Top 8 Destinations to Explore in Botswana

With incredible wildlife, breathtaking landscapes, and expert guides, Botswana offers endless exciting discoveries.

Home to some of Africa’s most breathtaking – and wallet-friendly – lodges and tented camps, Botswana sets the standard for low-volume, high-value safari tourism. Many vast areas of this beautifully varied country are protected, enabling a remarkable diversity of wildlife to thrive. Whether you choose to embark on a mobile safari or self-drive to a state-run campsite, you won’t need to spend a fortune to experience the wild.

Here’s a list of the top places to visit in Botswana.

1. Okavango Delta

Ideal for luxurious wildlife observation

Known as the 'Jewel of the Kalahari', the Okavango Delta is a must-see on any trip to Africa. Seasonal rains from the Angolan highlands swell the Okavango River, creating a stunning network of channels, lagoons, and islands across the desert. Spanning approximately 20,000 sq km (7700 sq miles), it is the largest inland delta in the world. The lodges here exemplify Botswana's premium, exclusive approach, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by wildlife, including the Big Five. You may even see lions swimming between islands, as well as endangered African wild dogs and over 500 bird species.

You can explore by 4WD or on foot, but the most intimate way to experience the delta is via mokoro, a traditional canoe that glides low on the shallow waters. A local gondolier will guide you through the rustling reeds to observe graceful jacana birds hopping across lily pads, agile red lechwe (the delta’s water-loving antelope), and elephants enjoying a swim.

Travel tip: Don’t anticipate a picturesque paradise upon reaching Maun. You’ll need to journey at least an hour north for mokoro excursions, and three hours to reach Moremi Game Reserve or Khwai for wildlife viewing. The best wilderness experiences often involve a short flight to a luxury lodge.

2. Moremi Game Reserve

Ideal for self-drive safaris

Spanning approximately 4000 sq km (1500 sq miles), the Moremi Game Reserve – the oldest protected region of the Okavango Delta – may be small by Botswana's standards, but it compensates for its size with a rich diversity and density of wildlife. It is also the most accessible area of the delta for self-drive adventures. Witness lions feasting, leopards lounging in trees, and wild dogs hunting in teams – a true safari dream come true. Plus, enjoy the abundant birdlife and stunning landscapes, ranging from mopane woodlands to ilala palms, arid savannahs to seasonal floodplains, and permanent reed-fringed lagoons.

Regarded as the pinnacle of safari locations, Chief’s Island is home to herds of red lechwe, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, and a plethora of big cats, alongside troops of baboons and vervet monkeys, with rivers teeming with massive crocodiles and grunting hippos. Moremi Game Reserve offers a wealth of sensational luxury lodges, as well as community-run campsites for those who prefer to be awakened by an elephant exploring their tent rather than by a butler.

Travel tip: The luxury lodges in Moremi boast year-round boating options and diverse habitats for guided game drives, but due to public park regulations, they cannot conduct night drives or walking safaris like the private concessions in the Okavango Delta.

3. Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

Ideal for otherworldly adventures

The cracked white expanse of the Makgadikgadi Pans is a remnant of a long-lost lake. This vast network of salt pans appears barren, with only scattered majestic baobab trees, yet during the dry season (April to September), it offers a striking, surreal beauty. Experience horseback riding and quad biking across the moon-like terrain, and don’t miss a night out on the pans to enjoy the stunning celestial display, thanks to the absence of light pollution.

While wildlife may seem limited, the Boteti River to the west and Makgadikgadi National Park provide more traditional game viewing opportunities. During and after the rainy season, the pans become a magnet for dazzling herds of zebra and wildebeest during their annual migration, swiftly followed by lions, cheetahs, and hyenas. Sua Pan, located to the east near Nata, hosts large flocks of flamingos. To see a habituated group of meerkats, you'll need to be guided to the golden grasslands bordering the pans by a lodge guide.

Chapman’s Baobab, once a towering symbol of the pans and believed to be around 5000 years old with a circumference of 25m (82ft), has unfortunately fallen, but you can still marvel at Baines’ Baobabs in nearby Nxai Pan National Park.

4. Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Perfect for those seeking solitude

Where the delta ends, the desert begins. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is Africa’s second-largest reserve (after Selous in Tanzania), located right in the heart of the Kalahari Desert. Don’t expect Sossusvlei-style dunes; instead, you’ll find stunning salt pans, ancient river valleys, and semi-arid grasslands. It's renowned for its desert-adapted wildlife, including the iconic Kalahari black-maned lion, elephants, and vast herds of antelope. As one of the world's least populated areas, you’re unlikely to encounter many others while on a game drive.

It’s also the historic ancestral land of the indigenous San people, hunter-gatherers with a deep connection to their environment and wildlife, who continue to uphold their ancient traditions in nearby private reserves.

Travel tip: Exploring the vast Central Kalahari Game Reserve requires time, determination, patience, and a 4WD. Unless you're flying into a luxury lodge, don’t rush your visit. The quickest entry point is to camp at Deception Pan and access the reserve via Rakops, but it's advisable to plan for at least three nights and two full days.

5. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Ideal for desert explorers

Straddling Botswana and South Africa, the remote Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a sprawling desert wilderness, characterized by its harsh yet stunning landscapes, where the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob are lined with rolling red dunes that look breathtaking at golden hour. While you won’t encounter water-dependent hippos, elephants, buffalo, or zebras here, you will have the opportunity to see desert-adapted antelopes like the majestic gemsbok, along with a good chance of spotting big cats, including lions, leopards, and cheetahs.

Keep an eye out for smaller carnivores as well: you might catch a glimpse of a reclusive brown hyena, large-eared bat-eared foxes, or a slender Cape fox. You can drive for hours without seeing anything, which makes it all the more thrilling when you do spot wildlife. For adventurous travelers, the Botswana side offers basic campsites where a thin canvas wall separates you from the local predators. The South African side has more diverse accommodation options.

6. Chobe National Park

Ideal for budget-friendly safaris

As Botswana’s first national park and currently its second largest, Chobe is one of Africa’s premier wildlife-watching destinations, featuring several distinct ecosystems. It arguably boasts the highest concentration of elephants on the continent, along with easily spotted big cats, buffalo, giraffes, and zebras, making it an excellent choice for first-time safari enthusiasts. The northeastern corner of Chobe, along with its namesake river, is conveniently accessible by road from Kasane, making it more affordable and busier than some of Botswana's more remote areas. As a gateway to Victoria Falls, Kasane offers accommodations for every budget, plus gas stations and grocery stores for stocking up.

This is also the ideal location to arrange a 4WD safari along the river and its floodplains, or to embark on an unforgettable sunset cruise, where rugged buffalo, graceful giraffes, and massive elephants gather to drink. For a more secluded experience, venture southwest to the long-dry Savuti Channel, where large lion prides roam, now revitalized with water and attracting increasing wildlife.

Travel tip: Due to the easy access to wilderness here, Kasane can become quite busy. To dodge the crowds, consider staying just outside the park boundaries in areas like Lesoma Valley or Ngoma. The latter, located at the western end of Chobe National Park, attracts fewer visitors but is equally teeming with wildlife (though you might encounter a cow or two in this rural setting). Alternatively, escape the bustle by hopping aboard a houseboat and drifting along the Chobe River.

7. Khama Rhino Sanctuary

Ideal for spotting the Big Five

Khama Rhino Sanctuary is home to several critically endangered black and white rhinoceros, along with a variety of other wildlife, making it the top destination in Botswana to observe these incredible animals up close. Open year-round, the sanctuary also hosts wildebeest, impalas, ostriches, brown hyenas, leopards, and over 230 bird species. The prime time for rhino spotting is during the late afternoon or early morning at Malema's Pan, Serwe Pan, and the waterhole near the bird hide. While self-guided drives allow you to explore at your own pace, to ensure a rhino sighting, consider joining a guided game drive, walking safari, or a rhino-tracking tour.

8. Tuli Block

Perfect for mountain biking

Nestled between Zimbabwe and South Africa, the Northern Tuli Game Reserve—including the renowned Mashatu Game Reserve—is the crown jewel of the Tuli Block. Picture towering hills rising from the scrubland, breathtaking sunset vistas alongside charming elephant shrews, and ancient baobab trees. This wilderness is rich in history, featuring remnants of ancient civilizations and scattered treasures from the Stone Age.

With guided walking safaris, horseback excursions, and mountain biking adventures, this area is a haven for the adventurous. Zooming along ancient trails on a cycling safari, you'll glide past herds of giraffes and eland. The gentle terrain is accommodating, with routes carved by generations of elephants, creating a single track that is smoother and more enjoyable than any man-made path.

The renowned Horizon Horseback riding safaris are highly acclaimed but are intended for experienced riders only, requiring advanced intermediate skills. Each participant must complete a brief riding assessment to demonstrate their ability to independently manage a horse at all gaits before the safari begins.

Planning tip: The wildlife in this region is consistently present throughout the year, unlike other areas in Botswana, ensuring excellent game-viewing at any time.