Put a safari in Botswana on your bucket list

Imagine coming face-to-face with a female elephant and her playful calf, observing them at close quarters from a small skiff floating down the Zambezi River. Or hearing from your safari tent a hippo grunting and rustling at night as it forages for grasses and reeds at the water’s edge. Or watching the sun sink slowly into the endless horizon, accompanied by a crisp gin and tonic, as the sky turns orange, then pink, then purple, before fading to inky black…All this, and more, is possible on a magical trip to Botswana, whose pristine, private game reserves protect some of the last great wildlife wildernesses on earth and contain just a handful of small, intimate camps. Here’s everything you need to know…

Botswana offers world-class game viewing, particularly in the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park, where conservation and low-impact tourism ensure a truly special safari.

Chobe delivers the quintessential experience, famed for big cats – lion, leopard and cheetah – alongside more than 450 bird species. The Delta is an extraordinary oasis: water flows into the heart of the Kalahari desert, creating seasonal floods that sustain massive migrations and an astonishing concentration of wildlife. In both areas you’ll encounter all the Big Five – elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino – with elephants especially abundant in Chobe. Sightings of these gentle giants are unforgettable: females and calves travel in family herds while solitary males roam nearby. Watch them gather by rivers and waterholes, inhaling litres of water through their trunks to drink, cool themselves, or spray playfully across their backs.

Hippo in Chobe National Park

Hippos are another water-based delight, wallowing in pods with only their rounded snouts and twitching ears visible, snorting before sinking beneath the surface to shuffle along the riverbed. On land, they trot comically on stumpy legs, gnawing great mouthfuls of grass as they go. Buffalo stroll the savannah in slow, stately fashion, their hook-shaped horns attached by a mass of bone that resembles a barrister’s wig, while glossy-coated impala twitch their shiny black Bambi noses in the air as you drive past.

Yet the most mesmerising encounters belong to the big cats. Though largely nocturnal, lions and leopards can often be found lounging in the shade by day, conserving their strength for hunting and eating by night. Stumbling across a small group of lionesses with their playful cubs is a heart-stealing highlight, as the cubs frisk about like kittens.

Lioness and cubs in Chobe National Park

Often, a relaxed male will be reclining close by, eyes half shut, still aware of his surroundings, his thick, dense mane ruffled by the occasional breeze. If you’re very lucky, you might even hear one roar; they’re more likely to do it after dawn or before dusk, to help locate members of their pride or to ward off rivals. If you’ve ever seen an MGM movie, with its roaring lion mascot, you’ll know exactly what this sounds like – deep, guttural and, in the wild, heard up to five miles away…

You’ll be staying in luxury safari lodges or camps, such as the four-star Chobe Safari Lodge in Kasane, in north-east Botswana.

Established in 1959, it’s perfectly placed for game drives, Chobe River boat cruises, day trips to Victoria Falls and more. The accommodation includes everything from elegant river-facing rooms to tranquil bush suites, characterful campgrounds, and ‘rondavels’ – traditional-style African dwellings with a circular thatched roof.

Chobe Safari Lodge

Your room might feature a standalone claw-foot tub or a mosquito-net-draped four-poster bed, and you may come across anything from an adorable warthog to a pretty bushbuck deer grazing in the lush, expansive grounds.

While you’re there, enjoy local Southern African dishes, from traditional morogo spinach (mixed with tomatoes and onions) to creamy samp (dried and pounded kernels of corn often eaten with beans or gravy), chakalaka (a spicy vegetable relish or stew, made with curry powder, chili, carrots, tomatoes, onions, and beans), and sadza (a dense, porridge-like dish made from cornmeal and water). Meat and fish are also common, cooked over local hard mopane wood, with anything from seasoned beef, line fish, lamb and boerewors sausages getting the smoky, chargrilled treatment.

Bring mosquito repellent – and note that some areas may also require a course of anti-malarial tablets – high-factor sunscreen, and a small first-aid kit. Also pack a great camera, sturdy closed-toe shoes, binoculars (although many camps or lodges can lend you these), a hat or other head-covering, a warm jacket for early starts and cool evenings, and a reusable water bottle. Take a small torch to help get around at night, too. If you’re taking a small plane to get to your safari camp or lodge, take motion sickness tablets if you’re affected by bumpy flights.

Safari river cruise

Consult your doctor or a travel clinic at least four to six weeks before your trip to discuss and get necessary vaccinations and any anti-malarial medication.

Ensure your passport is valid for at least six months after your departure date from Botswana. UK citizens do not need a visa for entry into the country, if you’re staying for fewer than 90 days.

You may also be asked on arrival to show proof of funds and return travel. It is always best to check the latest requirements with official sources, such as GOV.UK, or the Botswana High Commission before your trip, as regulations can change.

Elephants in Moremi National Park

Almost every animal you’ll encounter on safari can cause harm if approached too closely, which is why guides are your gods – their instructions must always be followed, as they understand the animals’ behaviour, and know the terrain intimately.

On game drives, never stand up or lean outside the vehicle; animals perceive your jeep as a harmless whole, and breaking that illusion can provoke them. Keep voices low, and avoid sudden noises and flash photography, all of which may startle wildlife.

Dress in neutral tones such as beige, khaki or olive to blend into the bush, and skip strong fragrances, which can attract insects or distract animals.

At camps and lodges, always accept an escort after dark, as wildlife often wanders nearby. Zip up tents securely, keep food out, and you’ll sleep soundly knowing both insects and larger visitors will stay outside. Respect these simple rules, and your safari will be safe and unforgettable.

• The Victoria Falls border Zimbabwe and Zambia, and are twice the height of Niagara Falls, with a width of about 1,708 meters (5,604 ft) and a height of up to 108 meters (354 ft) – the largest single sheet of falling water in the world.

• Botswana is home to one of the world’s largest salt pans – the Makgadikgadi Pans – which are larger than the country of France.

• Elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal, lasting around 22 months; they can live to be over 70 years old; their trunks contain around 40,000 muscles (the human body alone has just 600-700).

• Female lions do most of the hunting, rather than the males, while a lion’s roar can reach up to 114 decibels – comparable to a chainsaw – and can be heard up to five miles away.

• Despite spending much of their time in rivers or ponds, hippos can’t actually swim or float. They walk, or stand on surfaces such as sandbanks below the water. To protect them from the sun and moisturise their thick skin, they secrete an oily red substance, which can make them look as if they’re sweating blood.

• Every single zebra has a unique fingerprint-like stripe pattern for identification and camouflage, and they can sleep standing up, thanks to a locking mechanism in their knee joints.

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