For some of the finest, least crowded safari in Africa. Botswana's deliberate low-volume, high-value model keeps its wildlife areas uncrowded and pristine, from the water-laced Okavango Delta to elephant-thronged Chobe and the stark Kalahari. Expect small camps, superb guiding and a real sense of wilderness, at a price that reflects the exclusivity.

When is the best time to visit Botswana?

The dry season, around May to October, is the classic choice for game viewing, with animals gathered at water and the Delta's flood peaking between June and August. The green season, November to April, is wetter and quieter, and better for the Kalahari, the Makgadikgadi zebra migration and birding, with lower prices. Choose by region and by what you most want to see.

Is Botswana expensive for a safari?

Generally, yes, and by design. The country has chosen low-volume, high-value tourism, which keeps its wildlife areas uncrowded but makes it one of Africa's pricier safari destinations, particularly in the fly-in Delta camps. The trade-off is exclusivity and space; costs can be tempered by travelling in the green season or combining Botswana with more affordable neighbours.

Which part of Botswana is best for a first safari?

The Okavango Delta is the natural centrepiece, with exceptional game and superb guiding, and drier areas within it like the Khwai Concession offer reliable year-round drives. Most first trips pair the Delta with Chobe for its elephants and easy link to Victoria Falls, giving a varied week that covers water, big game and a natural wonder or two.

How long do you need in Botswana?

Around a week is the usual minimum for a satisfying trip, enough to combine two regions, typically the Delta and Chobe, by light aircraft without rushing. Ten days to two weeks lets you add the Kalahari or Makgadikgadi for contrast, or extend across the border to Victoria Falls and beyond. Three to four nights per camp is the sweet spot.

Boutique Hotels in Botswana - Okavango & Kalahari Stays

Where to go in Botswana

Botswana's safari splits into four main regions, each with a distinct landscape and rhythm. Most itineraries combine two or three, hopping between them by light aircraft.

The Okavango Delta

The country's star, and one of Africa's greatest wildlife areas: a vast inland delta where the Okavango River fans out and vanishes into the Kalahari, creating a maze of channels, lagoons and islands. It is explored by open vehicle and by mokoro canoe, and holds superb populations of elephant, big cats and endangered wild dog. This is the heart of a Botswana safari, a patchwork of private concessions and the central Moremi Game Reserve, and the region most worth building a trip around.

Chobe and the north

North-east of the Delta, Chobe National Park is famous above all for elephant: it holds one of the largest concentrations on the continent, drawn to the Chobe River, where boat safaris at sunset are the signature experience. The riverfront is busier and more accessible than the Delta, and pairs naturally with a trip to nearby Victoria Falls, just over the border in Zimbabwe and Zambia, making Chobe a common first or last leg of a wider journey.

The Kalahari

Much of Botswana is Kalahari, a semi-arid expanse of grassland and desert that feels the opposite of the watery Delta. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve, one of the largest protected areas in the world, comes alive in the green season, when the rains draw big herds and their predators, including the region's famous black-maned lions, to the pans. It is stark, silent, deeply remote country, and a striking contrast to add to a Delta-based trip.

The Makgadikgadi

South-east of the Delta lie the Makgadikgadi Pans, the shimmering remnants of a prehistoric lake, among the largest salt flats on Earth. In the dry season the pans are a surreal, blinding-white emptiness; in the green season they flood and draw one of Africa's last great zebra migrations, along with flamingos in their thousands. Habituated meerkats, quad-biking across the crust and sleeping out under vast skies are the draws here.

When to go

Botswana has two broad seasons that suit different things. The dry season, from around May to October, is the classic safari time: animals gather at shrinking water, the bush thins out, and the Delta's flood peaks between June and August, though it is also peak prices and the coldest nights. The green season, November to April, brings the rains, dramatic skies, newborn animals and superb birding, and it is the best time for the Kalahari and the Makgadikgadi migration, with fewer visitors and lower rates. For classic Delta and Chobe game viewing, aim for the dry months.