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Botswana extends from Namibia in the west through
the Kalahari Desert to the Makgadikgadi Pans, the
wetlands of the Okavango Delta, Linyanti / Savuti
and Chobe, in the northeast.
Botswana is host to one of the few remaining animal
migrations on earth and features the Okavango Delta
at the southern end of the Great Rift Valley. The
Delta is unique and is created by the Okavango River
as it flows into the arid region of the Kalahari
Desert. It forms an alluvial shaped oasis over an
area of 450 000 hectares of desert terrain. The
habitat is of its own making forged through the
millennia, shifting and changing, and drawing to it
birds and wildlife in abundance.
Situation
The landlocked country of Botswana is dominated by
the Kalahari Desert and is bordered by Namibia's
Caprivi Strip and Zambia to the north, Namibia to
the west, Zimbabwe to the north-east and South
Africa to the south and south-east. This is a
land with a wild heart as vast tracts of Kalahari
are given over to wilderness, seldom visited by
anyone other than bands of San or Bushmen. The
Central Kalahari, Kutse, Gemsbok and Mabuasehube
game reserves have been set aside to preserve the
wilderness of the Kalahari and only a few sandy
tracks and isolated camp sites disturb the pristine
nature of these areas.
The Okavango Delta
The Kavango River, which has its source in the
distant central highlands of Angola feeds the
inland water wonderland of the Okavango Delta. This
is a vast area of secluded waterways, papyrus,
thickly wooded islands and stupendous wildlife, one
of the major wilderness attractions of Africa.
Moremi Wildlife Reserve encompasses part of this
magnificent area and elephant, buffalo, lion,
cheetah and leopard together with local specials
such as the swamp dependent sitatunga are major
attractions. The area is easily accessed through
Maun and a number of superb destinations, provide
the perfect base for vehicle and foot safaris and
trips in a mokoro (dug-out canoe) deep into the
water wilderness.
Chobe National Park
To the north of the swamps the Kwando River makes a
large sweep around the Linyanti swamps in Caprivi
before heading down towards Lake Liambezi, the Chobe
and ultimately the Zambezi River. This is an
enormous wilderness area where large herds of
elephant and buffalo are frequently encountered. The
lions of the Savuti are legend and all major
predators such as leopard, cheetah, hyena and wild
dog are present.
The Chobe National Park is world renowned for its
abundance of elephants which concentrate on the
Chobe River, especially during the dry season. This
reserve forms an ecological entity with Hwange
National Park in Zimbabwe and is home to enormous
populations of elephant and buffalo. All the major
predators and a wide variety of antelope and other
species are present in the park. One of the
attractions of this reserve is the opportunity to
view the wildlife on the banks of the Chobe River
from a boat in the river itself.
The Tuli Block
The Tuli Block in the south-east of the country is
characterised by enormous Mashatu trees along the
banks of the Limpopo river. Sandwiched in between
South Africa and Zimbabwe, this area is easily
accessible from Johannesburg by road. The Tuli
elephants are renowned and both lion and leopard are
often sighted in this area.
Travelling
Botswana is big game country with the added bonus of
the Okavango Swamps, one of the natural wonders of
the world. Botswana is a prosperous and stable
country with a rapidly improving infrastructure
allowing for easy access to almost all regions
within the country. All international flights into
Botswana route through Johannesburg. Regular
scheduled flights into Botswana route via
Johannesburg (South Africa), Harare (Zimbabwe) and
Windhoek (Namibia). Access into northern Botswana
and the Chobe area is easiest via Victoria Falls in
Zimbabwe.
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