Linyati, Selinda and Kwando
At the extreme northern reaches of Botswana – the Caprivi just on the other side – lie three of the most splendid, wild and secluded destinations the country has to offer.

Sandwiched between the Chobe National Park to the east and the Okavango south, the extensive Kwando, Selinda and Linyanti concessions offer superb wildlife viewing – and terrain to rival the physical beauty of the Okavango.

And no wonder – both share geographical similarities. Like the Okavango River, the Kwando River flows south from Angola across the Caprivi Strip and into Botswana. Like the Okavango, it slowly fills the Linyanti Swamps. The outflow from the Swamps then fills the Linyanti River, which courses east into the Chobe River.

The swamps that fan out from the rivers carry the same magnificent natural history as the Okavango – picturesque channels, lagoons, papyrus stands and reedbeds. Riparian forest lines the waterways, giving rise to magnificent, towering trees. Dry riverbeds – the Selinda Spillway and the Savuté channel – meet the swamps, their lack of flowing water possibly determined by faulting underground that halts the course of the waters. interestingly, faults in this area are believed to be the southernmost point of Africa’s Great Rift Valley.

The reserves string along the rivers, with the Kwando to the northwest, Selinda (1350 sq kms in area) south and Linyanti (1250 sq kms in area) east. A small area of the Chobe National Park juts up to meet the Linyanti River and swamps; it has a government campsite and facilities for the self-drive camper, while the concessions offer private camps.

This is real African big game country, and during the dry season the permanent waters of both the Kwando and Linyanti Rivers serve as important migration points for wildlife from much of northern Botswana – including large herds of buffalo and elephant, wildebeest and zebra.

Virtually all naturally occurring antelope and predators can be seen in these concessions, depending, of course, on the season, and food and water availability. These include waterbuck, reedbuck, giraffe, impala, kudu, and with any luck the rare and shy sitatunga, and accompanying lion, hyena, leopard, cheetah, jackal, serval and caracal.

But perhaps the greatest attraction of this part of Botswana is the feeling it gives of extreme isolation, and being completely removed from the world as we know it. The camps are small and private, with perhaps only twenty or so guests present at one time.

There’s nothing else out there – except you, the bush and a fascinating contingent of wild animals – just waiting to be discovered, and explored.

Gaborone
Gaborone is a buzzing and tempting city that is bursting out of a nutshell. The inhabitants themselves feed the inexhaustible source of creative energy, a source that is far from saturated. The capital city was named after Kgosi Gaborone, leader of the Batlokwa people, who migrated from their ancestral homelands in the Magaliesberg Mountains and in 1881 settled in the Tlokweng area. Gaborone literally means ‘it does not fit badly’ or ‘it is not unbecoming.”

The tolerant mind-set of Gaborone derives from the gathering of the many different cultures and the thousands strong individual minds. The beautification of the edginess inspires, provokes opportunities and creates an intersection where two extremes meet each other and therefore become indefinable.

While the city boarders mark a town of a friendly and agreeable size, the many districts offer an immense variety of different atmospheres and make you often wonder yourself if you’re still wandering through the same metropolis. All neighbourhoods have two things in common: a warm friendly people and a rich experimental food culture. Gaborone boasts a range of hotels, and a choice of cinemas and casinos. Restaurants are numerous and varied, nightclubs often host live music by local artists. The National Museum is situated near the centre of town and houses important collections of traditional crafts and southern African fine art.

Gaborone is not different from any other city. It’s soiled with Western needs, such as pubs and luxury hotels. But as soon as you leave the city and its main roads, it is as if you walk straight into another world. Offering the best of both possible worlds, the silence takes your breath away for a fraction of time while you enter into rural Africa or wildlife areas within minutes.

Three Chiefs Monument
Crossing the railway tracks over the flyover, and turning into a newly developed Central Business District, the Monument of the Three Chiefs is another impressive historical statue that marks an important turning point in the history of Botswana.

In the late 1800s, Botswana territory was under threat from British industrialist Cecil Rhodes, who wished to take over Bechuanaland for his British South Africa Company. Three senior chiefs of the time – Chief Khama III of the Bangwato, Chief Sebele I of the Bakwena, and Chief Bathoen I of the Bangwaketse – travelled to London in 1885 to petition Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, and whilst there, they were presented to Queen Victoria.

Gaining support from the British public, they petitioned the Queen for protection; and this was granted. The Bechuanaland Protectorate was established in the same year, thus circumventing the territory’s potentially disastrous incorporation into the British South Africa Company, and forever altering the history of the country. The monument was sculpted and cast by North Korean artisans, using a photograph of the three chiefs. It was unveiled on the occasion of the country’s 39th anniversary of independence in 2005.

Central Business District (CBD)
Now home to the tallest building in Gaborone, i-Towers, the growing skyline at the city’s Central Business District is a beacon of progress, and ever evolving display of how the country’s significant development in the business market. The world renowned Masa hotel square offers a mix of business and leisure. Impressive architecture and the settlement of international companies transform the CBD into a hub for travellers, young professionals and the city’s trendsetters.

However the centre of the city remains intact. Gaborone’s first mall – often referred to as The Main Mall – is a pedestrian-only business and commercial centre that boasts some of the town’s oldest shops and office buildings, as well as one of its first hotels, The President Hotel. Although some buildings have been refurbished, most of the architecture remains the same. At its top end, across the Nelson Mandela Road, sits the Government Enclave and the National Assembly; and at the opposite end are the Gaborone City Town Council offices. Shoppers will enjoy browsing the many outdoor stalls of African arts, crafts and curios that line the main walkway. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons the city centre is a lot less chaotic and is ideal for a peaceful stroll across the mall.

National Stadium
Having recently been renovated, the now world class national stadium hosts various sporting and non-sporting events. Offering a 40 000 seating capacity, a first for Botswana. The stadium is also home to the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSYC) gymnasium, a space which offers a number of fitness amenities designated for group fitness and cycling classes. BNSYC has a number of free classes offered to the public, including yoga.

University of Botswana
Across the road from the national stadium is Botswana’s first institution of higher education. The University of Botswana, established in 1982 has been closely involved in the national development process of Botswana. Today the university, referred to with much admiration by locals as “Mma-Dikolo” (Mother of Universities), boasts nine faculties and a school for graduates. Notable alumni include judge, human rights activists and writer Unity Dow, states men and politician Duma Boko, whom also lectured there for ten years and not forgetting Zimbabwean lawyer, internationally recognized for her defence of journalists and press freedom, Beatrice Mtetwa.

Thapong Visual Arts Centre
Situated in the former magistrate’s house (1902), the Thapong Visual Arts Centre is home to Botswana’s young, gifted – and sometimes avant-garde – artists. In addition to the exhibitions it regularly stages, this very active centre also periodically offers art courses for children.

Also found in the same location, is The No. 1 Ladies Coffee House, named after Alexander McCall Smith’s Novel series ‘The Number one Ladies detective agency’. A quaint, art filled restaurant with lots of charm and innovative treats. The ingredients are super fresh with unexpected culinary combinations and its ambience makes sense with Thapong as its backdrop.

Gaborone Game Reserve
Possibly one of the few national reserves to be situated inside a city, this relatively small (5 square kms) but well stocked park is home to a number of Botswana’s indigenous species, including zebra, eland, gemsbok, red hartebeest, blue wildebeest, impala, kudu, steenbok, vervet monkeys, warthog and rock dassies, as well as numerous resident and migrant bird species, best viewed from the small dam in the park. Terrain includes tree savanna, riparian woodland, marsh and rocky outcrops. The park is popular for weekend outings and picnics, with two well-appointed picnic sites. There are also animal and bird observation hides and a visitors’ centre; and pre-booked educational tours can be arranged for both school children and visitors.

Kgale Hill
Gaborone’s most visible hill – and one of the city’s major landmarks – overlooks both the Gaborone Dam as well as its largest mall, Game City, providing a beautiful panorama of the city, and in the late afternoon, dramatic African sunsets. Kgale (meaning ‘the place that dried up’) is popular for climbers and picnickers, and has clearly defined routes up and down. Some wildlife still lives in the hills, and the most visible are the ubiquitous baboon troupes. The climb takes approximately one hour.

Gaborone Dam
The Gaborone Dam, the water source for Gaborone, is in a sense the foundation of Gaborone itself. In a dry region water is of crucial importance, and the fact that a large dam could be successfully created here was a necessary precondition for the growth of the city. It is located by the edge of the city, set among hills and dense bush, is the city’s main water source, Gaborone Dam. A popular local resort, it is available for non-motorised water-sport , but a Water Utilities Corporation permit is needed. Bass, bream and barbell tempt the avid fishermen in summer, and the Gaborone Yacht Club has its own swimming pool – not a bad idea since the dam not only has the occasional crocodile that escapes translocation, but bilharzia as well.

Mokolodi Nature Reserve
For nature and wildlife lovers, Mokolodi is the closest excursion from Gaborone that offers a wide variety of activities for the entire family. Situated approximately 10 kilometres south of Game City, on the main Lobatse Road, the five-square kilometre reserve is comprised of riverine terrain interspersed with rocky hills, with the very picturesque Lake Gwithian and adjoining picnic site.

Mokolodi offers game drives, guided walks, horse-back safari, rhino tracking, giraffe tracking, walks with trained elephants, and cheetah visits. It holds regularly scheduled lectures, as well as annual events, such as Easter and Christmas day excursions for children, and the Mokolodi Photography Competition.

Wildlife resident in the reserve include kudu, warthog, duiker, giraffe, steenbok, zebra, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, ostrich, impala, springbok, waterbuck, baboons, vervet monkeys, mountain reedbuck, eland, bushbuck and leopard. A highly successful white rhino reintroduction and breeding programme now puts the white rhino population in the reserve at eight.

Mokolodi also houses a reptile park, and a wildlife sanctuary for disabled or orphaned animals that for one reason or another cannot be returned to the wild, and an animal clinic that treats sick or injured animals.

Facilities include camping sites, chalets, picnic sites, an education centre, museum and library, the World’s View Conference and Function Centre, The Alexander McCall Smith Traditional Rest Camp, as well as a lovely stone and thatch restaurant that gives a beautiful view of the surrounding bush.

Environmental education for Botswana children is a major mandate of the nature reserve; and each year thousands of schoolchildren come for courses, sleeping in the dormitories, or on camp outs.

Khutse Game Reserve
Because of its proximity, and relative accessibility, to the nation’s capital, Khutse game Reserve is a favourite retreat for Gaborone visitors or residents. The 240 kms drive takes the traveller through a number of interesting Kalahari villages, including the ‘gateway to the Kalahari,’ Molepolole.

Adjoining the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to the north, and with no fences separating the two, the terrain of the 2 500 sq kms reserve combines most types of Kalahari habitat – rolling grasslands, river beds, fossil dunes and grassed and bare pans.

The reserve is part of an ancient river system that once flowed northeast to fill the prehistoric Lake Makgadikgadi. Khutse’s Pans and dry river valleys are remnants of this river system.

Officially declared a protected area in 1971, Khutse (meaning ‘place where you can kneel down and drink’) was the second game reserve in Botswana to be established on tribal land (Moremi game Reserve in the Okavango was the first).

There is a series of rather picturesque pans (signposted) where wildlife often congregate, particularly during and following good rains; and indeed game drives are focused around the pans. These include the Motailane, Moreswa and Molose pans. Sometimes water is pumped at artificial waterholes at Moreswa and Molose, making for good game viewing year round.

Animals commonly sighted include springbok (often in abundance), gemsbok (often common), giraffe, wildebeest, hartebeest, kudu, black-backed jackal, steenbok, duiker, and the accompanying predators lion, leopard, cheetah, smaller cats, and the endangered brown hyena.

There are several delightful loops worth driving through the reserve. The shorter drive is the northern loop around Sekhushwe and Mohurusile pans, approximately 24 kms from the reserve headquarters. The longer drive is to Moreswa Pan, about 64 kms from the headquarters, or a 120 kms loop.

The San and Bakgalagadi peoples – the Kgalagadi’s original inhabitants – live in small villages on the periphery of the reserve. Their traditional arts and crafts can usually be purchased here; and walks with the San can be arranged at the Khutse Kalahari Lodge, about 10 kms before the reserve entrance.

History was made when Botswana and a newly liberated, democratic South Africa signed in 1999 a treaty to form the first transfrontier peace park in Africa.

Plans to formalise the joint management and development of South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and Botswana’s Gemsbok National Park were proposed as early as 1989, but no such partnership was possible during South Africa’s dark years of apartheid. Following South africa’s independence in 1994, and with the support and encouragement of the Peace Parks Foundation, negotiations concretised; and in May 2002, the park was officially opened.

This immense wilderness (37 000 sq kms) is now shared by both countries as a protected area, and is jointly managed. The entire park is completely unfenced, allowing for wildlife to move freely along the ancient migration routes so necessary for their survival in the desert.

Situated in the extreme southwest corner of Botswana, and adjacent to South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier park (KTP) is run as a single ecological unit, and gate receipts are shared. Tourist facilities, however, are still run autonomously.

Immigration and customs facilities have been designed to allow travellers to enter the park in one country and depart in the other. The main entry and departure point between the two countries is at the Two Rivers/ Twee Rivieren gate, which also has camping facilities, chalets, shops and a restaurant.

The national boundary with South Africa is along the dry Nossop River bed; and three quarters of the park lies within Botswana territory. Currently, KTP is mainly visited by self-drive campers, with a few operators offering mobile tours.

At the time of going to print, the Botswana government had allocated five fixed lodge sites for development by the private sector.

There are three main areas to explore: the Nossop River valley, along the South Africa/Botswana border, the wilderness trails on the Botswana side, and what was once the Mabuasehube Game Reserve, now incorporated into KTP at its most northeastern reaches.

To maintain KTP’s pure wilderness experience, there are strict limits as to the number of vehicles that can travel the wilderness trails, how many nights a camping party can stay at a campsite (usually limited to one night), and how many people can camp at each campsite. Hence booking well in advance is essential.

Self-drive campers must comprise at least two vehicles; well-equipped 4x4s are required for the rough, sandy roads.

KTP’s very beautiful terrain comprises fossil river valleys dotted with dwarfed trees and bushes, grasslands and different coloured sand dunes. Wildlife is abundant, and the animals are attracted to waterholes along the otherwise dry riverbed.

Several species of antelope, including the ubiquitous springbok and gemsbok, hartebeest, and eland can be seen, as well as the famous black-maned Kalahari lion, jackal, brown hyena, and wild cats.

Rich birding is always part of the experience. Over 170 species of birds have been recorded here, and it is not uncommon to see over 30 bird species within a few kilometres of the campsite.

At Mabuasehube, the terrain is a mixture of typical Kgalagadi tree and shrub savanna with patches of wide open grass savanna.

This area of KTP comprises a series of exceptionally large pans, which are the principle focus of the reserve. Campsites dot the various pans, and many are situated on slight promontories, giving almost unimpeded vision, thus making for good game viewing right from your camp-side chair.

Three of the largest pans lie along the main road; these are Bosobogolo, Mpayathutlwa and Mabuasehube. others, like Leshologago, Khiding and the fossil valley complex called Monamodi, are linked to the larger pans by sand tracks.

Each pan is different. The floor of Mabuasehube pan is bare clay that is rich in salts, and this attracts animals that come to lick the surface, deriving essential minerals from it. The floor of Bosobogolo pan is short, shrubby grassland, which antelope frequent to graze, accompanied, of course, by predators.

All of the major predators can be seen at Mabuasehube, including the Kalahari black-maned lion, cheetah, leopard, brown hyena, bat-eared fox, lynx, and silver fox. Small mammals, like the Cape fox, aardwolf and blackfooted cat can be seen at the pans in the evening.

Experience the stunning beauty, the unimaginable vastness, the isolation and other-worldiness, the astoundingly prolific wildlife of the best kept African secret – Botswana.

Makgadikgadi
Imagine – if you will – an area the size of Portugal, largely uninhabited by humans. Its stark, flat, featureless terrain stretches – it would seem – to eternity, meeting and fusing with a milky-blue horizon. This is the Makgadikgadi – an area of 12 000 sq kms, part of the Kalahari Basin, yet unique to it – one of the largest salt pans in the world.

For much of the year, most of this desolate area remains waterless and extremely arid; and large mammals are thus absent. But during and following years of good rain, the two largest pans – Sowa to the east and Ntwetwe to the west – flood, attracting wildlife – zebra and wildebeest on the grassy plains – and most spectacularly
flamingos at Sowa and Nata Sanctuary. Flamingo numbers can run into the tens – and sometimes – hundreds of thousands, and the spectacle can be completely overwhelming.

The rainwater that pours down on the pans is supplemented by seasonal river flows – the Nata, Tutume, Semowane and Mosetse Rivers in the east, and in years of exceptional rains, the Okavango via the Boteti River in the west.

During this time, the pans can be transformed into a powder blue lake, the waters gently lapping the shorelines, and flowing over the pebble beaches – a clear indication of the gigantic, prehistoric lake the Makgadikgadi once was. Research suggests that the Makgadikgadi is a relic of what was once one of the biggest inland lakes Africa has ever had.

Africa’s most famous explorer, Dr. David Livingstone, crossed these pans in the 19th century, guided by a massive baobab, Chapman’s Tree – believed to be 3 000 to 4 000 years old, and the only landmark for hundreds of miles around. Seeing this amazing tree today, you are given entry to an era when much of the continent was uncharted, and explorers often risked their lives navigating the wilderness on oxcarts through rough and grueling terrain.

The Makgadikgadi is in fact a series of pans, the largest of which are Sowa and Ntwetwe, both of which are surrounded by a myriad of smaller pans. North of these two pans are Kudiakam pan, Nxai Pan and Kaucaca Pan. Interspersed between the pans are sand dunes, rocky islands and peninsulas, and desert terrain.

No vegetation can grow on the salty surface of the pans, but the fringes are covered with grasslands. Massive baobab trees populate some fringe areas – and their silhouettes create dramatic landscapes against a setting sun.

The Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve – with an area of 3 900 sq kms – incorporates the western end of Ntwetwe, extensive grasslands and acacia woodland. At its northern boundary, it meets the Nxai Pan National Park, separated only by the Nata- Maun Road.

In the wet season, this reserve can offer good wildlife viewing, particularly when large herds of zebra and wildebeest begin their westward migration to the Boteti region. other species include gemsbok, eland and red hartebeest, as well as kudu, bushbuck, duiker, giraffe, springbok, steenbok, and even elephant, with all the accompanying predators, as well as the rare brown hyena.

Humans have inhabited areas of the pans since the Stone age, and have adapted to geographical and climatic changes as they have occurred. Archaeological sites on the pans are rich with Early Man’s tools, and the bones of the fish and animals he ate.

Human inhabitation has continued to the present day; and a number of villages, including Mopipi, Mmatshumo, Nata, Gweta and Rakops, are situated on the fringes of the pans.

Baines’ Baobabs
Approximately 30 kms from the Nxai Pan National Park entrance, Baines’ Baobabs are a highlight for any visitor travelling this area of Botswana.

Seven huge, gnarled baobab trees, named after the 19th century explorerThomas Baines, are situated on a promontory or island overlooking and surrounded by the white, crusty Kudiakam Pan. Baines stood here over a hundred years ago and painted this otherworldly scene. It has essentially remained unchanged.

Thomas Baines was an explorer, artist, naturalist and cartographer. He and fellow explorer James Chapman travelled through this area during their two-year journey from Namibia to Victoria Falls (1861-63).

They travelled in horse-drawn wagons and on foot, accompanied and led at different times by Hottentots, damaras (a tribe from Namibia) and San. They encountered numerous difficulties, including the harshness of the desert, thirst, hunger, illness, and more than once, desertion by their guides, who made off with their supplies.

Despite all this, Baines’ account of the journey is filled with appreciation of the beauty of africa. ‘I confess,’ he wrote, ‘I can never quite get over the feeling that the wonderful products of nature are objects to be admired rather than destroyed; and this, I am afraid, sometimes keeps me looking at a buck when i ought to be minding my hindsights.’

Baines’ painting of the small island of baobabs shows covered wagons, people tending their horses, and a huge baobab bursting with leaves. ‘We walked forward to the big tree, the Mowana at Mamu ka Hoorie, and found the country much improved,’ Baines wrote of the gloriously shaded area.

Baines’ diaries, sketches, drawings and paintings provide fascinating first-hand documentation of that most Africa. Decisive era in the history of Southern Africa.

Nxai Pan National Park
Part of the great Makgadikgadi complex, Nxai Pan National Park covers an area of 2 100 sq kms, and comprises several larger pans – Nxai Pan, Kgama-Kgama Pan and Kudiakam Pan, which were once ancient salt lakes. These larger pans are now grassed, and are scattered with islands of acacia trees, and smaller pans that fill with water during the rainy season – thus providing rich resources for wildlife.

Wildlife viewing is seasonal, and dependent on if and when the rains come, and when animals migrate. There are several artificial watering points. If the rains have been good, December to April is the best time to visit.

Common species to be sighted are zebra, wildebeest, springbok, impala, gemsbok, hartebeest, giraffe, lion, cheetah, wild dog, brown hyena, bateared fox, and sometimes elephant and buffalo.

The park is one of the more accessible areas of the Makgadikgadi, a mere 50 kms from the Nata-Maun Road.

Nata Sanctuary
Botswana’s first community-based conservation project is managed and staffed by residents of four local communities – Nata, Maphosa, Sepako and Manxotae. It is a good example of a non-consumptive means of wildlife utilisation that brings direct financial benefit to local communities. Proceeds from tourism activities in the sanctuary are shared by the four communities for whatever development projects they decide they want and need.

About 3 000 head of cattle belonging to members of these four communities were voluntarily moved out of the area for the establishment of the sanctuary. Nata Sanctuary opened its gates to the public in 1993, and in the same year was awarded the Tourism for Tomorrow award for the southern hemisphere.

Covering an area of 250 sq kms – comprising both grasslands and pans, in an important environmentally sensitive area – the sanctuary offers easy access to the pans, and pleasant, reasonably priced camping facilities.

In the peak season, birding, and even game viewing, can be good. When there is water in the pans, thousands of flamingos, pelicans, ducks and geese congregate, and the scene is indeed awe-inspiring. an elevated hide provides an unbeatable panorama of the pans.

Khutse Game Reserve
Because of its proximity, and relative accessibility, to the nation’s capital, Khutse game Reserve is a favourite retreat for Gaborone visitors or residents. The 240 kms drive takes the traveller through a number of interesting Kalahari villages, including the ‘gateway to the Kalahari,’ Molepolole.

Adjoining the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to the north, and with no fences separating the two, the terrain of the 2 500 sq kms reserve combines most types of Kalahari habitat – rolling grasslands, river beds, fossil dunes and grassed and bare pans.

The reserve is part of an ancient river system that once flowed northeast to fill the prehistoric Lake Makgadikgadi. Khutse’s Pans and dry river valleys are remnants of this river system.

Officially declared a protected area in 1971, Khutse (meaning ‘place where you can kneel down and drink’) was the second game reserve in Botswana to be established on tribal land (Moremi game Reserve in the Okavango was the first).

There is a series of rather picturesque pans (signposted) where wildlife often congregate, particularly during and following good rains; and indeed game drives are focused around the pans. These include the Motailane, Moreswa and Molose pans. Sometimes water is pumped at artificial waterholes at Moreswa and Molose, making for good game viewing year round.

Animals commonly sighted include springbok (often in abundance), gemsbok (often common), giraffe, wildebeest, hartebeest, kudu, black-backed jackal, steenbok, duiker, and the accompanying predators lion, leopard, cheetah, smaller cats, and the endangered brown hyena.

There are several delightful loops worth driving through the reserve. The shorter drive is the northern loop around Sekhushwe and Mohurusile pans, approximately 24 kms from the reserve headquarters. The longer drive is to Moreswa Pan, about 64 kms from the headquarters, or a 120 kms loop.

The San and Bakgalagadi peoples – the Kgalagadi’s original inhabitants – live in small villages on the periphery of the reserve. Their traditional arts and crafts can usually be purchased here; and walks with the San can be arranged at the Khutse Kalahari Lodge, about 10 kms before the reserve entrance.

Matsieng Footprints
Further north on the main road, just after the village of Rasesa, this National Monument consists of a slab of sandstone pierced by two deep holes, as well as engravings. Legend says that the first ancestor of the Batswana, Matsieng – a giant, one-legged man, climbed out of one hole, followed by his people, their domestic animals, and wildlife. The engravings – now very faint – were probably made by Khoe herders, and date to the beginning of the second millennium.

Linyati, Selinda and Kwando
At the extreme northern reaches of Botswana – the Caprivi just on the other side – lie three of the most splendid, wild and secluded destinations the country has to offer.

Sandwiched between the Chobe National Park to the east and the Okavango south, the extensive Kwando, Selinda and Linyanti concessions offer superb wildlife viewing – and terrain to rival the physical beauty of the Okavango.

And no wonder – both share geographical similarities. Like the Okavango River, the Kwando River flows south from Angola across the Caprivi Strip and into Botswana. Like the Okavango, it slowly fills the Linyanti Swamps. The outflow from the Swamps then fills the Linyanti River, which courses east into the Chobe River.

The swamps that fan out from the rivers carry the same magnificent natural history as the Okavango – picturesque channels, lagoons, papyrus stands and reedbeds. Riparian forest lines the waterways, giving rise to magnificent, towering trees. Dry riverbeds – the Selinda Spillway and the Savuté channel – meet the swamps, their lack of flowing water possibly determined by faulting underground that halts the course of the waters. interestingly, faults in this area are believed to be the southernmost point of Africa’s Great Rift Valley.

The reserves string along the rivers, with the Kwando to the northwest, Selinda (1350 sq kms in area) south and Linyanti (1250 sq kms in area) east. A small area of the Chobe National Park juts up to meet the Linyanti River and swamps; it has a government campsite and facilities for the self-drive camper, while the concessions offer private camps.

This is real African big game country, and during the dry season the permanent waters of both the Kwando and Linyanti Rivers serve as important migration points for wildlife from much of northern Botswana – including large herds of buffalo and elephant, wildebeest and zebra.

Virtually all naturally occurring antelope and predators can be seen in these concessions, depending, of course, on the season, and food and water availability. These include waterbuck, reedbuck, giraffe, impala, kudu, and with any luck the rare and shy sitatunga, and accompanying lion, hyena, leopard, cheetah, jackal, serval and caracal.

But perhaps the greatest attraction of this part of Botswana is the feeling it gives of extreme isolation, and being completely removed from the world as we know it. The camps are small and private, with perhaps only twenty or so guests present at one time.

There’s nothing else out there – except you, the bush and a fascinating contingent of wild animals – just waiting to be discovered, and explored.

Mokolodi Nature Reserve
For nature and wildlife lovers, Mokolodi is the closest excursion from Gaborone that offers a wide variety of activities for the entire family. Situated approximately 10 kilometres south of Game City, on the main Lobatse Road, the five-square kilometre reserve is comprised of riverine terrain interspersed with rocky hills, with the very picturesque Lake Gwithian and adjoining picnic site.

Mokolodi offers game drives, guided walks, horse-back safari, rhino tracking, giraffe tracking, walks with trained elephants, and cheetah visits. It holds regularly scheduled lectures, as well as annual events, such as Easter and Christmas day excursions for children, and the Mokolodi Photography Competition.

Wildlife resident in the reserve include kudu, warthog, duiker, giraffe, steenbok, zebra, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, ostrich, impala, springbok, waterbuck, baboons, vervet monkeys, mountain reedbuck, eland, bushbuck and leopard. A highly successful white rhino reintroduction and breeding programme now puts the white rhino population in the reserve at eight.

Mokolodi also houses a reptile park, and a wildlife sanctuary for disabled or orphaned animals that for one reason or another cannot be returned to the wild, and an animal clinic that treats sick or injured animals.

Facilities include camping sites, chalets, picnic sites, an education centre, museum and library, the World’s View Conference and Function Centre, The Alexander McCall Smith Traditional Rest Camp, as well as a lovely stone and thatch restaurant that gives a beautiful view of the surrounding bush.

Environmental education for Botswana children is a major mandate of the nature reserve; and each year thousands of schoolchildren come for courses, sleeping in the dormitories, or on camp outs.

Moremi Game Reserve
This gem of a National Park has garnered a number of important distinctions. in 2008, it was voted the ‘best game reserve in Africa’ by the prestigious African Travel and Tourism Association at South Africa’s premier tourism fair, Indaba.

It is the first reserve in Africa that was established by local residents. Concerned about the rapid depletion of wildlife in their ancestral lands – due to uncontrolled hunting and cattle encroachment – the Batawana people of Ngamiland, under the leadership of the deceased Chief Moremi III’s wife, Mrs. Moremi, took the bold initiative to proclaim Moremi a game reserve in 1963.

It is the only officially protected area of the Okavango Delta, and as such holds tremendous scientific, environmental and conservation importance.

And, undoubtedly, Moremi ranks as one of the most beautiful reserves in Africa, possibly in the world.

Moremi Game Reserve is situated in the central and eastern areas of the Okavango, and includes the Moremi Tongue and chief’s island, boasting one of the richest and most diverse ecosystems on the continent.

This makes for spectacular game viewing and bird watching, including all major naturally occurring herbivore and carnivore species in the region, and over 400 species of birds, many migratory and some endangered. Both Black and White Rhino have recently been re-introduced, now making the reserve a ‘Big Five’ destination.

Contained within an area of approximately 3900 sq kms, here land and Delta meet to create an exceedingly picturesque preserve of floodplains – either seasonally or perennially wet, waterways, lagoons, pools, pans, grasslands and riparian, riverine and mophane forests. This terrain makes driving Moremi’s many loops and trails both delightful and, at times, totally inspiring.

Moremi is a very popular destination for the self-drive camper, and is often combined with the Chobe National Park to the northeast.

The rustic Third Bridge campsite, situated near the pretty Sekiri River, flanked with thick stands of papyrus, is a favourite, creating lasting memories of resplendent Okavango sunsets.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Nothing prepares you for the immensity of this reserve, nor its wild, mysterious beauty. There is the immediate impression of unending space, and having the entire reserve to yourself.

Waist-high golden grasses seem to stretch interminably, punctuated by dwarfed trees and scrub bushes. Wide and empty pans appear as vast white stretches of saucer-flat earth, meeting a soft, blue-white sky. At night the stars utterly dominate the land; their brilliance and immediacy are totally arresting.

The Central Kalahari game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest, most remotely situated reserve in Southern Africa, and the second largest wildlife reserve in the world, encompassing 52 800 sq kms.

During and shortly after good summer rains, the flat grasslands of the reserve’s northern reaches teem with wildlife, which gather at the best grazing areas. These include large herds of springbok and gemsbok, as well as wildebeest, hartebeest, eland and giraffe.

At other times of the year, when the animals are more sparsely distributed, the experience of travelling through truly untouched wilderness, of seemingly unending dimensions, is the draw.

The landscape is dominated by silver terminalia sandveldt, Kalahari sand acacias, and Kalahari appleleaf, interspersed with grasslands, and dotted with occasional sand dunes, pans and shallow fossil river valleys.

CKGR is unique in that it was originally established (in 1961) with the intention of serving as a place of sanctuary for the San, in the heart of the Kalahari (and Botswana), where they could live their traditional hunter/ gatherer way of life, without intrusion, or influence, from the outside world.

The reserve was closed for about 30 years, until in the 1980s and 1990s, both self-drive and organised tours were allowed in, albeit in small, tightly controlled numbers.

The Botswana government has initiated plans to develop tourism away from the Okavango and Chobe areas, and has allocated concessions for lodge construction, both at the peripheries of and inside the reserve, allowing for fly-in tourists.

The northern deception valley is one of the highlights, principally because of the dense concentrations of herbivores its sweet grasses attract during and after the rainy season (and of course the accompanying predators). It is also the most travelled area of the reserve, with a number of public campsites, and proximity to the eastern Matswere Gate. The other two gates are completely at the other side of the reserve, at Xade and Tsau, where public campsites are also available.

Other worthwhile areas to drive are Sunday and Leopard Pans, north of Deception Valley, Passarge Valley, and, further south, Piper’s Pan.

Kasane
The gateway to Chobe National Park, Kasane is an important point of debarkation for the nearby Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingstone in Zambia, and Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. Impressive!

Spread out along the banks of the Chobe River, Kasane presents an array of hotels, guest houses and campsites that accommodate all the visitors to the national park. Some are splendidly situated, with wonderful views of the river and its wildlife. Often visitors opt to have a morning game drive and an afternoon boat cruise, with an afternoon game drive the following day, as this is the time of day when elephants are usually spotted.

Another option is a day trip to Victoria Falls, which is about 80 kilometres from Kasane. Kasane now boasts small shopping malls where all basic commodities can be purchased, and arts and crafts shops. While its main attraction is the park that lies a mere 10 kilometres away, there are nevertheless attractions in and around the town.

Khama Rhino Sanctuary
Affording the opportunity to see both black and white rhino – as well as an abundance of other wildlife species – the Khama Rhino Sanctuary (KRS) is a delightful stopover for tourists travelling by road to Botswana’s northern reserves, or an ideal weekend getaway for Gaborone or Francistown visitors or residents.

A mere 20 kms from the historically important village of Serowe, the accessibility of KRS is also a draw. This community tourism project, managed and staffed by local village residents, offers game drives, birding, bush walks, and arts and crafts shopping. It also has an education centre where many young children from all over Botswana come for environmental education, as well as a fun time in the bush.

KRS was established in 1989 due to growing concern over the then escalating rhino poaching situation in Botswana. Both black and white rhino – once abundant in Botswana – were during the early 1980s on the brink of local extinction, despite their having been granted protected status as far back as 1922.

Led by the Bangwato paramount Chief, the then Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama, and other conservationists, the people of Serowe conceived the idea to form a sanctuary to protect the remaining rhinos in Botswana, and hopefully give them safe haven to reproduce and gain numbers.

The first four white rhinos were reintroduced into the sanctuary from the Chobe National Park in 1992. Eight more rhinos came from the North West National Parks in South Africa.

The highly endangered black rhino was re-introduced in 2002.

The gamble paid off , and both species are doing well, under the watchful eye of sanctuary staff as well as the Botswana Defence Force (BDF), who assist with the constant patrolling of the sanctuary’s borders.

To date, KRS has 35 white rhino, and is serving as a source for their re-introduction back to the Moremi Game Reserve, the Makgadikgadi, the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, and elsewhere. And – much to the credit of KRS staff – the male and female black rhinos have mated, and the sanctuary’s first baby black rhino was born in 2008!

Gcwihaba Caves and Aha Hills
Certainly one of the wildest and most remote destinations in Botswana, Gcwihaba is a fascinating underground labyrinth of caverns and pits, linked passages, fantastical stalagmite and stalactite formations, and beautifully coloured flowstones that appear like waterfalls of rock.

Moving from the more commonly used northern entrance, you’ll first come across thousands of bats hanging upside down from the cave walls. The most common species are the commerson’s Leaf-nosed Bat – the largest insectivorous bat in Southern Africa, the tiny Dent’s Horseshoe Bat and the Egyptian Slit-faced Bat. They are harmless, but as you approach, be prepared for a possible mass exodus– clouds of screeching, fleeing bats winging through the dusty darkness.

Some caverns are up to 10 metres high, some are so tiny that one needs to squeeze, or crawl on the belly, to get through them; and some stalactites measure up to six metres in height, meeting their cousin stalagmites to form organic columns that seem to support the entire cave roof.

The main cavern is called ‘Drotsky’s cavern,’ named after the Ghanzi farmer Martinus Drotsky, who was the fi rst European to be shown the caves by the !Kung San in 1934.

Situated on a sand ridge set amongst undulating dunes, Gcwihaba has been part of the Kalahari ecosystem for almost three million years. It was formed during the pleistocene Age when the area was much wetter. There have been dramatic climatic variations alternating very wet with very dry periods.

Unique ecosystems of flora and fauna have been recorded at Gcwihaba. These include the Namaqua Fig, only found at these hills and easily recognisable by its long trailing roots, the endemic aloe, tent tortoises, barking geckos, Ruepel’s parrot (also unique to this region) and barn owls which live in the caves.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area was inhabited by foraging peoples thousands of years ago. Late Stone Age tools, burnt ostrich eggshells, animal bones, even a fossilised primate skull, have been unearthed in the region. Indeed the caves hold important clues to the way prehistoric peoples related to their environments.

Gcwihaba is a designated National Monument and a proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Aha Hills
Straddling the Botswana/Namibia border, the Aha Hills lie about 50 kms northwest of Gcwihaba, and are visible from it. The Aha Hills are mostly rough and jagged, having been split by weathering into numerous faults and fractures. They cover an area of approximately 245 sq kms, mostly in Botswana.

Experience the stunning beauty, the unimaginable vastness, the isolation and other-worldiness, the astoundingly prolific wildlife of the best kept African secret – Botswana.

Oodi Weavers
The Lentswe-la-Oodi Weavers is a Swedish-initiated cooperative (1973) situated in Oodi village, approximately 20 kms north of Gaborone, on the Francistown Road. The weavers – mostly women who now fully own the cooperative – produce handwoven wall hangings, tapestries, runners, napkins, cushion covers, jackets, and bedspreads, all designed by the weavers themselves. The wool is hand-woven and hand-dyed. Most designs depict rural scenes, animals or geometric patterns.

Interested customers can order originally designed pieces. Visitors are encouraged to browse the factory, and the adjacent shop.

Selebi-Phikwe
Commonly known as Phikwe, this mining town is best known for its copper-nickel mine which provides much of the employment in the area. Initially established to accommodate and service the employees of the mine (Bamangwato Concessions Ltd.) that began operations in 1973.

Copper-nickel ore is extracted from shafts in deep, open cast mines, and is transported by rail. The coalfired power station Morupule was built to supply electricity to the mine and surrounding areas. The mine is the main employer in the town, which has the usual amenities of shopping centres, hotels, guest houses and an airport.

Letsibogo Dam
The Letsibogo Dam is part of the massive North-South Carrier (NSC) Water Project, which saw the construction of several dams, water transmission systems and water treatment works to develop water resources in the northeast of the country and relieve tight water demand in the southeast, particularly in the capital.

NSC links Letsibogo and major wellfields to Gaborone via a large, 400 kilometre pipeline. A major leisure venue for residents of, or visitors to, ‘Phikwe,’ the Letsibogo Dam is situated near the nearby village of Mmadinare.

Lepokole Hills
Situated approximately 25 kilometres northeast of the village of Bobonong, the Lepokole Hills are composed of colossal granite blocks often piled one on top of the other, giving way to fantastic creations of rock, trees, vegetation and sky. The Hills are in fact the southernmost extension of the Matopos Hills in Zimbabwe, which feature similar terrain.

Hiking, climbing and fabulous scenery are some of the main attractions here, with incredible views from atop the highest hills. And the area is extremely rich in archaeological and historical treasures.

San rock paintings can be seen in the rocky overhangs of kopjes, and some tell the story of their retreat from encroaching peoples into these hills. Walled ruins in the style of the Great Zimbabwe era can also be seen, as can the remains of ancient village settlements and Iron Age sites, their evidence including stone arrangements, granaries, pottery and Iron-Age tools.

A community based tourism project for the development of Lepokole is being administered through the Mapanda Conservation Trust. Plans are underway to fence the area surrounding the hills, restock it with indigenous wildlife, and offer nature walks and wildlife viewing, as well as guided hikes up the hills. The Trust also plans to build camping facilities. At present a camp site is available, but there are no ablution blocks or other facilities, thus travellers must come fully self-contained. It is proper courtesy to request permission to camp at the hills from the village headman.

Botswana Tourism Organisation is assisting the communities in the Lepokole Conservation Area to promote local conservation, generate important income for rural residents, and diversify their tourism product, enabling the communities to achieve the maximum tourism potential of this rich and diverse area. Proposed development projects will include activities such as nature walks, sunset moments, insects and bird watching, camping, game viewing and hiking.

Tswapong Hills
Situated east of Palapye, the imposing Tswapong Hills rise almost four hundred metres above the surrounding plains. These one-billion year-old titans extend 60 kms west of the village of Moremi, and measure a full 20 kms in breadth. Comprised of sandstone, ironstone and quartzite, which give them their characteristic rich hues, Tswapong holds numerous fascinating, and very beautiful, archaeological, historical and natural history sites.

Some of the earliest traces of Bantu speaking people in Southern Africa have been found in the gorges at Tswapong, and many are littered with fragments of beautifully decorated pottery dating back to the first millennium. Collapsed and buried iron smelters give evidence of the iron smelting that took place in the gorges; and red ochre paintings can be seen under rocky overhangs.

Big game used to occupy this area, but now the hills are home to such mammals as rock dassies, baboons, brown hyena and leopard. Over 350 species of birds have been recorded in the area, including the endangered Cape Vulture, the Black Eagle, the Black Stork and the beautiful Meyer’s Parrot, as well as over a hundred butterfly species.

One of the biggest draws is the lush, wet vegetation and a series of waterfalls – uncharacteristic of Botswana’s generally dry, waterless terrain.

The hills absorb water from deep aquifers in the ground and accumulated rain from above, releasing it in natural fresh springs scattered throughout the hills, which in turn form brooks and – with greater accumulations of water – waterfalls that collect in beautiful lagoons.

Moremi Gorge
Situated deep within the hills, which can only be reached by a rather vigorous climb, Moremi Gorge is the source of three permanent waterfalls. The first two are smaller, but fan out into large waterholes, whilst the uppermost falls is a full ten-metres high, giving rise to arresting scenes of clear water cascading over rocky outcrops, then collecting in a deeply hidden, lushly vegetated, fern-fringed lagoon.

The Moremi Gorge is a designated National Monument and is managed by the Department of National Museum, Monuments and Art Gallery. The Moremi Mannonye Conservation Trust, through the support of the Botswana Tourism Organisation, involves local residents in developing the area for non-consumptive eco-tourism. The area is of great religious and spiritual importance to the community.

Before venturing into the hills, you should, as a matter of courtesy, request permission from the local headman. A National Museum guide is available at Moremi village.

Tswapong is an ideal weekend getaway for residents of and visitors to Gaborone or Francistown. It doesn’t require a four-wheel drive vehicle, and camping is allowed near the site, though at present visitors must come fully self-contained. Plans are underway to develop camping and ablution blocks, trail signage and wooden elevated pathways.

Jwaneng
Fittingly named, the Jwaneng Diamond Mine – the richest diamond mine in the world – is situated in south-central Botswana, on the fringes of the Kgalagadi, approximately 80 kms west of Kanye. Jwaneng means ‘a place of small stones.’

Owned and operated by Debswana, a partnership between the diamond mining magnate DeBeers and the Botswana Government, Jwaneng has been in operation since 1982, and has consistently contributed a large share of Botswana’s total ore output. In 2007, the mine produced approximately 13.5 million carats from 10.3 million tonnes of ore.

The mine’s accompanying township (population, 15,000) is an open one, and tourists can drive through the township and make use of its facilities, such as petrol stations, restaurants or guest houses.

The mine has established and supports the nearby Jwana Game Park, which is home to a number of indigenous wildlife species, excluding the large predators. There is, however, a Cheetah Conservation Botswana field unit in the park. And in 2007, two white rhinos were introduced into the park from the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.

Members of the public are welcome to visit the game park, and tours of the diamond mine can be booked through the Jwaneng Mine Public Relations Office, tel: +267 588-4245.

Jwana Game Park
Through the support of the mine, Jwana Game Park was established and is now home to a number of indigenous wildlife species, excluding the large predators. There is, however, a Cheetah Conservation Botswana field unit in the park. And in 2007, two white rhinos were introduced into the park from the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.

Kanye
One of the most scenic routes in southern Botswana is the Gaborone to Kanye drive (approximately 80 kms southwest of Gaborone). The road gently climbs and descends, giving entrance to gently rolling grasslands rich in trees and shrubs, quaint vistas of agricultural lands and grazing livestock, and tiny villages nestled between rock-strewn hills.

Home of the Bangwaketse people who settled in the area in the mid- 19th century, Kanye is the longest continuously occupied capital village in Botswana. There are a number of interesting places to see in Kanye, so plan on a full day excursion from Gaborone, or a night-over at one of its lodges or guest houses.

The Polokwe Viewpoint, situated about ten kilometres north of Kanye on the Thamaga road, gives a breathtaking view of the northern valley, particularly at sunrise and sunset. From the Gorge, near Seepapitso Secondary School, interesting, and very beautiful, walks can be taken – lush in vegetation, with good birding possibilities. Stone wall settlements are also visible along the way. According to oral history, the Gorge is the place where the Bangwaketse hid from Mzilikazi’s Ndebele raids in the area. Just north of the village and near the dam lies a bird sanctuary.

Kanye’s main kgotla (village meeting place and customary court) is full of interesting historical buildings, including the former residence of Kgosi (Chief) Bathoen I, the original tribal offices, built in 1914 by Seepapitso III, and nearby, the former residence of the late Kgosi Bathoen II. As well, there are several old churches to explore, the oldest being the London Missionary Church, built in 1894. The proper courtesy is to first go to the kgotla offices and inform officials that you wish to visit the kgotla, at which point you will be warmly welcomed, and shown around.

Molepolole
Often referred to as ‘Gateway to the Kalahari,’ Molepolole is a village that one passes on the way to Khutse Game Reserve. Home to the Bakwena people, on and off for the past four hundred years, their tradition of building stone walls around their courtyards is still practised by some families.

A modern façade covers the bustling town centre, now full of every manner of shop. The Kgosi Sechele I Museum is one of the major points of interest in the village. Housed in what once was the colonial police station (1902), its exhibitions seek to preserve the fast disappearing culture of the Bakwena people. The Museum offers an arts and crafts programme, educational programmes for schoolchildren, and guided tours of the village.

The Scottish Livingstone Church, situated on the main road is still a very prominent landmark. It was built early in the 20th century, and in the 1930s established the Scottish Livingstone Hospital, situated further down the main road.

Just outside Molepolole, on the Thamaga Road, is the Logaga Lwa ga Kobokwe also known as the Livingstone’s Cave. Despite warnings from the Kwena tribal traditional doctor that he would die if he entered the cave, Livingstone did so and emerged alive. It is believed that Chief Sechele’s brief conversion to Christianity was prompted by this event.

Manyana
Perhaps the most visited rock painting site in the Gaborone area, the paintings are spread over five separate areas of rock cliff face. Images include giraffe, antelope, human figures and geometric designs, all of which date from between 1100 and 1700AD. They were in all likelihood made by Khoe (click-speaking) herders. Gazetted as a National Monument, the site is fenced, and you can only gain entry through the custodian.

At the south end of the village stands Livingstone’s Tree, under which the great explorer is said to have preached. This old, massive fig tree – now fenced off – rests on its branches that now touch the ground.

Old Palapye
Old Palapye is an important multicultural historical site containing artifacts from the Middle Stone Age, the Late Stone Age, the Early Iron Age, and in contemporary times, the 19th century capital of the Bangwato (led by Khama III), who occupied the area from 1889-1902.

Though only capital for thirteen years, the population of this settlement at the foot of the Tswapong Hills is estimated to have been approximately 300 000 people, including resident European missionaries and hunters. The wet, well watered micro-climate of Tswapong, and the perennial springs and waterfalls of Photophoto valley are believed to have been the main attractions for settlement.

When water supplies dwindled and proved insufficient, the Bangwato left Phalatswe and established their new capital at Serowe, where it remains today.

The occupation of Old Palapye is significant in the history of Botswana, particularly its role in restricting the Ndebele’s penetration to the then Rhodesia. It was critical as a centre for European encounters with Batswana, and provides evidence for one of the first agro-towns in Botswana.

Stone walls, middens (the stone remains of rondavels), rock paintings, and the remains of a prison, market centre and historic graves (both Europeans’ and Batswana’s) can all be seen at Old Palapye. The most outstanding structure is the remains of the London Missionary Society Church, which was built between 1891 and 1894. The front and back of the burnt-brick structure still stand, giving some idea of the huge effort that would have gone into its construction.

Some wild animals, such as baboons, vervet monkeys, porcupines, rock dassies and leopard, still inhabit the area. There are two Cape Vulture breeding colonies, the largest situated at Gootau, with more than 200 breeding pairs. The village headman must be approached to visit this site, and care should be taken not to disturb the birds.

The nearby Photophoto Gorge is less impressive than Moremi Gorge, but more accessible. It is used to water livestock and for religious rituals.

Situated near the village of Malaka (where there are waterfalls), Old Palapye has been earmarked for further tourism development, through the Malaka community based tourism project, and in conjunction with developments at Tswapong. Old Palapye was gazetted as a National Monument in 1938, and falls under the jurisdiction of the National Museum and Monuments.

Gabane
Approximately 15 kms from Gaborone, this lovely village set amongst hills is wonderful for walking and exploring on foot. It is home to the Pelegano Village Industry, a development estate that houses a number of different village ventures, including a glass factory, metal works and a sorghum milling plant. The pottery factory and shop feature uniquely designed tableware, vases, and decorative items.

The Veld Products Research centre welcomes casual visitors. This is an innovative research and development organisation that promotes the sound management of veldt products in SADC (Southern African Development Community) countries, as well as investigates the potential for domesticating indigenous plants for sale.

Thamaga
This picturesque village, situated southwest of Gaborone, is set amongst large granite boulders, the largest being Thamaga Hill. It is best known for its very beautiful pottery, of the same name, and its factory has been in operation for more than 30 years. A wide range of top quality products is available, from tea and coffee sets, to platters, to candle holders, to full tableware sets, all in keeping with its inimitable designs.

Tsodilo Hills
Rising abruptly, and dramatically, from the Kalahari scrub bush – the rock face turning a copper colour in the dying sun – the magnetic power of Tsodilo Hills both captivates and mystifies. There is an undeniable spiritualism about the Hills that immediately strikes the visitor.

Indeed for the people who live at the Hills – the San, the original inhabitants, and the Hambukushu who have periodically occupied the hills for the past 200 years – Tsodilo is a sacred, mystical place where ancestral spirits dwell. In earlier times, their ancestors performed religious rituals to ask for assistance, and for rain. They also put paintings on the rock face; and their meaning and symbolism remain a mystery even to today.

Exploring the three main Hills – Male, Female, and child – is a journey into antiquity. Archaeological research – ongoing for the past 30 years – estimates that Tsodilo has been inhabited for the past 100 000 years, making this one of the world’s oldest historical sites. Pottery, iron, glass beads, shell beads, carved bone and stone tools date back 90 000 years.

The Early iron Age Site at Tsodilo, called Divuyu, dates between 700- 900AD, and reveals that Bantu people have been living at the hills for over 1000 years, probably having come from central Africa. They were cattle farmers, settled on the plateau, and traded copper jewellery from the Congo, seashells from the Atlantic, and glass beads from Asia, probably in exchange for specularite and furs. There was a great deal of interaction between different groups, and trade networks were extensive.

Excavations also reveal over 20 mines that extracted specularite – a glittery iron-oxide derivative that was used in early times as a cosmetic.

Rock paintings are nearly everywhere – representing thousands of years of human inhabitation, and are amongst the region’s finest, and most important. There are approximately 4 000 in all, comprising red finger paintings and geometrics. It is almost certain that most paintings were done by the San, and some were painted by the pastoral Khoe who later settled in the area. The red paintings were done mainly in the first millennium AD.

Two of the most famous images are the rhino polychromes and the Eland panel, the latter situated on a soaring cliff that overlooks the African wilderness. Indeed the inaccessibility of many of the paintings may be linked to their religious significance.

The fact that Tsodilo is totally removed from all other rock art sites in Southern Africa adds to its aura of magic. The nearest known site is 250 kilometres away. What’s more, the paintings at Tsodilo are generally unlike others in the southern African region – in both style and incidence of certain images. Many are isolated figures and over half depict wild and domestic animals. In fact, there is a higher incidence of domestic animals than at other sites in Southern Africa. Some are scenes, but few seem to tell a story. Many are outlined schematic designs and geometrical patterns.

There are walking trails – the Rhino Trail, Lion Trail and cliff Trail, and others; and it is recommended that you take a guide to walk the trails and see the paintings. Both San and Hambukushu live near the hills, and guides from their villages can be easily arranged.

There is a small museum at the entrance to the site; the main campsite at Museum Headquarter has ablutions and water, while the three other smaller campsites have no facilities. Because of its tremendous historical and cultural importance, Tsodilo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.

Mochudi
Mochudi is the main village for Bakgatla tribe whose totem is a monkey. Bakgatla who migrated from present day South Africa in 1871 to escape Boer encroachment of their lands, settled at the base of Phuthadikobo Hill and along the Ngotwane River.

Like most major villages in Botswana, Mochudi is a mixture of old and new, traditional and modern, as is best seen through changing architectural preferences in housing. The main attraction in Mochudi is the Phuthadikobo Museum which is perched at the top of a hill and holds a rich history of Bakgatla tribe and Batswana in general. Its collection of historical photographs shows women making pottery, blacksmiths operating bellows, chiefs making rain, houses being decorated, and boys’ and girls’ initiation rites. Artifacts include pottery, basketry and other traditional utensils, weaponry, as well as Regent Isang’s rain-making pots.

Recognised by large logs set vertically in the ground in a semicircle, is the village meeting place and customary court, a focal point of the village. Nearby is a stonewalled enclosure where stray cattle and/or cattle that are being disputed, are kept. Two Kgatla chiefs, Kgosi Linchwe Khamanyane Pilane (who ruled between 1875 and 1924) and Kgosi Molefi Kgafela Pilane (who ruled between 1929 and 1958) are buried here. Also nearby are two traditional rondavels, beautifully maintained, and good examples of how village housing once looked.

The building was originally a school built by Regent Isang Pilane in 1921. It was the first school in Botswana to offer secondary education and became a museum in 1976. It has steadily expanded its stock of artifacts and historical photographs. It holds a number of fascinating photographs donated by Professor Isaac Schapera, the world-renowned anthropologist who chronicled in meticulous detail the life and culture of the Batswana, and the changes rapidly taking place in their lives in the 20th century, nearly up to his death in the year 2000. There is a small shop in the Museum selling local arts and crafts, and silkscreen products made there.

Another building of interest is the Deborah Retief Memorial Church, administered by the Dutch Reformed Mission, located just after the turn-off to the kgotla. This was built by the Bakgatla in 1903 and is still in use today.

The Pilane Leatherworks, situated near the railway tracks crossover, near the Francistown Road, produce sturdy and long-lasting leather shoes, sandals, purses and handbags.

Kolobeng
The site of David Livingstone’s third and final mission station was Kolobeng, approximately 20 kms west of Gaborone, past Gabane. Here he built the house and church. The picture above is showing a site of David Livingstone’s final mission, Kolobeng. At 22, this is where Kolobeng and his wife Mary would work to convert the local Bakwena to Christianity. Their daughter Elizabeth, who died at the age of six weeks, is buried here. What remains now is the foundation of the house. Kolobeng is gazetted as a National Monument, and you can only gain entry through the custodian.

Lobatse
A drive past the country’s High Court, as well as the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC), one of Africa’s largest abattoirs and meat-processing operations, welcomes you to Lobatse.

Approximately 70 kms south of Gaborone, is the last stop for cattle farmers trekking their livestock hundreds of kilometres through Kalahari sands for sale to the BMC. Cattle farming is the country’s third largest revenue earner, and its high quality, free-roaming beef is primarily exported to the United Kingdom and the European Union. Tours to the BMC can be arranged through the General Manager Operations, Tel: +267 533- 1292.

The first major tribal settlement in the area was a Bangwaketse village, built in the late 18th century. Later, because of conflict with neighbouring groups, they moved west to their present capital, Kanye. A construction camp and railway siding were built in 1896, the latter servicing Cecil Rhodes’ railway line that ran north to Southern Rhodesia.

The original railway station no longer stands, but Botswana Railways still runs through the town, then passing through Gaborone, and towns further north, before reaching Francistown.

There are several interesting archaeological remains to be seen around Lobatse. Some are on private land and require permission to visit. These include stone walling from the Ngwaketse village, situated on Lobatse Estates, and the earlier Seoke stone wall settlement built by the Bangwaketse around 1770.

Just outside the town, on the main Mafikeng road, there are rock paintings of wildebeest – though now quite faded, probably painted by Khoe herders, and possibly dating between 1000 to 1700AD.

Otse
Boasting a number of glorious climbing and hiking options, the most prominent being the ‘Lovers’ Hill,’ (‘Lentswe la Baratani’),Otse is a quaint but stunning village about 40 kilometres from Gaborone.

‘Lovers’ Hill,’ (‘Lentswe la Baratani’), carries a Shakespearean-esque legend about two young lovers who were refused permission to marry. Despondent, they both flung themselves off the cliff to their deaths. The hill is regarded as sacred; and historically Batswana would neither climb the hill, nor point to it.

Just after Baratani Hill, still on the main road, and before the turnoff to the village, are a cheese factory (locally made) and adjoining café, and Botlhale Jwa Phala, a paper factory that produces invitation cards, photo albums, bags, book-markers and fuel briquettes from discarded paper. Broken bits of tiles are used to make photo and mirror frames, lampshades and furniture decoration.

Browsing is encouraged, and purchases can be made directly from the factory. Turning left at the Otse signpost, and driving through the village, one crosses a pretty river valley where cattle and goats are usually grazing. The Mannyelanong Game Reserve is visible from here, and provides a dramatic backdrop to the landscape.

The reserve was established in 1985 on Balete Tribal Land for the protection of the Cape vultures that nest at its south end. The four-square kilometre area encompasses a single, red sandstone hill. Visitors can climb the hill, but the south end is fenced, and cannot be entered, to prevent disturbance to the vultures at their nesting sites. Entrance to the reserve is through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks offices in Otse, and is free.

The Cape Vulture is an endangered species and fully protected under the laws of Botswana. Cape vultures have nested in Mannyelanong for hundreds of years, but in the last 30 years or so their numbers have diminished considerably. With human expansion, the vultures’ food has become scarcer, with the result that chicks suffer from calcium deficiency due to lack of bone in their diet. Since the establishment of the reserve, vulture populations there have stabilised.

Serowe
Serowe is the birthplace of the country’s founding father – and first president – Sir Seretse Khama. And much of the drama of his controversial marriage to an Englishwoman, Ruth Williams, was played out in this village. Today their graves are situated near the Ngwato totem, the duiker (phuti in Setswana) in the royal cemetery. (You must obtain permission to visit these sites).

Khama III Memorial Museum
Keen historians, who want to find out the full story of their role in Botswanan history, can visit the Khama III Memorial Museum in town– named after Seretse’s father, who died when Seretse was young – is housed in a red Victorian building, recently restored, and containing a fascinating collection of furniture, uniforms, correspondence and photographs that chronicle the legacy of the Khama family, and the history of Serowe.

The Khama Rhino Sanctuary
The Khama Rhino Sanctuary is another 40 kilometres further on and, with a campsite and comfortable chalets, it is the best overnight stop along this route. Established in 1993 as a trust by residents and leaders alike of the community, the sanctuary has served a crucial role in the conservation of Botswana’s rhino population. At least 22 rhinos and a single black rhino inhabit the location, as well as a variety of other game species such as springbok and hartebeest.

In 1880s, under the Bechuanaland protectorate, Serowe was a settlement for European missionaries and traders. Today visitors can visit the London Missionary Society (LMS) church, its tall steeple still an important landmark for the town, as it was for missionaries, prospectors and explorers who came from far and wide. The massive church was reconstructed with the original stones it had first been built with in Old Palapye

At the kgotla – the traditional meeting place and customary court, situated below Serowe Hill, there stands an impressive statue of Sir Seretse Khama, erected to mark the tenth anniversary of his death.

For arts and crafts lovers, there are shopping opportunities at the Boithselo project where the Bakgalagadi and San peoples manufacture attractive and unique products.

Ghanzi
Regarded as Botswana’s cattle farming hub. With Over 200 cattle farms, comprising approximately six percent of the national land, are backed one against the other in largely fenced holdings. Ghanzi District is located in the Western Region of the country and is one of the best cattle ranging areas in the world, renowned for the high quality, free roaming beef it produces.

The freehold farms in the district contribute a large portion towards the beef industry in Botswana. In fact, Ghanzi farmers provide 75 percent of the beef that the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) exports, primarily to the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU). Beef is the third largest industry in the country.

More recently the destination is now being proclaimed as the ‘Gateway to the Kalahari’. Because it lies close to the Gaborone/ Maun/Namibia fork in the Trans-Kalahari Highway, it is a convenient stopover for all destinations.

The Ghanzi community is a conglomeration of ethnic groups – the San and Bakgalagadi (the original inhabitants), the Herero, the Batawana, and the Afrikaaners who first settled in the area in the late 1800s. Sesarwa is the most commonly spoken language in the district spoken by 33% of the population, followed by Shekgalagadi, Setswana and Herero at 30%, 21% and 10% respectively with other languages making 6% of languages spoken in the district.

East of this extensive area of farms lies the vast Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR); and in between lies a 58 kms ‘no man’s land,’ a buffer zone between wildlife and the farms, and between Kalahari predators and livestock.

Several cattle farmers have developed game ranches and wildlife concessions – land allocated near their farms – and tourists come for wildlife viewing, excursions to CKGR, and desert walks with the San people,who share their ancient way of life that masterfully and respectfully exploited the food and water resources of the desert.

Some lodges offer up-market accommodation in rondavels or chalets, whilst others give tourists the opportunity to experience the traditional way of life of Kalahari hunter/gatherers – sleeping in grass huts, albeit with amenities.

Kuru Traditional Dance Festival
Thirty-five kilometres north of Ghanzi is the small village of D’Kar, home to various extended family groups of Bushman people.

Every year, D’Kar also hosts the Kuru Traditional Dance and Music Festival during August. The festival is organised by the Kuru D’Kar Trust, part of the Kuru Family of Organisations (KFO, seven in all) which state their goal as the promotion of San culture.

This trust also sponsors and promotes the paintings of very gifted San artists, many of whom have exhibited and sold overseas. Nature, and humans’ relationship to it, is an over-riding theme in these wildly colourful and imaginative oil paintings. An elderly woman named Dada, recently deceased, was the group’s most internationally acclaimed painter.

Another Kuru Family organisation, Gantsi craft, aims to create income generation opportunities for rural dwellers in the district by promoting and marketing (locally and internationally) their arts and crafts. It houses a shop in the centre of Ghanzi and offers quality, authentic San arts and crafts, including ostrich eggshell jewellery and belts, hunting sets, fire sticks, leather items, carvings, and traditional musical instruments.

Bahurutshe Cultural Village
This delightful diversion is a recreated Hurutshe village offering accommodation (in traditional rondavels), arts, crafts and dancing, and Sunday brunch with local cuisine.

Mahalapye
Mahalapye, located on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, was one of the locations that lent its scenic environment to Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom”. A feature film based on the founding president Seretse Khama’s love affair with his British wife Ruth Khama.

Northern Tuli Game Reserve
Spectacular landscapes, rich and varied wildlife, and a host of historical, cultural and natural history attractions define this unique and very striking corner of northeastern Botswana.

Straddling the Shashe, Motloutse and Limpopo Rivers, which serve as natural boundaries with Zimbabwe and South Africa, the Northern Tuli Game Reserve (NTGR) comprises 71,000 hectares of remarkably diverse habitat, including mophane bushland, riverine woodland, and marshland, punctuated by towering sandstone cliffs, basalt formations and unusually shaped kopjes – making for truly breathtaking scenery.

One of the largest privately owned game reserves in Southern Africa and incorporating three major private concessions (Tuli Safari Lodge, Nitani Private Game Reserve, and Mashatu Game Reserve), the NTGR is home to 48 species of mammals and over 350 species of birds, with an estimated 20 000 animals residing in the reserve.

Most naturally occurring wildlife species are present, including elephant, kudu, zebra, impala, duiker, wildebeest, waterbuck, steenbok, and warthog. Large herds of eland – often not seen elsewhere in Botswana – are present, and these are indeed an awesome sight. All major predators, including lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena, are present, and the birdlife is prolific.

The NTGR is adjacent to a larger area of eastern Botswana called the Tuli Block. This is a ten kilometre wide strip of land running approximately Northern Tuli Game Reserve 180 kilometres south to Martin’s Drift that holds a string of commercial agricultural and game farms, several of which also offer tourist facilities.

Travellers keen for a more active safari experience will delight in all there is on offer. You can hike the reserve, bike the reserve, horse-ride the reserve, and even hot air balloon the reserve! At Mashatu Game Reserve, guests can accompany elephant or predator researchers, to gain first-hand insights into the behaviour, feeding habits, territories, demography, and social structure of these animals, as well as critical wildlife conservation issues. A similar experience awaits guests at Nitani – as they come to understand the complexities of a long-term hyena research project.

Molema Bush Camp, a community based tourism project managed and operated by Tuli Safari Lodge, is an ideal way to take part in a tourism concept that is rapidly gaining momentum in Africa. Local communities become active partners in tourism projects, from which they can more readily see clear-cut financial and social benefits.

Molema is a joint venture between three local villages: Motlhabaneng, Lentswe le Moriti and Mathathane and two tour operators: Tuli Safari Lodge and Talana Farms.

Archaeological sites provide an important historical perspective to the region. Iron Age sites demonstrate the formidable skills in pottery, mining, and smelting of the Zhizo, Leopard’s Kopje and Mapungubwe peoples, who practised agriculture and animal husbandry in the area.

Artifacts from the Mapungubwe Kingdom (1220-1290AD), a precursor to the Great Zimbabwe civilisation, reveal the sophistication of the technology and society of its people, and their extensive trade networks.

The NTGR will form the heart of the proposed Shashe/Limpopo Trans- Frontier Conservation Area (TFCA), its signatories – Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa – agreeing to cooperate to conserve and manage shared natural resources. Rich in biodiversity, the proposed TFCA will cover approximately 4,872 square kilometres and will be one of the largest wildlife conservation areas in Southern Africa.

Mapungubwe Hill
Mapungubwe was a prosperous Iron Age metropolis situated on the banks of the Limpopo River that thrived nearly a thousand years ago. It was ruled by a king of the Leopard Kopje people, and its extensive trade networks reached as far as Egypt, India and China.

The kingdom’s capital was situated at the 300 metre long Mapungubwe Hill, which today is only accessible through two very steep and narrow paths that twist their way to the top.

The civilisation of Mapungubwe was highly developed; its unique arts were of a superior craftsmanship and quality. One of the most famous pieces unearthed by archaeologists is a superbly crafted golden rhino. Other pieces include beautiful pottery and jewellery.

Mophane woodlands, riverine forests and sandstone formations create a breathtaking backdrop for Mapungubwe Hill. The area is rich in wildlife, including white rhino, elephant, giraffe, gemsbok, eland, lion, leopard and hyenas, as well as over 400 species of birds.

Motlhabaneng
Local village tours often become a highlight of a trip to Tuli. A delightful morning’s outing to the quaint village of Motlhabaneng consists of a visit to the kgotla for a chat with the village chief or headman, a visit to the local primary school where children don traditional clothing and dance, and a visit to a basket-maker’s home where guests interact with villagers, learn something of their traditional way of life and watch hand-woven baskets in the making.

Ancient rock paintings, almost certainly done by Southern Africa’s original inhabitants, the San, can also be seen at the outskirts of Motlhabaneng. The paintings depict people, animals, hunting scenes and mythological creatures, part of the San’s complex cosmology and belief system.

Solomon’s Wall
This rather amazing natural phenomenon, situated in the Tuli Block, is a 30 metre high basalt dyke that once formed a steep-sided natural dam wall across the Motloutse River.

A full ten metres wide, this ancient dyke once held back a great lake, with waterfalls spilling over the dyke. Evidence of this great lake are the numerous semi-precious stones (e.g. quartz and agate) found along the Motloutse riverbed.

Tall fever trees line the natural beach, making for a shady picnic site. Solomon’s Wall can only be reached with a four-wheel drive vehicle.

Chobe National Park
Whether arriving by air or road, the first glimpse of the river – deep and dazzling in the sandy terrain – is always breathtaking. It appears as a swathe of brilliant, peacock blue ribbon, winding its way through the tiny town of Kasane, and ensuing wilderness – the Chobe National Park.

Undoubtedly one of Africa’s most beautiful rivers, the Chobe supports a diversity and concentration of wildlife unparalled anywhere else in the country.

Established in 1968, the park covers approximately 11 7 00 sq kms, encompassing floodplains, swamps and woodland. The Chobe River forms its northern boundary. There are four distinct geographical areas in the park: the Chobe Riverfront, the Ngwezumba pans, Savuté and Linyanti.

The most accessible and frequently visited of Botswana’s big game country, the Chobe Riverfront is most famous for its large herds of elephants and cape Buffalo, which during the dry winter months converge upon the river to drink.

During this season, on an afternoon game drive, you may see hundreds of elephants at one time. You may be surrounded by elephants, as the main Serondella road becomes impassable and scores of family herds cross the main road to make their way to the river to drink, bathe and play.

Driving the loops that hug the river’s edge, you may see up to 15 different species of animals on any one game drive, including waterbuck, lechwe, puku (this is the only part of Botswana where they can be seen), giraffe, kudu, roan and sable, impala, warthog, bushbuck, monkeys and baboons, along with the accompanying predators lion, leopard, hyena and jackal.

Take a river cruise – and you’ll experience the park, and the animals, from another vantage point. Here you’ll get up close and personal with hippo, crocodile and a mind-boggling array of water birds.

Over 460 bird species have been recorded in the park, making it one of Africa’s premier venues for bird Safaris. Common species to be seen include the Sacred ibis, Egyptian Geese, the ubiquitous cormorants and darters, Spur-winged Geese, pel’s Fishing Owl, carmine Bee-eaters, most members of the kingfisher family, all the rollers, the unmistakable Fish Eagle, the Martial Eagle, and many members of the stork family.

The Chobe River rises in the northern Angolan highlands, travels enormous distances before it reaches Botswana at Ngoma. Like the Okavango and Zambezi rivers, the Chobe’s course is affected by fault lines that are extensions of the Great Rift Valley. These three mighty rivers carry more water than all other rivers in Southern Africa.

Lesoma Memorial Monument
In 1977, the brutal civil war in the then Rhodesia spilled over into Botswana. In the process, 15 Botswana Defence Force soldiers died; however, the incident only strengthened Botswana’s national resolve to remain a peace loving nation.

Ngwenzumba Pans
The Ngwezumba pans lie approximately 70 kms south of the Chobe River and comprise a large complex of clay pans, surrounded by mophane woodlands and grassland plains.

During the rainy season, the pans fill with water, then attracting wildlife that move away from the permanent water sources of the Linyanti and Chobe Rivers.

Savute
Truly at the interior of the park, Savuté boasts most of the chobe species, except for water-loving antelope. It is best known for its predators,particularly lion, cheetah and hyena, of which there are large resident populations.

The Savuté channel flows from the Linyanti River for about 100 kilometres, carrying water away from the river and releasing it into a vast swampland called the Savuté Marsh, and further south onto the Mababe Depression, which is also fed by the Ngwezumba River from the northeast. The Mababe – immense and flat and fringed by thickets of trees – was once part of the Makgadikgadi super-lake. When filled with water, it becomes the venue for thousands of migratory birds and animals, particularly large herds of zebra.

Geographically, Savuté is an area of many curiosities. One of its greatest mysteries is the Savuté channel itself, which has over the past 100 year inexplicably dried up and recommenced its flow several times. This irregular water flow explains the numerous dead trees that line the channel, for they have germinated and grown when the channel was dry and drowned when the channel flowed again.

Francistown
The second largest city in the country welcomes you with a handshake and a “Dumilani” (hello/good morning!). Home to many Kalanga natives and often referred to as the Capital of the North, Francistown is a vibrant destination perfect for an overnight during a luxury African safari.

The city was named after the British prospector and miner Daniel Francis, who acquired prospecting licenses in 1869, eventually becoming director of the Tati Concessions Company. Francis and other prospectors often used ancient gold shafts as guiding points for their prospecting, or they simply carried on the mining which had been started in those shafts generations ago. The city is still surrounded by old, abandoned mines.

Today the remains of the Botswana gold rush tell a story about the discovery in the city and can be viewed at the museum. This Botswana city is close to the Tati and Inchwe River confluence, a few kilometres from the Zimbabwe border. The city can be self-explored and is home to restaurants and supermarkets.The main road northwest of Francistown gives passage to Maun and the Okavango Delta, Kasane and Chobe National Park, Livingstone, Zambia and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Birds and Game Botswana
Birds and Game Botswana an animal orphanage established by Uncharted Africa, Birds and Game Botswana has served as refuge for injured or orphaned wild animals for the past twenty years. A popular outing for local residents and a venue for school trips, it has also helped to educate the public about the country’s wildlife heritage.

Tachila Nature Reserve
Spreading over 8,000 hectares of donated land just under 5km from the Francistown city boundary, Tachila Nature Reserve is a broad-based community project that offers natural, archaeological, historical and cultural attractions unique to Francistown and North East District. Tachila – a Kalanga name meaning ‘saviour of all living things’.

Wildlife species include leopard, hyena, kudu, impala, bushbuck, steenbok, klipspringer, rock dassie and warthog. Eventually, rhino, sable and roan antelope, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and eland will be introduced.

A luxury lodge, with conference centre and restaurant will be built in the reserve; and all structures will be eco-friendly, utilising renewable energy, recycling programmes, grey-water reticulation and organic gardens. Whilst still in the development stages, visitors can now enter the reserve for game drives. This is on a self-drive basis, and on arrangement only. Tel: +267 241-2313, or +267 74- 086-277, email gavshaw@iafrica.com.

Domboshaba
This historic site is situated in the northeast of the country, along the Masunga- Kalamati Road, Domboshaba contains excellent examples of cement-less, stone walling and enclosures; some have been reconstructed by the National Museum archaeologists. It was one of the first National Monuments to be gazetted in the country – in 1938.

The stone wall site dating back to 1450AD, is a conservation area with the most striking, even walls that despite their massive width (some are 2 metres thick) and their beautiful decorative motifs and stylistic variations, both underlining the absolute precision and aesthetic considerations with which they were built. Despite the fact that no cement was used in their construction, some walls have survived intact for centuries.

Further up the hill, the floor plan of what is believed to have been a headman’s or chief’s residence can be seen. And the circular remains of houses that once dotted this community reveal earthen floors with stone edgings.

Many walls have collapsed and the National Museum has prioritised this site for further restoration and development, including improved trail signage, camping and ablution facilities. An easy return day drive from Francistown that doesn’t require four-wheel drive, Domboshaba gives entrance to one of Africa’s greatest empires, and an important cultural heritage of the nation.

Supa Ngwao Museum
Aptly named Supa Ngwao (‘to show culture’ in Setswana), culture vultures can rejoice as the local museum offers exhibitions on the culture and history of the Kalanga people, as well as visuals from the early years of Francistown and Botswana. Located in an old government camp, the Supa-Ngwao Museum serves as an important repository of northern Botswana’s heritage. Its collection includes pottery, woodcarvings, basketry and musical instruments.

Authentic, hand-made crafts can be purchased at the Museum’s Craft Shop, which supports approximately 200 craftsmen/women mostly from the surrounding areas.

Okavango Delta
One of the most sought after wilderness destinations in the world, the Okavango Delta gives entrance to the spectacle of wild Africa such as dreams are made of – the heart-stopping excitement of big game viewing, the supreme tranquility and serenity of an untouched delta, and evocative scenes of extraordinary natural beauty.

A journey to the Okavango Delta – deep into Africa’s untouched interior – is like no other. Moving from wetland to dryland – traversing the meandering palm and papyrus fringed waterways, passing palm-fringed islands, and thick woodland, resplendent with lush vegetation, and rich in wildlife – reveals the many facets of this unique ecosystem, the largest intact inland delta in the world.

The Okavango Delta is situated deep within the Kalahari Basin, and is often referred to as the ‘jewel’ of the Kalahari.
That the Okavango exists at all – deep within this thirstland – seems remarkable. Shaped like a fan, the Delta is fed by the Okavango River, the third largest in southern Africa. It has been steadily developed over the millennia by millions of tonnes of sand carried down the river from Angola.

There are three main geographical areas:
– the Panhandle
– the Delta
– dryland

The Panhandle begins at the Okavango’s northern reaches, at Mohembo, extending down for approximately 80 kilometres. Its corridor-like shape is contained within two parallel faults in the Earth’s crust. Here the river runs deep and wide and the swamps are perennially flooded. The dominant vegetation is vast papyrus beds and large stands of phoenix palms. The main tourist attractions of the Panhandle are fishing, birding and visiting the colourful villages that line its western fringes.

At Seronga, the fan-shaped Delta emerges, and the waters spill over the Delta, rejuvenating the landscape and creating stunning mosaics of channels, lagoons, ox-bow lakes, flooded grasslands and thousands upon thousands of islands of an endless variety of shapes and sizes. Many of the smaller islands are grandiose termitaria built by fungus-growing termites, one of 400 termite species in Africa, whose fantastic structures are a source of refuge and food for many animals.

The Delta region of the Okavango can vary in size from 15 000 square kilometres during drier periods to a staggering 22 000 square kilometres during wetter periods. Its dominant plant species are reeds, mokolwane palms, acacia, sycamore fig, sausage trees, raintrees and African mangosteen.

At the Delta’s lower reaches, the perennial swamps give way to seasonal swamps and flooded grasslands. To the southeast the third vegetation region becomes evident, as it changes to true dryland. There are three major land masses here: the Matsebi Ridge, Chief’s Island and the Moremi tongue. Here the vegetation is predominantly mophane, acacia and scrub bush and the land is dotted with pans. It is to this region that large numbers of mammals retreat during the dry winter months.

Major tourist attractions in the Delta and the dryland areas are game viewing, birding and boating, often in the traditional mokoro. The diversity and numbers of animals and birds can be staggering. A recent overview of the Okavango records 122 species of mammals, 71 species of fish, 444 species of birds, 64 species of reptiles and 1300 species of flowering plants. A successful rhino reintroduction programme in the Okavango now puts the population of White Rhino at approximately 35, and Black Rhino at 4.

Major species to be seen include
elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, hippo,crocodile, rhino, red lechwe, waterbuck, reedbuck, duiker, impala, kudu, steenbok, wildebeest, hartebeest, sable, roan, tsessebe, lion, leopard, cheetah, genet, serval and caracal along with an immense variety of birds – land and water, resident and migratory, some of which are rare and endangered.

It should be noted, however, that game viewing very much depends on season, and water and food availability.

The Okavango is a proposed World Heritage Site. Its long-term conservation is ensured through government policy and regulations (though only Moremi Game Reserve has an official protected status), the efforts and initiatives of camps and lodges in its concessions, the recently launched Okavango Development Management Plan (ODMP) and its status as a Ramsar site, under IUCN, an agreement that limits its utilisation and development.

Manyana
Perhaps the most visited rock painting site in the Gaborone area, the paintings are spread over five separate areas of rock cliff face. Images include giraffe, antelope, human figures and geometric designs, all of which date from between 1100 and 1700AD. They were in all likelihood made by Khoe (click-speaking) herders. Gazetted as a National Monument, the site is fenced, and you can only gain entry through the custodian.

At the south end of the village stands Livingstone’s Tree, under which the great explorer is said to have preached. This old, massive fig tree – now fenced off – rests on its branches that now touch the ground.

Thamaga
This picturesque village, situated southwest of Gaborone, is set amongst large granite boulders, the largest being Thamaga Hill. It is best known for its very beautiful pottery, of the same name, and its factory has been in operation for more than 30 years. A wide range of top quality products is available, from tea and coffee sets, to platters, to candle holders, to full tableware sets, all in keeping with its inimitable designs.

Whether your thing is safaris, mokoro rides, quad biking, fishig, 4×4 off-road adventures you are sure to make the best of your stay in Botswana.

Balloon Safaris
AirVentures offers balloon safaris in the North Western part of the Okavango Delta, between the Vumbura River, and the Selinda Spillway. The experience of a Balloon safari, in one of Africa’s great wilderness destinations, epitomises the very best of game viewing, flying over a landscape flooded with water and winding channels, dotted with islands, and combined with large expanses of woodland forests. This age old ballooning adventure explores the Okavango Delta in a completely unique way offering a 360 degree panoramic view from tree top level to a thousand feet in the air.

To experience a balloon safari with AirVentures in the Okavango Delta, a minimum of one night’s stay needs to be booked at one of the camps located in our flying area. This is due to hot air balloons having to fly within the first hour of sunrise. As the flying area is located in a remote area of the Okavango Delta, which is only accessible by air, charter flights are unable to reach the area in time for the balloons take-off at sunrise.

There are four Camps in, and around, the flying area, each offering a unique product, catering for a wide variety of individual tastes, and all providing water and land-based activities throughout the year. Camps are reached by a 40 minute flight from Maun, or a 1 hour flight from Kasane. Transfer times from the Camps to the balloon safari will vary depending on the launch site being used.

Helicopter Rides
For those people looking for the ultimate safari experience and experience Botswana differently; this activity should not be missed! This excursion allows guests the opportunity to explore the more remote areas of the Okavango system from the air. Guests have the opportunity to be flown over the remotest parts only accessible by air. This activity is available on request.

Scenic Flights
Enjoy scenic flights over the Moremi that makes up the greatest experience in Botswana. Focus down onto the wildlife and surrounding natures that will forever change your perception of this timeless land while you enjoy the scenic flights over the Delta getting the overall perspective of the area. This activity is best enjoyed when weather conditions are calmer.

Golfing
Botswana has rapidly developed to become one of the hottest golfing destinations in the Southern Africa, and the beautiful weather has nothing to do with it. There are good golf (two) courses in the city of Gaborone set in tranquil environ of about 80 different bird species and a variety of animals that makes every round a pleasure, and some of the golf course offer with an imaginative 18- hole championship course. The two golf courses are Gaborone Golf Club and Phakalane Golf Resort (located in Phakalane Golf Estate). The club house within both courses enjoys an active and healthy social attendance and has a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. In Kasane, a 9 hole golf course is located within The Mowana Safari Resort & Spa premises. The Chobe area is rich with abundant wildlife and birding, making a golfing activity a special experience for the visitors of the region.

Cycling Safaris
Botswana is a paradise for the claustrophobic. No matter which region you decide to tackle, you can expect long stretches of vast, three-hundred-and-sixty degree open space, depending in your location, you can go for days without any significant towns and the rarest of all: a truly blue sky in every direction without a trace of pollution. Whether it is Makgadikgadi Pans, the Tuli area, scrub brush, or even seas of sand-dunes, nature on a scale most people can barely imagine is what awaits in Botswana, and as such for the touring cyclist all this space comes with a catch: you have to be totally self-contained to bike here.

Camping
Numerous camping options are available in all of Botswana’s National Parks and Game Reserves, allowing the visitor an experience the magic that is Botswana is available throughout the country. There are a number of excellent sites within the Game Reserves and National Parks. Botswana has vast area and logistically camping trips need to be well planned and it is advisable to contact a local tour operator and take basic safety measures. Always ensure that someone knows where you plan to go and that you take some means of communications. It is sensible to travel with two vehicles. Please do not rely much on your GPS while navigating through the remote areas of the parks. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks conserves and manages the country’s fish and wildlife resources in partnership with other stakeholders in order to derive value from the environment for the benefit of the Nation. Administers the wildlife resources in Botswana.

Hiking
Botswana is not a natural hiking destination. Nevertheless there are some good day hike destinations in the hills in the south east of the country, most of which can be done as a day trip from the capital city. Due to the fact that Botswana is general thinly populated, and with fewer people there are fewer paths; some hikes, in particular to the top of hills, involve walking through the bush without a path. The bush is harsh with many acacia thorn trees and other prickly scrub. Long sleeves, gardening gloves and even a pair of gardening clippers can be good ideas. May – September) is the best time to go hiking as the days are drier, clearer and warm. Outside these times it is best to go early morning. After 10 am the temperature can rise well above 30 Celsius which takes all the fun out of the hike. A global positioning system (GPS) is very useful. The lack of paths and maps makes having a GPS, even if it is just the one on your phone, a good backup in case you loose your way. Kgale Hill located in Gaborone is ideal for both hiking and hill climbing.

Fishing
Fishing in Botswana is one of those right-place-right-time experiences.

But depending where you go and what you’re fishing for, you can enjoy some seriously good fishing in Botswana. You can fish with artificial lures or bait or even go fly-fishing. Some lodges operate a catch and release policy; other lodges will cook your catch for supper. And of course you’re in big game country too: most water-based safari lodges supply fishing gear, offering an exciting mix of game viewing and fishing trips. Fishing in Botswana is seasonal, and thus, always advisable to check for fishing season to avoid disappointments. Fishing is available mostly in the Northern parts of Botswana.

Camel Riding
Experienced and knowledgeable tour guides escort groups or individuals on escorted camel rides. These intimate and charming camel rides cover approximately 50 km between the Camel Park (Tsabong) and the Kalahari Transfrontier Park Mabuasehube gate; making a dramatic viewing of wildlife, nature and the vast open Tsabong landscape.

Basarwa Walk
The wildlife in Botswana moves freely across the country, which creates ample opportunity for guided walking safaris, but less so for more general walking. The guided Basarwa walks in the Kalahari region could be a real highlight for those keen on walking in Botswana. However, there are facilities in Botswana that provide such a services located in the Northern and Central Kalahari region. Basarwa walks focuses on the local flora, the Basarwa culture and how the ethnic group use natural materials. These walks draw attention to the landscape rather than wildlife, which may appeal to those interested in more general walking in Botswana.

Game Viewing & Drive
Game Viewing
Botswana is one of the most sought after safari destinations in Africa with many diverse areas from deserts to lush delta grassland to forest, and a range of animal and bird species to be seen on game drives. Botswana has many parks, reserves and private concessions open to game drives and these all provide different and unique experiences. There is strict control over driving in the official national parks and reserves, with off-roading and night driving prohibited but this does not prevent spectacular sightings as the day drives are very productive.

The private concession areas outside the parks and reserves provide opportunities for off -road driving and night drives although both activities are done in moderation. The highlights of game viewing in Botswana is a high number of predators in many areas; the ability to view animals from up close and pristine wilderness areas that can be enjoyed by using open vehicles for better viewing experience. Lion sightings are common and rare, depending in your location. Rhino tracking can be added to an itinerary on request.

Game Drive
The main event on any safari is the game drives. Botswana is one of the best destinations in Africa to give a wonderful safari experience, particularly, due to the large and diverse numbers of animals and birds and the relatively small number of fellow tourists. All the lodges use open sided 4×4 vehicles with seating for either six or nine people, which means everyone gets great uninterrupted views of the scenery and wildlife. There are no minibuses or enclosed vehicles here, but if you have not been on safari before you may not realise how crucial this is to the overall enjoyment of the experience. Game drives are the main activity at most lodges in Botswana, particularly in the Game Reserves and National park such as Moremi, Tuli area, Chobe and Kalahari National Parks, and you will normally do two per day depending on one’s choice of activity and itinerary.

Boat Cruise
Take a river cruise or a boating safari and experience nature at its best interaction – the river, the animals and the sunset! This activity is available in the Chobe River, Okavango Delta, Pan Handle and other areas in Botswana with a river ecosystem.

Bird Watching
Enjoy a superb birding experience in the Chobe, Makgadikgadi, Okavango Delta, Africa’s Largest Game reserve, Central Kalahari Game reserve. The services of specialist birding guides are available in Botswana to educate travelers in every journey of the diversity of the birds available in Botswana. The northern wetlands are the best places in Botswana to see the near-endemic Slaty Egrets, the endangered Wattled Cranes and the huge Pel’s Fishing Owls and harbour an unrivalled selection of herons, storks etc. From the world’s biggest bird (the Ostrich) to the heaviest flying bird (the Kori Bustard) to the most numerous of all birds (the Red-billed Quelea), Botswana has a truly impressive variety and quantity of bird species

Mokoro Ride
The Mokoro is a common type of canoe used to get around in the shallow waters of the Okavango Delta. The oarsman stands in the stern and pushes it with the pole. Traditionally Mokoros are made from dug out trunks of a large straight trees, like ebony, and kigelia and but today, for conservation purposes they are more commonly made from fibreglass.

A Mokoro ride in the Delta is an absolute “must do” even if it at first seems terrifying.

All guides learned to handle a Mokoro at a very tender age as low as seven, making them expert polers. It’s a careful balancing act – the simplest sudden turn or twist could land the passengers in the water.

This vessel allows you to experience the delta in stealth and tranquility. Allowing you to get close to birds and other animals.

Horse Back Safari
Horseback riding in Botswana allows you to experience all that this magnificent land has to offer. Botswana is the immortal heart of the splendidly desolate and roadless Kalahari Desert. This wild land consists of endless savannahs, dunes, ephemeral lakes and salt pans, making the horseback experience a unique experience of a lifetime. This activity can be experienced in different parts of Botswana such as the Tuli, Okavango Delta, Makgadikgadi, Kgalagadi area and outside Gaborone. There are extremely experienced and knowledgeable guides and well-schooled, responsive horses; all in an exceptional setting.

Self-Drive in Safari
Self drive Botswana, at the comfort of your own pace traverse through this wild and unspoilt land. Self driving in Botswana is an experience on its own.

You will need a 4×4 vehicle, a high lift jack, a tow rope plenty of water and fuel and food. Take note that a large percent of the area you will cover will not have cellphone reception.

Quad Bike Riding
The Makgadikgadi Pan is situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana, is one of the largest salt flats in the world. This is perfect for quad biking.