Botswana has a very special place in my heart. Like anywhere you move to for a significant amount of time, this new place, the people around you, and the way of life becomes a part of you and naturally your own. From slaughtering and cleaning hundreds of chickens in the front yard with ladies in the village to conversations in Setswana on extremely hot commuter vans (called ‘combis’) with strangers, every aspect of my two year stint as a Peace Corps Volunteer in this country has left a lasting impact.
The fact is: Botswana isn’t just cool and special because I lived there for a good amount of time and all things Tswana became so “normal” to me…Botswana is cool and special because there is no place in the world like it. And if you need more convincing, it was voted one of Lonely Planet’s top destinations to travel to in 2016 (one must ALWAYS trust Lonely Planet).
Sure, in order to get from Point A to Point B you have to stop fifteen times for cows crossing the road, showers or bucket baths are lukewarm at best, and you won’t ever stop sweating, but believe me, that’s all worth it when you see twenty wild elephants drinking out of a waterhole right in front of you or wake up to catch the sunrise in the middle of one of the largest salt pans in the world.
Bring sunscreen & a good pair of Chacos: Botswana is waiting for you.
9 Unforgettable Experiences in Botswana
(1) Tsodilo Hills
A UNESCO World Heritage site and sacred place for the San people in Northwestern Botswana that has over 4500 paintings on the face of the hills (one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world) that dates back to around 800 to 1300 AD. It’s known as the “Lourve of the Desert”.
You’re required to have a local guide on the trails, which is a major part of the experience. Filled with a half or full day hike, listen to the guide speak on traditions and beliefs of the San people, and his/her personal experiences growing up in the area.
(2) Camping on the Makgadikgadi Pans
When the safari truck is packed and ready, head out on gravel and sand-covered roads for hours (and hours) to the Makgadikgadi Pans—one of the largest salt flats in the world that’s in Northeast Botswana. This place is truly otherworldly: it really feels like you just landed on Mars. Flat white land lays further than the eye can see, and lodges create a camping experience for visitors in the middle of it that’s completely secluded. There aren’t many bugs (something having to do with all the salt), so grab a sleeping pad as the campfire settles down and lie under millions of stars. Then, of course, don’t miss the sunrise the next morning either.
(3) Botswana by water
Get away from the “traditional” safari and head to the water. In Botswana, there’s a thing called a river safari and it’s arguably better than those on land. The animals you can’t typically see in the middle of a dry desert—warthogs, hippos, kingfisher, buffalos, various types of birds and crocodiles—you can see from a boat on the Chobe River or on a Mokoro trip on the Okavango Delta. Since it gets extremely hot in Botswana, animals gravitate towards the water to cool off, so you’ll be seeing plenty of other species too…like herds of elephants.
A mokoro is a traditional wooden canoe where a person navigates and propels it using a long wooden stick pushing off shallower water while standing up in the stern.
(4) Baobabs at Kubu Island
Kubu Island was once an area completely surrounded by water, but is now a granite rock surfaced “island” home to hundreds of baobab trees and surrounded by salt flats. This is an incredibly unique place for travelers because it is way the heck off the beaten path, and still fairly unknown.
If you’ve never seen a picture of a baobab tree, I suggest you do a quick little Google search right now! Their trunks are HUGE and store hundreds of thousands liters inside to withstand severe drought and heat. And they look magical.
(5) Drive the A33 from Nata to Kasane
Just thinking about this makes me giddy. The A33 is a paved highway (with the occasional pothole or two) connected two larger villages in Northern Botswana. What’s so special about a highway you may ask? Along the drive you WILL encounter elephants, giraffes, and if you’re lucky, lions. In Botswana, these animals roam FREE. There are no fences separating owned land, national parks, or game reserves. So, they wander peacefully across highways and into the bush.
Botswana is home to the world’s largest population of elephants.
(6) Take a combi
Oh, the giant white van—Botswana’s public transportation—is one experience you’ll never want to do again, but you’ll be glad you did (or maybe not…just do it).
Sure, sometimes it’s not that bad and you’ll get somewhere in an hour instead of three to go 15 miles or sometimes the lady in front of you decides to keep the window open on a 110 degree day and that sweet, sweet breeze hits your face. Hot, sticky waiting. And waiting. And waiting. But for fewer than 40 cents, you can’t beat it.
(7) Fly over and stay awhile
This is hands down the priciest thing on the list, but something the good people at Nat Geo Wild paid for in my case so I just get to tell you about it. (Anyone happen to watch Safari Brother? That blonde in the premiere…that’s me haha),
The difference between Chobe National Park (northeast) and the Moremi Game Reserve (central north) is you have to be flown out into the bush OR take a grueling day trip by 4×4 to get to where the camps are if you want to experience Moremi Game Reserve. Chobe is much more accessible for day trips. Many of the Moremi camps are “moving”: they are set up and taken down every few months to not disrupt the natural environment. This is the epitome of a multi-day safari luxury trip: one where food is plentiful and cooked three times a day over a fire for guests, alcohol is included, water is heated for you by the lovely staff to put in your not-so-roughing-it outdoor shower every morning (AND NIGHT), you go on three safaris a day, and you don’t see another human besides those you came with. They’re luxurious, you get waited on, and they cost THOUSANDS of dollars.
For those of you that have money like the Kardashian’s, this is a once in a lifetime experience.
(8) Elephant Sands
I had to pinch myself more than a few times at this place. Elephant Sands is bush lodge and campsite centered on a waterhole near Nata, Botswana. There’s a huge waterhole and a lobby/dinner area with a huge deck and pool overlooking it. Throughout the day elephants head through the grounds to drink and bathe in the water, and it’s not uncommon to count more than thirty at a time. At night from your tent you’ll hear elephant’s trumpet and snort and rustle around in the (near) distance. Ah-freaking-mazing.
(9) Sundowners at sunset
Probably my favorite safari/universal southern African term, a “sundowner” refers to having a drink in the middle of the bush, standing around safari cars, and watching the sun go down. I still smile just thinking about it. Want to put your entire life into perspective and believe you’re the luckiest human in the world? Have a beer in the bush at sunset.
