Botswana's Northern Safari Circuit

Botswana's safari industry is focused in the north of the country, a region dominated by the Okavango Swamp, a vast and lushly vegetated inland delta formed by the Okavango River as it dissipates into the desert sands. Okavango supports a rich birdlife and immense densities of big game, though its main attraction is arguably the isolated, untrammeled atmosphere of its swampy heart, which is most easily explored by boat (in a local dugout canoe) and on foot. Verging the swamps, Moremi National Park is an important refuge to the endangered African wild dog and home to large numbers of lion and other predators. Another key safari destination is ...

Botswana's safari industry is focused in the north of the country, a region dominated by the Okavango Swamp, a vast and lushly vegetated inland delta formed by the Okavango River as it dissipates into the desert sands. Okavango supports a rich birdlife and immense densities of big game, though its main attraction is arguably the isolated, untrammeled atmosphere of its swampy heart, which is most easily explored by boat (in a local dugout canoe) and on foot. Verging the swamps, Moremi National Park is an important refuge to the endangered African wild dog and home to large numbers of lion and other predators. Another key safari destination is the elephant-rich Chobe National Park on the northern border with Namibia. For true lovers of empty landscapes and solitude, the magnificent Makgadikgadi Pans beckon. Botswana is one of the last strongholds of the Khoisan hunter-gatherers who once populated the entire subcontinent and the country is dotted with ancient rock art sites associated with them. For rewarding cultural encounters with these fascinating so-called Bushmen, the private Grasslands Safari Lodge on the remote northern fringe of the vast Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the place to go.

About the Expert

Philip Briggs has written or contributed to 50-plus editions of Bradt, Insight, AA and Berlitz guidebooks to African destinations.