
DISCOVER THE ENCHANTING BOTSWANAN WILDERNESS
Exclusive, remote, and gorgeous, the Botswanan wilderness offers something to inspire every traveler. With the stunningly verdant waterways of the Okavango Delta, the isolated expanse of the massive and breathtaking Makgadikgadi Pans, and the vast, semi-arid grasslands and sands of the Kalahari Desert, there is no shortage of natural beauty to explore.
EXPLORE THE OKAVANGO DELTA: THE JEWEL OF THE KALAHARI
In the northwest, the Okavango Delta transforms the otherwise dry basin of the Kalahari Desert into exceptionally beautiful wetlands. The marshes support a variety of wildlife, including elegant cheetahs, regal lions, endangered black and white rhinos, and hundreds of other species. Known as the Jewel of the Kalahari, the lush grasslands and crystal-clear waters of the Okavango form the world's largest inland delta.
VISIT MOREMI GAME RESERVE: A LOCAL INITIATIVE TO PROTECT ANCESTRAL LANDS
At the heart of the delta, the Batawana people established the Moremi Game Reserve, the first reserve in Africa to be founded by locals determined to protect their ancestral lands. Wildlife, including the "big five" game animals, flourish on the protected, picturesque floodplains. At the southern tip of Moremi, the Living with Elephants Foundation provides a home for orphaned elephants and offers close encounters with these intelligent, gentle giants.
EXPERIENCE THE CHOBE NATIONAL PARK: A WILDLIFE PARADISE
Visits to Moremi are often paired with trips further north to Chobe National Park. The waterways of the delta flowing through the park attract the highest concentration of elephants in all of Africa. The Chobe River, which forms the northern boundary of the park, also attracts lion prides, graceful leopards, stout hippos, and plenty of other animals. The calls and cries of the hundreds of bird species that call Chobe National Park home create the perfect soundtrack for a safari adventure.
DISCOVER THE OTHERWORLDLY MAKGADIKGADI PANS
The Okavango once fed an enormous lake to the east and further south, but the lake has long since evaporated, leaving behind the otherworldly Makgadikgadi Pans. Remote salt flats the size of Portugal, the pans are home to one of only two breeding colonies of greater flamingos in southern Africa. Perched at the edge of Makgadikgadi, San Camp has 360-degree views of the bleached flats and offers the opportunity to meet a curious and human-friendly family of wild meerkats. The camp is also near the route zebra and wildebeest herds regularly take while migrating between Makgadikgadi and Chobe National Park.
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE SEMI-ARID KALAHARI DESERT
The pans are surrounded by the semi-arid Kalahari Desert, which stretches over most of Botswana and past its borders into Namibia and South Africa. A portion of it larger than Denmark at the center of Botswana, called the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, is home to the semi-nomadic San people and several striking game species. The wet season brings renewed life to the reserve, attracting large antelope herds, sounders of warthogs, and legendary black-maned lions, among other species. The reserve's mosaic of clay pans, fossil river valleys, sand dunes, and woodlands provide plenty of opportunities to explore.