Botswana

– A Signature of Delta-blue On a Canvas of Ancient Sands –

The vibrant Okavango wetland, set amidst vast sweeps of Kalahari drylands. Flows from this inland wellspring nurture neighbouring channels and rivers, expanding this north-western wonder-world. In its dissipating southern reaches, islands bear the white rings of salt crystals – hints of the dramatic change to come. Another kind of beauty lies beyond these delta regions: an immense, wild and elemental beauty.

Explore this Country of Contrasts

Intimate wildlife experiences are the order of the day when you tour Botswana. Choose from a fine selection of private luxury lodges within game-abundant private concession areas, each offering a range of tailored activities especially suited to their environs.

Take to the Sky – or the Water

Scenic flights over the delta provide expansive views of this intricate web of wetland:
Spot the rainbow sprays of a red lechwe herd in flight, or the cross-water meander of elephants and buffalo.

No trip to the Delta would be complete without time in a mokoro (dugout canoe) with your skilled guide and ‘pilot‘. Catch your reflection in the clear blue water as you drift along. Listen – Watch – as life unfolds around you.

Learn the Secrets of the Kalahari

A vast landscape of timeless stories and seasonal spectacles: age-old baobabs stand like sentinels against the horizon; fossilized hippo bones, incongruous palm trees and contoured river stones point to when this was a place of water; stone-age tools tell of an ancient civilization.

When the rains are generous, pink clouds of flamingoes fill the Nata pan and migrating herds throng to the fleeting grasslands to join the resident wildlife.

Witness Remarkable Lion Behaviour

Lion prides within the delta areas have taken to the water and can be seen swimming between islands to hunt prey. They have also been documented in riveting daytime encounters with buffalo. And yes, in some instances they do feed on hippo. In the water-stressed Kalahari regions, prides have adapted to long periods without water.

Quick Facts

Population: 2.021 million

Area: 600,370 km²

Preferred Properties: 7

In 2014, the Okavango Delta was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This acclaimed area is a protected haven for black and white rhino together with cheetah and wild dog – all critically endangered species.

The hooves of red lechwe and the elusive sitatunga antelope are adapted to move easily through the tangle of mud and water vegetation.

You may also catch a glimpse of the serval cat’s slender gold and black form as it stalks swamp rats.

Flight acrobat and avian beauty extraordinaire.

Lilac-breasted rollers are the national birds of both Kenya and Botswana. A flagship example of the bird life wonders of the Delta.

Sunsets are a celebrated time in the Delta as a golden spectrum colours waters and sky.

A serenade of birdsong mingles with the cicada chorus and reed frog gurgles. Night predators prepare for action.

Botswana provides a safe haven for a third of Africa’s savannah elephants.

Here you will find the largest elephant population of any African nation. This success has been accredited to the country’s stability, low population and niche, low impact tourism.