This country certainly knows that tourism is a great way to get money especially with it’s wildlife. This makes it quite easy to get through the border. You obviously need a passport and ownership papers for your vehicles. Our first stop was Mokolodi game reserve just outside Gaborone. There is not much at this reserve but it makes it just a 4 hour drive. After some shopping in the capital city which is very modern we head up North to camp at Khama rhino sanctuary.
I don’t like to try and take lots of food and drinks over the border.
We are visiting Botswana and should support the local shops as much as possible. It also makes the border crossing easier. The roads are in great condition all the way to Khama and also lovely and quiet as you drive further North.
I like to arrive at Khama in the mid afternoon so we can check out the water holes and enjoy a sun downer while watching the animals including rhino come for a drink too. Up until recently there were only rhino at Khama but they have introduced some into the Okavango delta now.
After visiting Khama we head into the Central Kalahari. This is a wild and remote place so you really need to be prepared.
There is a long drop and shower but you need to bring your own water.
As it is a long drive off the tar road we stay here for 2 nights. However another option is to stay at Tiaans camp for a bit more luxury and do a day visit into the Makgadikgadi pans National Park. Either way we still end up in Maun 3 days later. This is the gateway into the Okavango delta. A 45 minute flight over the delta is worth while as it gives you an idea of what you will be exploring over the next 3 days.
The Okavango delta is absolutely incredible.
The road from Maun to the entrance of Moremi National park is half tar and then a rough sandy road so expect to take over 2 hours just to South Gate. So the next 3 days are spent discovering some stunning parts of this world heritage site.
After Moremi we can either drive through a lot of thick sand to camp at Savuti or drive back through Maun and stay at funky Planet Baobab.
The drive through lots of thick sand to Savuti is difficult and you definitely need a good 4×4 vehicle to get there.
Savuti is quite dry at the best of times and the road to Kasane is another half a day of thick sand with not much to see. I prefer to drive back through Maun and you will love Planet Baobab. Anyway either way we get to Kasane which is close to Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. We camp at Senyati and enjoy an early morning boat cruise on the Chobe river just before it joins the mighty Zambezi and we also nip over to check out the Vic falls in Zimbabwe. I can’t say enough about these falls. You will just have to see them for yourself.
At the moment they are still using the US$ in Zim but officially things have changed so be prepared.
While you are all enjoying the unbelievable Vic falls we are busy cooking a feast.
Yup, bush cooking is what I love to do. Okay enough boasting. On my last Botswana safari tour we drove into Namibia and camped at the Zambezi region. Here you can do some of the best bird spotting and also tiger fishing. This got us to also visit the spiritual Tsidilo hills in Botswana.This detour adds on 4 days to the trip making the whole tour 22 days long. Worth it, I think.
After the 3 hour trip on the Chobe river we head South for 3 hours on tar to arrive at Elephant sands. You must be careful on this road as the wild life just stroll across when ever they feel like it. Don’t drive this at night.
Elephant sands is quite special. They pump fresh water into a hole so elephants come from miles around for a drink. So we can just sit and also have a drink while watching these beautiful creatures.
However the are wild so be careful.
So after relaxing at Elephant sands we have 2 options. We either drive 5 hours through Francistown to the border with SA on tar or a tough 4×4 drive to the wild and remote Kubu island. This place has NO facilities but is lovely and quiet. If you like to take pictures of the start then this place is for you.
The last night in Botswana is at Martins drift right on the banks of the Limpopo river. You can get South African signal on your phone just in case you want to post on Facebook. If you haven’t had enough of African animals we can visit Marakele reserve before a drive back to Johannesburg.
