Afrinkong
Nature & LandscapesDelta, Pan and Desert
Water in the north, salt pans in the middle, and Kalahari sand for the rest of it.
Photo Ed Wingate / Unsplash
BOTSWANA · Tourism
A Delta That Never Reaches the Sea
The Okavango empties into the Kalahari and evaporates, and the whole country is organised around that fact — low-volume, high-value safari, mokoro channels, and the salt pans of Makgadikgadi.
Southern AfricaRegion
27Tourism experiences
A delta that never reaches the seaKnown for
01
Featured destinations
Where the country actually takes you.
Nature & Landscapes
MountainsTsodilo
No real mountains — Tsodilo's four hills hold four thousand rock paintings instead.
Photo Derek Keats / Pexels
WaterfallsNo Falls, and the Zambezi Next Door
The water here spreads rather than drops; Victoria Falls is ninety minutes from Kasane.
Lakes & RiversThe Okavango and the Chobe
A mokoro poled through papyrus channels is the correct speed for this country.
Photo Jose Mizrahi / Unsplash
Beaches & CoastLandlocked
The nearest sea is a thousand kilometres away, and nobody here seems to mind.
Photo Sheila C / Unsplash
Forests & RainforestRiverine and Mopane
Riverine forest along the Chobe, and mopane woodland across the north.
Photo Ida Kymmer / Unsplash
02
Wildlife & safari
What lives here, and how you see it without disturbing it.
Wildlife
The Largest Elephant Population
Chobe holds more elephant than anywhere on earth, and they come to the river at four.
Photo Travel2Africa / Unsplash
SafariLow Volume, High Value
Fewer beds, larger concessions, and game drives that do not meet another vehicle.
Community Trusts
Concessions leased through community trusts, so the villages hold the lease and the income.
03
Culture & heritage
The part of a country you cannot photograph from a vehicle.
Culture
Batswana and San
Setswana across the country, and San communities in the Kalahari with the oldest culture on earth.
Photo Derek Keats / Pexels
The Kalahari San
Tracking with San guides, who will find in an hour what nobody else sees at all.
Photo Skylight Views / Pexels
Food & CuisineSeswaa and Bogobe
Slow-pounded beef and sorghum porridge, and braai wherever there is a fire.
Maitisong and Dithubaruba
The Maitisong festival in Gaborone, and the Kweneng cultural festival at Dithubaruba.
Photo Alírio Luís / Pexels
Traditional Arts & CraftsBasketry
Palm baskets woven in the delta panhandle, dyed with bark, and collected worldwide.
Photo Colin Watts / Unsplash
Historic SitesTsodilo Hills
Four thousand paintings on four hills the San call the resting place of the gods.
Photo Nandakumar R / Pexels
Diamonds and Democracy
Independent since 1966, and the one African country that used its diamonds well.
Photo Magda Ehlers / Pexels
04
Cities & everyday life
Where people actually live between the landmarks.
CitiesMaun and Kasane
Not really cities — two safari towns with airstrips, which is what the country needs.
ArchitectureTent, Deck and Sand
Camps built on decks above the flood, taken down when the concession lease ends.
Photo Andy Robson / Unsplash
Local LifeCattle Posts
Away from the parks the country is cattle, and the cattle post is the centre of it.
Photo Thomas Evans / Unsplash
Family & CommunityNot the Cheapest, but Quiet
Not a budget destination — but the children will not be sharing a sighting with ten vehicles.
Photo Keegan Checks / Pexels
05
Adventure & outdoors
For travellers who would rather walk it than watch it.
Adventure
Mokoro, Walking, Horseback
Poled canoes, walking safaris on the islands, and some of the best riding safaris anywhere.
Outdoor ExperiencesMokoro and Walking
Poling, walking and riding — this is the country where you get out of the vehicle.
Photo Roger Brown / Pexels
Luxury TravelThe Concession Camps
Private concessions the size of small countries, with six tents on them.
06
Travel inspiration
The frames people come home with.
Photography / Scenic ViewsWater and Light
Aerial work over the delta, and reflections that only exist for the weeks of the flood.
Photo Jade Plk / Unsplash
Hidden GemsThe Makgadikgadi
Drive onto the pan at night and there is no horizon and no sound at all.
Photo Ed Wingate / Unsplash
Why Visit This Country
Fewer People Than Elephants
Two and a half million people, a hundred and thirty thousand elephant, and space for both.
Fewer People Than Elephants
Two and a half million people, a hundred and thirty thousand elephant, and space for both.
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