Botswana
Experience solitude in an unspoiled environment in Botswana, where the government’s war on poaching and emphasis on the high quality/low tourism option has ensured that the country’s game viewing and facilities are among the best in the world.
Fed by generous rainfalls in the Angolan highlands, Botswana’s Okavango Delta is the world’s largest inland delta, an area the size of Switzerland. This watery wonderland was formed around 2 million years ago when silting and tectonic activity created a massive basin for the Okavango River to dissolve into a labyrinth of lagoons, channels and islands. More than 1000 plant, 400 types of bird and 86 larger mammal species live in this miraculous fusion of woodlands and water.
Irrespective of the season, you’ll never be disappointed. In the dry season, herds of impala huddle on the plains under relentless blue skies. Lion and cheetah lie in ambush beside the shrinking pools. In the wet season you’ll see more zebra and wildebeest.
No Delta experience is complete without a mokoro trip through the papyrus-fringed waterways. The Delta is only a couple of metres deep but the water is sweet, pure and drinkable. You’ll be lulled by the amniotic swish of the mokoro gliding silently through winding waterways as kingfishers and bee eaters rise from the papyrus to form a fluttering ceiling of scintillating colour.
The Okavango’s Moremi Game Reserve is rated as one of the finest game viewing areas in Africa. Elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and all the major predators live in the region. The bird life reads like a celebrity guest list - flying chilli peppers (red-billed hornbill), saddle-billed storks, herons, plovers, terns, kingfishers, eagles, franklins, cormorants, orange starlings and many more.
North of the Okavango Delta is Chobe. Numerous excellent camps are strung along the fringe of this wild river from which the area takes its name and the game viewing is excellent. This area has the highest concentration of elephant in the world and family herds can often be seen swimming to and from the sandy islands.
There is also a good chance of spotting lion and buffalo. Most of the camps offer game-viewing drives and boat cruises. Watch the river action over the rim of your G & T.
And for a true other-worldly experience, try the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi Pans.