I wrote this article as there are many choices in the Botswana safari market, and the question is , how does one choose, which camp is best for you.

I am well aware that many media outlets rank camps in Botswana , and as such, many people approach me with their list of camps for their Botswana Safari.

As well, sometimes friends or family may have traveled to Botswana on Safari, they told you about the trip, and then that is what you want to do for your Botswana safari Holiday.

That is not a problem…Since I custom design Safaris, I can arrange any of the above trips for you.

However, if you don’t have an idea of what a Safari is, then hopefully what the information below, will do, is to be helpful, in helping you decide on the eco systems/areas, and Safari camps that you want to experience on your Botswana Safari.

There are some factors that have to be considered when planning a Safari:

1) Length of time that you have to travel, and how much of this time do you want to allocate to wildlife viewing.

2) Your travel budget ie trip allowance for the trip.

3) Your personal interests:

4) Your level of comfort that you want…..luxury, moderate, etc.

5) The time of year that you are traveling.

Most people when I mention Tented Safaris think of small I tents, sleeping on the ground. While this type of trip generally is mainly for the budget market or overland trips, however even in this market, times are changing, and even these  give one pads of cots  to sleep on, and some 3* budget tours simple quaint lodging, still keeping the prices down on these trips.

A Tented Safari means a permanent tent, built into the ground on a usually large wooden support, usually a large A frame structure within a safari camp, vs a lodge style unit that has the same large wooden support A frame structure.

The difference between the 2 is that the tents are large canvas tents with larger window areas,  that roll up and down ie day or night use. They are usually very spacious, large with both inside and sometimes outdoor Balinese type shower facilities.

The permanent lodge unit will have the same structure, however will  be finished  of with generally wood, they to are generally  very spacious, large with both inside and sometimes outdoor Balinese type shower facilities.

Both types of lodging have private en suite bathrooms, beds with mattresses, some if not all of them have private decks. They both types have their own unique ambiance, décor, unique features. The furnishings that go into a safari are quite unique and my clients are generally so impressed with the distinctive design features.

Personally I prefer the tented lodging...

Then  how do we get there to  the  Safari  camp....

Depending on the Safari lodge you are going to,you may have to have 2 air transfers. We  arrange the  scheduled air transfer and the Bush charter plane.

Once you touch down on the  bush air strip, you will be met by your Safari Lodge representative, and road transferred to your lodge. You are now on Safari!!!!

So where do we go………Botswana has 4 distinct areas.

The Chobe National Park:

 Is  a  unusual wilderness park, as no night drives are  allowed in the park, as the gates close at early evening, so it still has a  sense of wildness about it.

The distinctive feature of a  Chobe  National  Park Safari, is that 1 of the game activities is a  river Safari  cruise. This is a   unique and memorable way to be about 10 feet from the bank of the river, watching the herds of elephants, and other animals come down to drink The game activity is a open jeep game drive so the 2 Safari activities give you a nice land/water perspective to game watching that is quite unique to Chobe National  Park.

I usually recommend a 2 Night stay . It’s a seasonal destination ie May to the early December time. When the rains start falling, there are other  areas of  Chobe that we  use.

The Okavango Delta:

 The world’s largest Inland Delta, with small to  larger Islands and tracts of  land, interspersed amonst channels  of water..

The game activities here are:

1)  Land game viewing.

2) Walking on the  Islands

3) Mokoros small dug out canoes where  you  are poled on the channels..( not so much  a  game activity as a peaceful, leisure  experience., so you can experience the beauty of the Delta.

Beautiful it is…..sunsets  in the  Delta  can be magical..

4) Power boating on the Dela Channels..enable  you to go deep into the channels.

Many choices of camps and land vs water camps. This is important as there are other areas in Botswana which are mainly land only, so one can experience both types of eco systems ie water and land safaris.

The best time for game viewing in the Okavango Delta is during the May-October period, as the animal life is concentrated along the flooded areas and the vegetation has dried out.

The best time for birding and vegetation n the Okavango Delta is during the rainy season (Nov.- April) as the migrant bird populations are returning and the plants are flowering and green.

Savuti Area

10 878 km² large, constitutes the western stretch of the park (50 km north of Mababe Gate). The Savuti Marsh is the relic of a large inland lake whose water supply was cut a long time ago by tectonic movemants.

 Nowadays the marsh is fed by the erratic Savuti Channel, which dries up for long periods then curiously flows again, a consequence of tectonic activity in the area. It is currently flowing again and in January 2010 reached Savuti Marsh for the first time since 1982. As a result of this variable flow, there are hundred of dead trees along the channel's bank. The region is also covered with extensive savannah's and rolling grasslands, which makes wildlife particularly dynamic in this section of the park.

During the dry season, this is a   harsh, hot, dry area known  for its larger Bull elephants, and carnivores such as Hyenas and Lions.

 In the wet season, December to April this area is the home of the annual Zebra migration, that arrives in this area, in their thousands, and leave in April/May for the Linyanti/Selinda/Kwando area. The usual predators follow them.

Linyanti/Selinda/Kwando

The Linyanti Marsh, located at the Northwest corner of the park and to the North of Savuti, is adjacent to Linyanti River.

To the west of this area lies Selinda Reserve and on the Northern bank of Kwando River is Namibia's Mamili National Park.

Around these 2 rivers are riverine woodlands, open woodlands as well as lagoons, and the rest of the region mainly consists of flood plains.

There are here large concentrations of lions, leopards, wild dogs, Roan antelopes, Sable antelopes, hippopotamuses and above all enormous herds of elephants. The rarer red lechwe, sitatunga or crocodile also occur in the area. Birdlife is very rich here.

 Between Linyanti and Savuti Marshes lies a hot and dry hinterland, mainly occupied by the Nogatsaa grass woodland. This section is little known and is a great place for spotting elands.

 As to how much time to spend in each area, we can design as you need, however 2N stays give one   4 game drives, about 12 to 16  hr in the jeep, so you  cover  a lot of area.

The best game viewing time in Botswana is about from May to about early December, when the rains start falling.

However from the middle December to March  ie the  Green Season,  although wet, and when the rain start to fall, is the time when many of the young ie the antelopes etc are born, so its quite a special time. As well, the air is clearer due to the rain falling, its very green and lush, you have the migrations, and the bird life is rich.

Hope the above helps, in helping you make a choice about a Botswana Safari.