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Best Botswana Safari Tours

Start your safari-filled vacation in Botswana and spot lions, elephants, buffalo and maybe even a rhino or two! With many package options, there is a Botswana safari adventure for everyone! Click here to see all African safaris .

148 Botswana safari tour packages with 284 reviews

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Moremi Hippo safari

The tour was absolutely perfect and exceeded our expectations. Our guide was so knowledgeable and was interested in getting to know us. The chef (Chandolo) was brilliant - his food was amazing and he was also a really warm, welcoming person. The whole team worked great together and I would 100% recommend!

8 Days Safari tour itinerary for Makgadikgadi Pan, Maun & Nxai Pan National Park: Unite With The Wild Side Of Botswana

We had a wonderful time! Rocky, Jimmy, and Simba were excellent as drivers, guides, cooks, and problem solvers. We ate very well indeed. I will comment that the tour we took was quite different from the stated description of it. For example, we did not go to the salt pan. It seems that Rocky, the boss of the crew, received a different itinerary than what we thought we would be doing. How did that happen? The places we did go were terrific, and it was not until the second last day of the trip, that we realised the discrepancy. Rocky offered us a way to go to the salt pan, but for a couple of reasons, we declined that offer. Please note that I am not complaining about Rocky, Jimmy, and Simba. They followed the information they had received. I will also say that while we were accepting of the situation, some people could have reacted differently, and that would not have been fair to our crew. To summarise, we loved the trip! Credit to Rocky, Jimmy, and Simba for looking after us so well and sharing their beautiful country with us. Sincerely, Arthur George Busch

Tailor-Made Botswana Tour with Mobile Camping Safari, Daily Departure

• Book With Flexibility This operator allows you to rebook your dates or tours with them for free, waiving change fees.

Moremi reserve and Chobe NP Photographic Safari

5-Day Okavango Delta & Boteti River Camping Safari

I loved the trip. We had so many memorable experiences. The staff, lead by Beneh, Dominic and Annah, were delightful. As a 69 year old I found the heat and the long drives over rough roads challenging but worthwhile. We saw so many eautiful

• $35 deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

9 Days, Ultimate Chobe, Elephant Sands ,Makgadikgadi Pans, Okavango Delta Safari & Moremi

Chobe National Park Short Break

Kwalpe safari lodge was less central than the hotel mentioned on original booking - room was good, staff was great and included food was great. Did some tours privately which were a bit better than included ones.

Okavango Delta Highlights 5Days/4Nights (Comfort)

Game Drive, Boat and Safari Walks Experience

Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Okavango Delta Exploration 7 Days /6Nights

Botswana's wonders 8 Days Top Luxury Safari (Chobe NP & Okavango Delta)

4-Day Okavango Delta & Boteti River Tented Safari

Very nice and friendly staff at the tented camp. Beautiful place to stay and food arrangements were very good

Into the Okavango - 6 days

• Kayak & Canoe

9 Day Wilderness & Desert Trail: Okavango & Kalahari - Wild Camping Safari, all-inclusive

Great Safari. The tour operator is excellent. Great communication, the food was wonderful. Amazing what the chef could cook on a fire pit. We saw tons of animals including lions with cubs, hyenas, wild dogs and pups, leopards, elephants, giraffes wildebeest, tons of different antelopes, hyppos, several very cool birds. Our guide Cliff was excellent, very experience driver, even help another tour operator that was stuck in the sand. Only regrets was that we wish we had a few extra days. Great experience, will do it again.

8 Day Wilderness Trail: Okavango & Moremi . WildCamping Safari , all-inclusive

Botswana safari tour reviews, safari tours.

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National Park

• Moremi Game Reserve (85)
• Chobe National Park (45)
• Victoria Falls (5)
• Central Kalahari Game Reserve (5)

Regions in Botswana

• Okavango (93)
• Moremi Game Reserve (91)
• Chobe National Park (85)

Travel Styles

• 10 Best Safaris in December 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in August 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in January 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in November 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in October 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in September 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in July 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in June 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in May 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in April 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in March 2024/2025
• 10 Best Safaris in February 2024/2025
• 10 Best Luxury African Safari Tours 2024/2025
• Botswana Travel Guide | All You Need to Know
• Best time to visit Botswana for a Safari

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Safari in Botswana

An expert guide to botswana's best safari reserves, camps and experiences.

Anthony Ham

• In this guide

Okavango Delta

Chobe national park, central kalahari game reserve, makgadikgadi pans national park.

• Where to go
• Need to know
• Getting around
• How it works

Of all the places I’ve been on safari in Africa, I think Botswana tops the list. There is so much to enjoy and, unlike in bigger safari destinations, in Botswana you’ll see a lot more wildlife than other travellers.

Botswana is where I went on my first self-drive safari, and, to this day, it remains my pick as the best place to drive yourself out into the wild in Africa. All but the inner reaches of the Okavango Delta are accessible in your own 4WD, and the experience of driving out into, and sleeping overnight in, lion country, or the amazing world of elephants, or miles from the nearest human being, remains my favourite way of going on safari.

At the heart of Botswana’s appeal are its signature wildlife destinations whose names – the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Central Kalahari Game Reserve – read like a roll-call of storied wildlife kingdoms. And it’s not just the wildlife. From the deep greens and blues of the Delta in flood to the yellows and reds of the Kalahari, or the blinding whites of the salt pans, there is something elemental about Botswana’s call to the wild. In the following pages I’ll explain some of my Botswana safari highlights, and how you can see them for yourself.

featured botswana safaris

Popular Botswana Safari Through the Delta

Discover Botswana

Explore the okavango delta, kwando, the kalahari and chobe.

Best of Botswana Lodge Safari

Makgadikgadi Pans & Okavango Delta Safari Adventure

Botswana's Northern Highlights

10 day small group tour.

Okavango Delta horse riding safari

Discover botswana's amazing wildlife.

Affordable Victoria Falls & Chobe Safari

Chobe Camping Safaris

Okavango Kayaking Expedition

Unique camp-to-camp safari adventure.

Botswana Wildlife Camping Safari

Where to go on safari in botswana, our expert's top picks, botswana's hidden gems.

Unlike Africa’s safari giants like Kenya , Tanzania , and South Africa , Botswana remains blissfully under the radar. Yet, it too faces the travel industry's irritating habit of focusing on the popular easy sellers at the expense of everywhere else. Botswana's safety and accessibility make exploring its many hidden gems easier than in much of Africa. Here are some well-known, and some of my favourite lesser-known, Botswana safari spots.

Explore water world in the Okavango Delta

This is a world without fences and, because of the water levels, human settlements are mostly restricted to the Delta’s perimeter, leaving the rest to wildlife.

In the southern part of the Delta, including in Moremi Game Reserve and Khwai Community Concession, expect a mix of luxury tented camps and budget campsites catering mostly to those on self-drive safaris. The deeper you go into the Delta, the more the crowds thin, with entire concessions given over to the exclusive lodges and tented camps that are such a feature of a safari in Botswana. For most of the tourist season, many of these camps and lodges can only be reached by small plane. Out here, I’ve had the wildlife entirely to myself.

See elephants and more in Chobe National Park

Chobe incorporates two distinct regions: Chobe River (close to the Zimbabwe and Zambia borders), famous for its large elephant herds; and Savute (in the west), where a juxtaposition of contrasting habitats and handful of pumped water holes sustain a melting pot of species.

Chobe in general, but especially the riverfront, has one of the highest elephant densities in Africa and close-up sightings are almost guaranteed. Lions and leopards are also possible here, with giraffe, zebra, buffalo, hippo and crocodiles all commonly seen.

Game drives are the order of the day in Savute where wildlife-viewing is good year-round. Savute is known for its predators – I’ve always had luck with lion, leopard and cheetah here, and on my last trip I spent an afternoon watching a highly active den of African wild dogs. As with the rest of Chobe, elephants are everywhere in Savute.

Taste true wilderness in the Central Kalahari

Measuring 52,000 square kilometres, I think this vast wilderness is a signature Botswana safari experience. Known for its golden grasslands, salt pans, sand dunes covered in vegetation and wide former river valleys, it’s a soulful experience that’s custom-made for a self-drive safari.

The mammal density and diversity are not quite a match for the northern parks making it less well-suited to first-time safari travellers but for the feel of a true African wilderness, CKGR is tough to beat.

Hugging the park’s northern boundary, the Hainaveld consists of a handful of compact, segregated, privately-owned reserves. The denser habitat means the landscape is less scenic than inside the park, but pumped waterholes concentrate the game in the dry season. Several of the lodges employ local Kalahari bushmen with legendary tracking skills, who will also teach you about their way of life on a guided walk.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

In the far south of Botswana, this transfrontier park spills over into South Africa. The Botswana side of the park receives far fewer visitors than the South African sections across the border.

The scenery here consists of a dense scrubland and some of the loveliest salt-pan scenery anywhere in Botswana. With a number of hills overlooking these pans, they’re spectacular places, especially at sunset, and many of the self-drive campsites take full advantage of these hilltop positions.

Kgalagadi is known for its classic Kalahari wildlife, and aside from the usual oryx (gemsbok), giraffe and wide range of antelope species, I’ve always had luck with the extravagantly horned greater kudu, lion, cheetah and even a fleeting glimpse of meerkats.

The park provides habitat for nearly 300 different bird species, and I was particularly thrilled when the elusive Kalahari scrub robin and the vivid violet-eared waxbill visited my campsite one evening.

Tsodilo Hills

Ancient history in the tsodilo hills.

Rising from the barren, sandy plains of the Kalahari in a remote corner of north-western Botswana, these four hills project a certain kind of magic. Sacred to the indigenous San people and reputed to possess mystical powers (as Laurens van der Post found in the 1950s on a visit that formed the centrepiece of his classic The Lost World of the Kalahari), the Tsodilo Hills are best known as one of the world’s finest galleries of ancient rock art. More than 4,500 artworks – mostly paintings, but engravings, too – adorn the rock walls of the range, and some date back thousands of years.

Walking trails lead past the artworks that range in subject matter from whales and penguins (despite Tsodilo Hills being more than 1000 km from the ocean) to lions and human figures. I highly recommend you visit with a local guide to greatly enhance your visit.

Unless you’re self-driving and staying at one of the campsites in the shadow of the Tsodilo Hills, there is no accommodation nearby.

Spot the flamingoes of Makgadikgadi Pans

Makgadikgadi Pans is famous for hosting one of the largest zebra migrations in Africa. Every year, tens of thousands of zebra migrate east-west through the park, between the pans in the east and the Boteti River out west. From high on the riverbank at the latter, I’ve watched zebras swarm down to the water’s edge in a haze of raised dust, dizzying stripes and distinctive zebra barks.

I’ve also seen flamingos away on the eastern pans in flocks so vast that they seem to move as a single entity. And I’ve drawn near to habituated meerkats just outside the park, and seen brown hyenas and aardvarks close to sunset.

Northern Tuli Game Reserve

In the far southeastern corner of the country and formerly divided into a number of segregated farms alongside the Limpopo River, NTGR is now one of the largest privately-owned conservation areas in southern Africa. The spectacular landscape, featuring rolling hills, basalt cliffs, ancient riverbeds and towering granite kopjes , is unlike anywhere else in Botswana. In fact, when combined with its impressive portfolio of wildlife, it remains a mystery to me why more people don’t visit this remarkable place.

Expect regular sightings of elephant, giraffe, lion, leopard and cheetah as well as less common species like eland and klipspringer, and over 350 bird species. Ground-level photographic hides, ancient archaeological ruins and a choice of horse-riding, walking or even cycling safaris complete a chocolate box-assortment of activities.

Kwando Reserve

Linyanti, kwando and selinda reserves.

Scattered along the northern waterways of the perennial Linyanti and Kwando rivers, and the seasonal Selinda spillway, the camps in these three neighbouring private concessions operate in a similar manner to those inside the [Okavango Delta].

Game-viewing is as good as in the Okavango, with predator-tracking a particular specialty of the Kwando camps. Most camps offer game or wildlife drives, mokoro boat trips, and sunset boat excursions.

What you see in these parts depends very much on the time of year you visit. In Linyanti, for example, from May to October, expect to see lots of elephants, while zebras migrate through the area, usually from February to April. At other times, wildlife can be very scarce, although the November-to-April wet season is excellent for birding in all three concessions, with migrants from Europe and North Africa here en masse.

Okavango Panhandle

Although not a big game destination, the broad and meandering Okavango River in the northwest of the country is a birder’s paradise, with over 350 recorded species including several iconic Okavango specialties. It is also popular among anglers, particularly around September, when the receding flood waters concentrate huge shoals of baitfish, attracting a melee of catfish, tiger fish, bream and birds. Activities are mostly by boat or on foot.

Other wildlife is far less common, and you’d be lucky to see much more than a crocodile or hippo in the river’s waters.

Nxai Pan National Park

I’ve always loved Nxai Pan – it’s never busy, my sightings of lion, elephant and cheetah seem perfectly framed by these big horizons, and the baobabs by the salt pans here are a striking presence. With a handful of campsites (including at remote Baines’ Baobabs, a remarkable cluster of seven ancient baobabs (named after explorer and painter, Thomas Baines) and just one upmarket lodge, there’s rarely more than a couple of other vehicles at any sighting.

As well as plenty of elephant, and a good chance of seeing lion and cheetah, Nxai Pan has a couple of other wildlife highlights to draw you here. After the rains, thousands of zebra migrate here from the Chobe and Linyanti rivers after the rains forming part of Africa’s longest zebra migration. And for reasons unknown, Nxai Pan is the only place in Botswana where you can see springbok and impala in the same place.

The best safaris in Botswana

Popular highlights & hidden gems.

On either a self-drive safari or an organised tour, your itinerary will almost certainly include the Okavango Delta plus Chobe and perhaps the Kalahari. Try to make time for some of the following lesser-known corners, too. Trust me: you'll be glad you did.

Chitabe & Qorokwe concessions

In 25 years of African travel, I’ve never seen as much high-quality wildlife as I have in these fabulous Okavango concessions. Over two recent days, I saw leopards, nearly 30 lions, dozens of elephants, a pack of 20 wild dogs, and a cheetah mother with six sub-adult cubs.

Okavango kayaking expedition

Pretty much every Okavango tour itinerary will include a paddle on a traditional mokoro canoe. For something very different, set out on a multi-day, camp-to-camp kayaking expedition through the Delta. Paddle the gentle water spotting the planet's greatest wildlife and camp each night under the stars. Truly unique.

Splash Camp

Rory Sheldon

Splash Camp is a small camp in the private Kwara Reserve. Operated by Kwando Safaris who have better responsible travel credentials than most: locally based, no greenwashing, and supporting valuable community projects.

Khama Rhino Sanctuary

Botswana doesn’t have many rhinos but most of them are here in this small, little-known sanctuary, in Paje, east of Central Kalahari Game Reserve. On a recent visit, I was waylaid for nearly an hour by two male black rhinos fighting for dominance right along the main track.

See the baobabs of Kubu Island

For the best of the pans, Kubu Island is a glorious ‘island’ of baobabs south of Makgadikgadi. This was the first place I ever camped in Botswana, and the magic has never left me.

Camp out in Khutse Game Reserve

The southern extension of the CKGR, Khutse gets very few visitors (except on weekends). I love its remote campsites (I once slept here, 40 km from the nearest person), its classic Kalahari scenery, and its lions, leopards and so much more.

Nata Bird Sanctuary

Out in the east of the Makgadikgadi Pans, the pans of this rarely visited community sanctuary draw up to 250,000 flamingos and other waterbirds from November or December until March or April.

Planet Baobab

A budget-friendly option with self-drive access, offering all the activities of its more expensive sister camps on the edge of the pans.

Savute Under Canvas

Easily the pick of the mobile camps in Chobe, &Beyond’s tented camp moves around the park almost weekly and captures the spirit of a mobile camp at its best.

Botswana Camping Safaris

Into Botswana & Zimbabwe

15 day small group tour.

Aerial view of the vast Okavango Delta, one of the best safari destinations in Africa

Botswana safaris: Need to know

Everything you wish you'd known before you booked, inside tip: self-drive safaris.

Much is made of Botswana aiming for high-end, low-density safari tourism and it’s not uncommon for a luxury camp in the Delta to cost well over US$1,000 per person per night in high season. But it’s actually the mid-range, rather than budget, traveller that finds it difficult to build a reasonably priced safari in Botswana.

Much as the Botswana government prefers not to publicise the fact, it has a fantastic network of campsites around the country. Some are privately run, others are run by the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP). Standard camping fees are USD $50/25 per adult/child. You can book directly through the park authorities or the private operators of the campsites, but you're better off booking through an agent. Renting a 4WD camper can seem expensive, but a two-week self-drive safari could end up costing the same for two people as one day on a fly-in, fly-out safari.

The best times for safari in Botswana

My favourite time to visit Botswana is during the dry season, June to September. During this time, most 4WD tracks are open, water levels in the Delta are ideal for mokoro trips and wildlife watching.

This period also corresponds with the high tourism season (which usually starts in June or July), so it’s also the busiest (and most expensive) time of year. During these months, it can also get extremely cold overnight and early morning throughout much of the Kalahari.

May or October can be a good compromise, although there’s a risk that the rains could linger or arrive early.

Access to the Delta may be limited, but the best months for birding are from November to March or April, when hundreds of migratory species arrive from Europe and North Africa.

Getting there & around

Although Gaborone is the capital of Botswana, the overwhelming majority of safari visitors to Botswana fly into Maun, in the country’s north-west. Maun is right alongside the Okavango Delta and not far from the Kalahari, and it has lots of safari companies, hotels, camps and restaurants and places to stock up on supplies making it the ideal gateway town.

Those heading to Chobe National Park may fly into Kasane, in the north-east. Kasane receives fewer international flights than Maun, but its proximity to Victoria Falls (84 km away by road, across the border in Zimbabwe) makes it well worth considering.

How a Botswana safari works

There are two main ways to go on safari in Botswana. One is to fly into Maun or Kasane (perhaps stay overnight, perhaps not) and then fly into one of the airstrips of the Okavango Delta or Chobe National Park. There you’ll be picked up by your accommodation, and then fly in and out of however many tented camps you’ll be staying in.

You can book all of this yourself, but most international visitors tend to book it via a tour operator.

The other option is a self-drive trip. You can fly into Maun or Kasane (or even Johannesburg) and pick up a 4WD, which will usually have a rooftop tent or other camping equipment. You’ll then drive yourself from one campsite to the next. Road and driving conditions in Botswana are significantly better than elsewhere in Southern Africa, but you’ll need to take obvious precautions such as driving during the day time and ensuring you’ve got sufficient supplies for long journeys.

Safari in the Okavango Delta

About the author.

Anthony is a renowned travel journalist and guidebook author and is one of the world's leading authorities on Africa safari, wildlife and conservation. He has been travelling to Africa for more than two decades to research Africa safari guidebooks for Lonely Planet. He is widely published in The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, The Monthly, Virginia Quarterly Review (VQR), National Geographic Traveler, BBC Wildlife, Lonely Planet Traveller, Africa Geographic, The Independent, Travel Africa, among many others.

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Botswana: six incredible safari lodges

By Stanley Stewart and Douglas Rogers

I wake when it’s still dark. Elephants are trumpeting from the island and I can hear hippos grunting beneath the lodge. Somewhere, hyenas are whooping. Africa is waiting for me, out there in the darkness. It’s still chilly from the night; at this hour, my game drive feels almost furtive, an early-morning raid to catch nature unawares. A white-headed fish eagle flies away into the grey pre-dawn followed by a host of long-tailed starlings. A startled impala vanishes like a ghost. Giraffes glide among mopane trees, and a family of warthogs retreat, trotting away in military formation, their tails in the air like salutes. Around a bend, a herd of elephants is shambling across the track, dusty behemoths glancing at us over their shoulders. Carefully tucked into the centre of the group, their little legs working double time, are two baby elephants hardly bigger than Labradors. At the first light, here is a vision of earth long before the arrival of man.

Botswana is arguably the greatest wildlife destination on the planet. The Kalahari, Chobe National Park, the Moremi Game Reserve, Linyanti, the Okavango Delta are all legendary habitats. But Botswana is also home to the luxury safari, with some of the continent’s finest lodges, and I have come to see two of the most highly esteemed – Wilderness Safari’s King’s Pool Camp and Jao Camp, both established in the 1990s – which have recently undergone major sustainable rebuilds. Founded in 1983 by Colin Bell and Chris McIntyre, Wilderness has always been a pioneer among safari operators. Long before it became fashionable, they saw their camps and lodges as playing an important role in conservation and community development. The work of their two formidable non-profit organisations – Children in the Wilderness and Wilderness Wildlife Trust – is what attracts shareholders such as Bono and Richard Branson to the company.

King’s Pool, an isolated camp set on an oxbow lagoon by the Linyanti River, was named after King Carl XVI Gustaf who came to Botswana on honeymoon with his wife Silvia in 1976. It’s the archetypal Wilderness property – luxurious, sophisticated and small-scale. Location is everything here. Bordering Chobe, it shares the national park’s concentration of game, particularly predators, but benefits from the flexibility of a private concession, offering a range of activities from walking safaris to scenic helicopter flights that are not possible inside the reserve. It is also close to the Delta, and days end with a sunset cruise on the Linyanti, a world of hippos, crocs and aquatic wildlife, where you can watch elephants crossing the river into Namibia. The rebuild is a delight. Nine tents look out over the water with hippos wallowing and crocodiles snoozing open-mouthed, arranged discreetly beneath colossal lakeside trees so there are great views of the animals but not of the neighbours.

Pictured: the bedroom of villa four at Jao Camp, Botswana

I say ‘tents’, but it is like calling Longleat a country manor – they are really stylish villas of canvas and thatch. Carved African doors open into spacious bedrooms with colonial desks, handsome travelling chests, wardrobes and a pair of double-width armchairs – the kind you might have curled up in as child with your mother to read The Wind in the Willows – where you can drink morning coffee while watching jacana birds tiptoeing across the water lilies. In atmosphere, King’s Pool is the close cousin of Zarafa Camp, one of Botswana’s grandest, where a lagoon is also the compelling focus.

Pictured: walking safari with a river Bushman

In the bathrooms , pale travertine stone surfaces frame double showers; motifs of burnished brass, bleached wood and woven rope recur in light fittings, wall divides and tableware; weathered artefacts such as bowls, shields and gourds are links to the cultures of southern Africa. On the main reception terrace, which is open to the lagoon, the different elements – library, bar, seating areas, dining tables, fire-pits and fireplaces – manage to be both connected and independent, allowing for privacy or engagement with other guests over supper of local venison carpaccio and a wonderful South African Shiraz. The property is also completely solar-powered and has one of the lightest eco-footprints in Africa.

Pictured: thatching made of recycled plastic at Jao's Camp

But for all its smart details, King’s Pool is still a classic safari camp. A short flight to the west, in the middle of the Delta, Jao Camp is something else entirely. Privately owned by the Kays family but marketed as part of the Wilderness Safari group, Jao originally opened in 1999 as one of the first luxury properties in the Okavango. Since then, others have been playing catch-up. With this overhaul, Jao has raised the bar again. The camp sits on an island of leadwood trees and termite mounds, in the midst of shallow lagoons in the wet season and savannah woodlands in the dry. Elevated on high terraces and boardwalks to keep above the annual floods and enhance game viewing, Jao feels like the world’s most spectacular tree house. It is contemporary, innovative and dramatic. Like Singita Boulders Lodge in the Sabi Sands or Chinzombo Camp in Zambia ’s South Luangwa, it has escaped safari traditions for bold design concepts inspired by its environment.

The architectural design studio of Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens has created award-winning lodges throughout Africa and I would put my money on Jao Camp adding a statuette to their mantelpiece. There’s a thrilling mix of materials: steel tendons and hardwood beams support soaring thatched roofs; leather and linen sofas gather round a fireplace flue of oxidised steel; woven room dividers overlook bathroom sinks of matt metal. Botanical themes run through the place like creepers, in tables printed with leaf motifs, lamp shades mimicking palm leaves and a cascade of white ceramic flowers tumbling down towards the bar, while the pool , gym and spa canopies are large, open-weave ‘nests’ of bleached sticks. As for the trees in which the whole structure stands, they become just another exciting material integrated into the fabric of the building.

Pictured: a giraffe skeleton in Jao’s library

There are only seven villas – larger, lighter and more open than Jao’s former incarnation. From the plunge pools and fire-pits on the private terraces you can watch leopards shadowing impala. Game drives are unrivalled. We track a lioness with two cubs strolling past with the indifference of a boulevard flâneur. Back at camp, my favourite place is the rosewood-lined museum filled with books, maps and artwork, and a giraffe skeleton that reaches the ceiling. In the gallery on the first floor is a fascinating account of the Kays family, who still run Jao and now count six generations in Botswana. That they were able to acquire this concession against stiff competition, and make it one of the most gorgeous lodges in Africa, is a tribute to their professionalism and energy.

Africa Travel can arrange a trip to Botswana from £6,950 per person, including three nights each at King’s Pool Camp and Jao Camp, full board, British Airways flights via Johannesburg, transfers and safari activities.

Botswana's Okavango Delta is the undisputed king of the African safari, a land where swimming lions clash with buffalo. Douglas Rogers approaches it from four different angles in this feature from the June 2017 issue of Condé Nast Traveller.

In 1997, the wildlife filmmaker Dereck Joubert was flying over northern Botswana in a light aircraft when he saw a cloud of dust rising from the earth below. Joubert thought it was strange, given he wasn't flying over desert but the vast palm-and-papyrus-covered wetland of Botswana's Okavango Delta. Back then the delta was still something of an undiscovered world and this north-eastern pocket of the oasis - a remote island of marsh, grass and riverine forest known as Duba Plains - was thought to be deserted.

Connor Sturges

Sarah Rodrigues

Condé Nast Traveller

Suspecting the red cloud was being caused by poachers, Joubert dipped the plane to take a closer look. What he saw took his breath away: a primordial battle taking place between a herd of Cape buffalo and two ravenous island lions, the thunder of the buffalos' hooves and sinewy thrash of the bodies creating that great swirl of dust.

Joubert was so thrilled by the sight that, four years later, he and his photographer wife Beverly moved to Duba Plains and built a home (later to become their first safari camp under the Great Plains Conservation banner). The couple went on to shoot two of the most spectacular wildlife documentaries ever made: Relentless Enemies (2006) and The Last Lions (2011), chronicling the dramatic conflict between buffalos and lions stranded on Duba by the incoming rush of flood waters.

Pictured: &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

I have tap-danced around the delta all my life, but never dived in. Born and raised in Southern Africa , I've travelled in and written about the region for decades, including the Chobe National Park in the north-east of Botswana, just 200km from the Okavango. Yet the scale and wonder of Africa's largest oasis has featured large in my imagination.

A Jackson Pollock splatter of blue on the bone-dry canvas of the Kalahari, the Delta's seasonal flood is caused not by local rains but by water originating 1,200km north, in the rugged highlands of central Angola. The Okavango River, known in Angola as the Cubango, flows south from those highlands for many months until it hits the flat Kalahari Basin. With its route to the ocean blocked, it then fans out to flood the landscape, seeping into deep hippo trails and forming swamps, islands, creeks and crystal-clear lagoons.

Pictured: the lodge bar at Belmond Eagle Island Lodge

When we think of floods, we think of devastation, but the Okavango Delta flood is different. It brings life: a luminous mosaic of plants, fish, birds and other wildlife. Botswana is famous for its diamonds, but its true jewel is the Okavango.

For most of Botswana's history, access to the delta was limited. Local tribes such as the Bayei navigated the channels in dugout canoes known as mokoros , but only the eastern edge of the region, Moremi, had any significant tourism. It was designated a game reserve in the early 1960s, when the country was the British protectorate of Bechuanaland. Back then, Botswana was one of the poorest countries on earth, but after independence in 1966 that changed. Democratic rule established under new president Seretse Khama, coupled with the discovery of vast diamond reserves in 1967, ushered in prosperity and growth hitherto unseen in the rest of Africa. (Khama and his marriage in 1948 to a white Englishwoman, Ruth Williams, is the subject of the biopic, A United Kingdom ).

Today, Botswana is a middle-income nation, often referred to as the Switzerland of Africa. The delta's emergence as the country's unrivalled draw only began in 1993, when the government modified its laws to allow companies to lease land on which to build safari lodges. So began Botswana's astonishingly successful low-volume, high-price safari model: lodges are limited to 24 guests, structures must be easy to dismantle, and the relatively short 15-year leases drives standards. In Botswana's big-stakes safari game, if you want to keep your concession, your product had better be brilliant.

Pictured: Belmond Eagle Island Lodge

From a handful of camps in the early 1990s, there are now some 90 lodges in the Okavango Delta, many among the smartest and most expensive in the world. But the genius of Botswana's safari model is that even as the area has become more popular, it has managed to maintain its natural state.

In Botswana's big-stakes safari game, if you want to keep your concession, your product had better be brilliant

The other miracle of the delta is that it is not a monoculture. 'You can fly 20 minutes in a light aircraft from a marshland to a riverine forest to a grassland habitat on an island ,' says Joubert. 'In other parts of Africa you'd have to fly for hours to see such variety.' Such complex and changing ecosystems mean lodges here offer a variety of different settings and experiences.

This past December I finally paid my first visit. Travelling in a clockwise loop, I had four camps in mind that would give me an idea of how varied the delta can be: the Belmond Eagle Island Lodge in the south; Little Tubu, an intimate three-tent camp in the north-west; Dereck and Beverly Joubert's Duba Plains Camp, where I hoped to see those lions and buffalo; and &Beyond Sandibe, a property so stylish it is said to have completely reinvented the architectural possibilities of the safari lodge.

Pictured: the sitting room at Duba Expedition Camp

Just a 20-minute puddle jump from Maun, gateway town to the delta, is the Belmond Eagle Island Lodge . Belmond (formerly Orient-Express Hotels ) also owns the Cipriani in Venice and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire, among others. It has a reputation to maintain - and this classic camp, built in the 1990s, had started to look a little tired. So a decision was taken to close the lodge for 10 months and completely rebuild it. It reopened just before my visit in 2017.

Set under a canopy of fig and jackalberry trees, the main lodge is built in a figure-of-eight shape that mimics the bends in the Doro Channel, flowing 90 metres in front of it. A cocktail bar, its curved banquettes splashed with burnt-orange throws and tables laid with decorative chess sets, is at one end; a restaurant at the other, bird's-nest chandeliers of weaved brass swinging above. The most striking feature is a spinal wall in smooth black and rough grey Cemcrete. At first I was confused. Then I got it: the colours and textures allude to the hides of elephant emerging, wet and black, from the channel, turning grey as they graze and dry in the sun.

Pictured: entrance to &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

December is the green (rainy) season in Botswana, but conversely the dry season for the delta, which floods between May and November. During the floods the main means of game viewing is by mokoro or river boat. But what sets the new-look Belmond Eagle Island Lodge apart is something rather grander: 35-minute aerial safaris in a Bell 206 four-seat helicopter.

I take an early-morning flight with master guide Franz Schmidt, a 30-something German. Lions had been heard overnight to the north, and after removing the chopper doors to allow unhindered views, we take off to find them, flying low over an oxbow river, skimming strangler fig trees and scattering giraffes. Hippos and crocs wallow in the mud on the banks.

Pictured: the kitchen at Belmond Eagle Island lodge

Schmidt points to a shady palm grove near a herd of grazing buffalo, the likely location of the lions. We circle a while and appear out of luck, but then I glimpse it: the tawny flash of a pair of cubs wrestling in the dust before disappearing behind the fronds.

The view is the thing, the land below a vast green plain dotted with palm trees, buffalo, elephant, waterbuck, warthogs and dozens of delicate termite mounds. Schmidt is as knowledgeable about the small things: palm trees are not indigenous here - 'their seeds come down river from Angola'. And those termite mounds, part of the classic delta landscape, are a vital element of the life cycle: they will eventually become dry islands on which animals will find sanctuary from the floods.

Pictured: the sitting room of Duba Expedition

Back at the lodge I find sanctuary in my tent, accessed by a wooden walkway from the main lodge. It has a private deck with an infinity plunge pool facing the river; the mini-bar is styled on a vintage Louis Vuitton travel case and is stocked with gin, olives and a cocktail shaker. I mix myself the requisite Martini. Later that evening I opt out of the regular game drive (wild-dog prints had been spotted) to fish from a mokoro , my guide Boitshepo Maphane poling me gondolier-style through the lilies and mud flats. I get some nibbles from catfish but the real thrill is watching four elephant appear on the eastern shore, slide down the bank, and wade tusk-deep to the other side, as if crossing a road. A herd of red lechwe antelope judged their progress like traffic cops.

If Belmond Eagle Island Lodge is all about high-flying glamour, my next stop, Little Tubu , is more concerned with keeping it wonderfully old school. This intimate three-tent camp, baby sister to adjacent Tubu Tree Camp - both managed by Wilderness Safaris - is owned by fifth-generation Botswanans David and Cathy Kays, whose family helped pioneer safari tourism here in the 1930s.Wilderness Safaris, arguably Southern Africa's leading blue-chip eco-tourism operator, founded in Maun in 1983, is still headquartered in the country. It's a winning combination.

Pictured: thatched rooms at Belmond Eagle Island Lodge

Little Tubu's beige canvas tents are set on raised decks linked by a roped boardwalk leading to a shaded sitting and dining area, with a bar counter built into a giant woodland waterberry tree. The entire camp overlooks an open floodplain. During the floods a lower deck and boma (a sand-floor enclosure where afternoon tea of carrot cake and fresh-baked scones is served) becomes a civilised dock from which to step into a mokoro and pole out on game-viewing expeditions. In the dry season there are traditional, twice-daily game drives.

Heading off at dawn with a garrulous guide called Cruise (who I naturally name Tom), I see my first adult lions of the trip: three females and a giant male enjoying a post-prandial nap in the shade of a strangler fig. The bloody carcass of a red lechwe, last night's feast, lies a few metres away. For the rest of the drive I take in the spectacular bird and plant life: iridescent lilac-breasted rollers flash through a sycamore forest; scarlet fireball lilies and white and pink crinum lilies add dazzling bursts of colour.

Pictured: the thatched sitting room at Duba Expedition Camp

There is a relaxed, artisanal atmosphere to Little Tubu. Run entirely on solar power, it feels more like remote bush home than lodge; my tent has a ceiling fan, but no air-conditioning, and a rustic, outdoor shower (from which I spy a bushbuck grazing happily below me). At night, glass jars containing mini solar lamps light the walkways. The dining room table is fashioned out of a thick slab of felled sausage tree. Meals have a traditional home-spun feel, too. On my final night I eat slow-cooked pumpkin, bream fillets and a beef stew heated on steel pots over a fire pit, shooting stars darting in the vast skies above.

My long-anticipated visit to Dereck Joubert's Duba Plains Camp, did not, at least initially, go as planned. My stay was due to coincide with the release of a white rhino on the 31,000-hectare concession, part of Rhinos Without Borders, a campaign led by the Jouberts' Great Plains Conservation company to translocate 100 endangered rhino from South Africa to Botswana. Twenty-five have already been moved, but the Duba delivery was cancelled when word got out of a poacher's camp in the Caprivi Strip, 130km north in Namibia .

Pictured: interiors at &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

Botswana takes its conservation and anti-poaching seriously. Safaris long ago surpassed cattle ranching as the country's second biggest earner (after diamonds), and 40 per cent of the population in the wildlife-rich north is employed in the trade. Animals are the diamonds up here. The president, Ian Khama, in the same progressive tradition as his father Seretse, banned commercial hunting in 2014, and was a driving force behind the delta's UNESCO World Heritage listing.

We fly low over an oxbow river, skimming strangler fig trees and scattering giraffes. Hippos and crocs wallow in the mud

Great Plains has three camps in Kenya and six in Botswana, five of which are in (or on the edge of) the Selinda Reserve, in the country's north-east. Duba, however, is the flagship. In 2000, the Jouberts built a home here on the banks of a papyrus marsh (where they still live), then erected a separate six-tent camp after founding Great Plains. In 2016 they began a complete rebuild of that lodge and a new seven-tent camp set in a forest area overlooking marshland opened in March 2017. In addition, there's the fresh and contemporary Duba Expedition Camp: six sleek explorer-style tents of light canvas on raised decks, all set around an open-sided canvas dining marquee, with glorious views of a floodplain. Great Plains tends to attract fans of the Jouberts' films, and all their camps, including Duba Expedition, come with 400mm Canon cameras and heavy-duty Swarovski Optik binoculars for guests to use. It's the same hi-tech equipment Dereck and Beverly work with.

Of course, the great attraction of Duba Plains is what brought the Jouberts here in the first place: those animals captured so powerfully in Relentless Enemies . The film documents how the Tsaro lion pride, stranded on Duba, developed a taste for the buffalo they share the island with. The buffalo in turn learn to fight back. In one incredible scene the lions swim into the onrushing delta waters to take down their bovine prey. All the while the Tsaro numbers diminish, as the far bigger buffalo become expert at repelling the lions.

Pictured: the dining space at Belmond Eagle Island Lodge

At last I am close to the battlefield captured so memorably by Joubert. Led by my guide, Kops, I cross a makeshift wooden bridge over the reed marsh (I can see the Jouberts' rustic home on the edge of the tree line) and then, rather like crossing a border into another world, the landscape opens up into a vast floodplain. It reminds me of Kenya's Masai Mara during the rains: lush green grass stretching to the horizon, broken only by watering holes and giant termite mounds. We find the descendants of the famous Tsaro pride lazing against one of those mounds, the male alone, several females and eight cubs nearby. There are buffalo too, but they respectfully keep their distance, as do vast herds of lechwe.

The following morning, we run into two young lions from the same pride ambling down a rutted road. A minute later, a warthog crosses their path. On such chance meetings hangs life or death. The lions crouch, then spring. That little pig has no chance. Within seconds, the cats are crunching through its bones.

Pictured: a copper dugout canoe at &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

It's a 30-minute flight south from Duba Plains and then a half-hour drive to &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge , through lush grassland and finally a forest of wild palms and tall figs. And there it is, a domed building of overlapping white cedar shale rising out of a clearing like the shell of a giant pangolin.

A symphony of wood, two-and-half storeys high, with giant arched beams of laminated pine holding up the dome, its front and sides are entirely open to a marshy everglade too thick with reeds to make out the river running through it. Café tables of bleached pine dot the lower-floor restaurant; upstairs there's a loft-like mezzanine bar, its swooping counter carved into the shape of a vintage ocean liner. My first thought is, this would be a great concert venue; my second is to order an espresso.

Pictured: a bedroom at Little Tubu Camp

The 12 rooms, identical pangolin-shaped pods, are built on raised platforms, like most places in the delta. But, unlike most places, my raised box bed (with remote-control mosquito netting) faces sliding doors that open onto a private deck with a plunge pool overlooking the reeds. But the star of the show is the indoor shower, a conical tower built in the shape of a termite mound with a shower head the size of a satellite dish.

This is safari lodge as design hotel: urbane, fashion forward, relentlessly contemporary. Aside from the design, the ethos is reflected in the organic, seasonal menu: lavish breakfasts of fresh fruit, waffles and artisanal coffee; build-your-own pizzas and deconstructed salads (beetroot, goat's cheese, rocket) for lunch; and fresh-baked red velvet cakes and pastries for afternoon tea. Dinners of springbok tenderloin and rosemary rack of lamb are served in an open-air boma, the area lit not by traditional lanterns but giant LED balls suspended from the trees.

Pictured: a hanging chair at &Beyond Sandibe

Now here's the thing: I'm an African and I'm supposed to scoff at such opulence. This is not a real safari! There are animals out there! Why are people checking emails?!

But the truth is, I love it. Instead of going on the requisite twice-daily game drives I read on the daybed by my plunge pool, cool down in that conical shower, mainline coffee in the restaurant, and email and Facetime with friends back home. And I'm filled with wonder at it all. Here, in tiny land-locked Botswana, on the edge of a vast African wetland that 50 years ago was cut off from the outside world, I'm immersed in state-of-the-art luxury and design. Hat's off to the little country that could.

The Explorations Company offers a nine-night trip to Botswana and the Okavanga Delta from £9,500 per person (based on two sharing). These Botswana safari holidays include two nights at &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, two nights at Little Tubu camp in the northern Delta region, two nights at Belmond Eagle Island Camp and three nights at Duba Plains Camp, which adjoins the Moremi Game Reserve. The price includes accommodation on a fully inclusive basis, all activities in the camps and internal flights. Not included are international flights to Maun, Botswana, visas and travel insurance. South African Airways and Emirates both fly direct from London to Maun, Botswana.

This feature first appeared in Condé Nast Traveller June 2017

Keep scrolling to see more pictures of the best safari camps in Botswana

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Bar stools at &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

The dining table at &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

Interior details at &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

Pans in the kitchen at &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

New cement domes at Belmond Eagle Island lodge

Design detail at Belmond Eagle Island lodge

Earthenware at Belmond Eagle Island lodge

Exterior details at Belmond Eagle Island lodge

Inside Belmond Eagle Island lodge

One of the sofas at Belmond Eagle Island lodge

A chair in the bar at Belmond Eagle Island lodge

A cake at Belmond Eagle Island lodge

Pelicans flying over the Okavango Delta

Jao’s lodge at night

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Botswana Safari Reviews & Ratings

Fantastic trip in southern africa.

We did this trip, Explore Southern Africa, from Aug 9 - 26 this year and we thought it was probably our most memorable trip ever. The variety of wildlife (we saw th...

Joburg to Vic Falls to oburg 18 day Basix

Tent design is a problem

The overall trip was satisfactory, at times excellent. We had no significant rain. On three nights there was however, some iight drizzle for a short time. The ten...

There was an issue with the large

There was an issue with the large truck so we were therefore on a smaller truck. This was fine but nothing fitted. Everything felt squashed, including ourselves. Eve...

In the second half of the itenerary

In the second half of the itenerary (Vic Falls to Joburg), there are 5 days with 1 only activity included. There are many days just in travel to reach Kruger Park. A...

Excellent trip! It was a very active

Excellent trip! It was a very active trip, constantly moving around and seeing new things! It's hard to adjust back to normal life! I highly recommend this to anyone...

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Mobile tented safaris

Our safaris, what is a mobile safari, where do you run your safaris, when do safaris depart, established october 2000.

Letaka Safaris is a citizen-owned safari company that has been operating in Botswana since October 2000. The founding directors, known locally as the Letaka Brothers, have over 40 years of combined guiding experience and started guiding safaris in Botswana in the mid-90’s. Mobile tented safaris in Botswana are, without a doubt, the best way to experience one of Africa’s last unspoilt wilderness areas, so pack your bags and book that flight... it's Safari Time!

You're in good hands

Originally all our safaris were owner-guided but the company has now grown to employ some of Botswana’s most highly experienced mobile safari guides. The focus of our company has always been on the quality of our guides, hence our close association with African Guiding Academy (previously called Okavango Guiding School), a training facility which we created to elevate the standard of guiding in Botswana. Many of Botswana’s top guides pass through AGA’s doors at one time or another and we are proud to continue this initiative to create a guiding fraternity that will stand head and shoulders above other African destinations.

Private and Tailor-made Safaris

Although we pride ourselves on our scheduled safaris, you have the option of doing our regular routed safaris as a private departure, or to even make your own route and pick where and how long you are safari for. Our reservations team will help design your ideal safari!

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We love it when we receive great reviews about the Letaka experience, we also appreciate the chance feedback gives us to continuously improve and better our product and services. Have a look at some of our recent feedback...

Safari Brothers with NatGeo Wild

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Botswana Safari Tours & Vacations

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It really is a zoo out there

Ever wanted to watch migrating zebras run across the African plains or feel dwarfed as a herd of elephants passes you on the highway? On  safari in Botswana, experience the brilliance of the natural world up close as you fill up your camera roll with exotic wildlife, beautiful sunsets and the breathtaking natural landscape of Africa . With some of the world's most renowned game reserves such as Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta , Botswana has a spectacular variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and aquatic life that call it home. So grab your binoculars, keep the lens off your camera and buckle in because you're not going to want to miss a second. 

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Highlights of Botswana safari tours

Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park is probably what you picture when someone says 'safari in Africa'. Located near the  Okavango Delta , the park sits alongside the Chobe River and is home to what is thought to be the largest concentration of African elephants in the world. The majestic mammals often come to drink and bathe in the waters alongside other wildlife friends (and foes) including the cape buffalo, impala, hippos, lions, leopards and cheetahs. There are so many ways to spend your time here. Go on a 4x4 game drive, hop on a sunset cruise along Chobe River or simply sit back and listen to the noises of the great outdoors.

Makgadikgadi Pans

Get a first-hand glance at one of the largest salt pans in the world in what used to be Lake Makgadikgadi. The Makgadikgadi Pans are a beautiful mixture of baobab trees, salt flats and grassy plains, best explored in a 4x4. However, if the scenery alone doesn't tempt you, then hopefully you’re more swayed by its residents. Arguably the cutest animal on safari, the meerkat is native to the Ntwetwe salt pan and is often found huddling in mobs by the sand dunes. You'll also be among some of the world's largest animals such as the elephants and giraffes as well as some of its pinkest as the area is home to a flamboyance of flamingoes.

Boteti River

The Boteti River is a must for die-hard zebra lovers as over 25,000 zebras are known to migrate here from the neighboring game park. Due to the numbers and their stripey coats, it’s likely you’ll see them if you’re there in the migrating season. Since the Boteti River is the only permanent water source in the area, there’s always likely to be a number of animals perusing its shores. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re more interested in the prey or the predators, you’ll likely see them all. Find leafy-green eaters such as giraffes, springboks and oryx enjoying the lush vegetation and the toothy species, namely the lions, cheetahs and wild dogs, lurking hungrily nearby.

Khama Rhino Sanctuary

While not quite as fanciful as their mythical cousins the unicorn, rhinoceros sightings are almost as rare these days due to their near-extinct status. Luckily, places like the  Khama Rhino Sanctuary  have homed and rehabilitated rhinos since 1992 and are now home to both black and white rhino residents. The sanctuary has a successful breeding program and is protected with anti-poaching patrols. The continuing goal for the KRS is to reintroduce as many rhinos as possible back into their natural wild habitats, so visiting this amazing place is definitely worth the animal sightings, not to mention supporting their mission.

When is the best time to visit Botswana?

Winter (April through August) is a good time to visit Botswana. The days are usually mild and wildlife is generally quite easy to spot. The summer can bring frequent rain, which can make it difficult to travel around some of the national parks. Wildlife also tends to disperse during the summer rains, making animals a little harder to spot.

Read more about the best time to visit Botswana

Do I need a COVID-19 vaccine to join an Intrepid trip?

Trips from 1 January 2023 onwards

From 1 January 2023, Intrepid will no longer require travelers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 (excluding all Polar trips and select adventure cruises).

However, we continue to strongly recommend that all Intrepid travellers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.

Specific proof of testing or vaccination may still be required by your destination or airline. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.

Learn more about Intrepid's COVID-19 policy

Do I need a visa to travel to Botswana?

Australia: No visa required

Belgium: No visa required

Canada: No visa required

Germany: No visa required

Ireland: Yes - visa required

Netherlands: No visa required

New Zealand: No visa required

South Africa: No visa required

Switzerland: No visa required

United Kingdom: No visa required

USA: No visa required

Citizens of countries not listed above, including most EU countries, should check with the relevant consulates as to whether a visa is required. For passengers requiring a visa to Botswana, application forms can be downloaded from the  Botswana Government website,  as well as instructions for applying.

Entry Requirements - Yellow Fever Certificate:

A valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate is required for all passengers over one year of age who arrive or are transiting through Botswana, from a country or region listed by the World Health Organization as infected by yellow fever. Travelers who are unable to present a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate issued at least 10 days before arrival will be refused entry. There is no option for travelers without a vaccination certificate to be vaccinated on arrival. Please note this also includes transiting through an infected country or region.

Children travelling to Botswana:

Please note that if you’re traveling to Botswana with a person under the age of 18 then you need to provide a certified copy of the child’s full unabridged birth certificate in order to enter the country (the one listing the child’s details and both parents’ details. - the short birth certificate which only lists the child’s details won’t be accepted).

Additionally, if the child is traveling with only one parent, with neither biological parent, or is unaccompanied, then they must provide an affidavit of the consent of the parent(s) that are not traveling, to prove that the trip is made with both parents' consent. Please contact your nearest Botswanan Embassy if you have further questions regarding this.

Can I drink tap water in Botswana?

Drinking tap water isn't recommended in Botswana. For environmental reasons, try to avoid buying bottled water. Instead, fill a reusable water bottle or canteen with filtered water. Ask your leader where filtered water can be found, some hotels we stay in may have drinking water available. It's also advisable to avoid ice in drinks and peel fruit and vegetables before eating.

What are the best animals to see on safari in Botswana?

Some of the top animals to see in Botswana include the big five (lion, leopard, elephant, black rhino and buffalo) as well as giraffes, antelopes, zebras, wildebeest, hippos and crocodiles.

What is ATM access like in Botswana?

You will be able to find ATMs in the big cities, airports and regional towns of Botswana. Rural areas, national parks and small villages will have limited to no ATMs, so be sure to carry other payment options before traveling out of the big cities.

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BOTSWANA SAFARI

Botswana Safari Company is your source for finding and booking the finest luxury Botswana safari itineraries. Our experienced team has visited and researched the lodges and selected the best destinations and combinations of activities. For individuals, families, and groups - every trip is tailored to your needs. Our expertise is backed by friendly, efficient service, and excellent prices. We look forward to creating the perfect Botswana safari itinerary for you!

INCREDIBLE WILDLIFE AND

Pure wilderness.

A safari in Botswana is unlike any other: from the exquisite savannahs, floodplains and bushveld, to the pristine water landscapes, all teeming with wildlife;  Botswana truly is one of the finest safari destinations that our planet has to offer - from guided game drives, boat rides up the Okavango Delta, traditional kayaks (mokoros), walking, flying and so much more. Camps and accommodation are uniquely Botswana style; part canvas, part wood and sometimes thatch: from the most luxurious to the more simple fly-camp tent they provide access to the purest wilderness.

CLIENT REVIEWS & NEWS

• Oct 19, 2023

A great safari [to Botswana and Zimbabwe]

• Sep 14, 2023

Our safari was one of the highlights of our lives.

• Aug 31, 2023

Four Days in the Okavango Delta on Safari

FEATURED SAFARIS

MASHATU TENTED CAMP - 3 Nights

OKAVANGO DELTA TRIO SAFARI - 6 Nights

KALAHARI STARS - 3 Nights

Where to stay.

Our preferred lodges in Botswana

MACHABA CAMP

Moremi & Khwai

Family friendly, classic tented camp with game drives, walks and seasonal mokoro excursions

MOPIRI CAMP

Upper Okavango

Comfortable lodge, family friendly with boating, canoeing, fishing, walking and island camp outs

GOMOTI PLAINS

Okavango Delta

Family friendly, luxury tented camp with game drives, walks and seasonal water activities.

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Botswana Luxury Safari Tours

Botswana is Africa’s true home of the luxury safari. Keen to protect the country’s precious natural resources from the potentially damaging impacts of mass tourism, Botswana’s government has made high-end safari tourism the essential pillar in the industry. In the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari Desert, lodges and tented camps of great style and sophistication have become world leaders in the luxury safari market. The result is at once an intimate wildlife-viewing experience and a priceless opportunity to immerse yourself in the African wilderness.

7-Day Luxury Botswana Safari Tour

$6,367 to $8,617 pp (USD)

Botswana: Private tour Luxury Lodge & Tented Bush Camp

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Central Kalahari GR, Okavango Delta, Chobe NP, Kasane (End)

4.9 /5  –  149 Reviews

7-Day Last Minute Deal - Kalahari / Linyanti / Okavango

$4,642 to $4,884 pp (USD)

Botswana: Private tour Luxury Lodge & Tented Camp

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Linyanti, Okavango Delta, Central Kalahari GR, Maun Airport (End)

Savanna Safaris and Tours   Tour operator has an office in Botswana

5.0 /5  –  16 Reviews

8-Day Eco-Luxury Honeymoon Safari in the Okavango Delta

$10,323 to $18,581 pp (USD)

Botswana: Private tour Luxury Tented Camp

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Okavango Delta, Khwai (Okavango Delta) , Maun (End)

5.0 /5  –  41 Reviews

7-Day Botswana Exceptional Wildlife Luxury Vacation

$10,450 to $10,670 pp (USD)

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Okavango Delta, Moremi GR (Okavango Delta) , Savuti (Chobe NP) , Chobe NP, Maun Airport (End)

5.0 /5  –  122 Reviews

11-Day Highlights of Botswana Safari

$6,665 to $11,075 pp (USD)

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Nxai Pan NP, Okavango Delta, Linyanti, Kasane (End)

Gondwana Tours & Safaris   Tour operator has an office in Botswana

5.0 /5  –  78 Reviews

5-Day Botswana Boteti Delta Safari

$1,500 pp (USD)

Botswana: Private tour Luxury Lodge

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Okavango Delta, Moremi GR (Okavango Delta) , Maun (End)

Safari With Us

5.0 /5  –  215 Reviews

5-Day Okavango Delta & Boteti River Tented Safari

$1,705 to $1,804 pp (USD)

Botswana: Shared tour (max 10 people per group) Luxury Lodge

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Moremi GR (Okavango Delta) , Khwai (Okavango Delta) , Okavango Delta, Maun (End)

The Mzansi Experience

4.8 /5  –  62 Reviews

6-Day Okavango Delta & Khwai Botswana Safari

$3,108 to $4,010 pp (USD)

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Khwai (Okavango Delta) , Okavango Delta, Maun Airport (End)

Explore & Travel Africa

5.0 /5  –  30 Reviews

7-Day Botswana Classic Safari

$4,755 to $8,205 pp (USD)

Botswana: Private tour Luxury Tented Camp & Tented Bush Camp

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Khwai (Okavango Delta) , Linyanti, Maun Airport (End)

Kingfisher Safaris

4.7 /5  –  51 Reviews

7-Day 4-Star Okavango Delta, Chobe NP & Victoria Falls

$3,298 to $5,256 pp (USD)

Botswana & Zimbabwe: Private tour Luxury Lodge & Tented Camp

You Visit: Victoria Falls (Start) , Chobe NP, Okavango Delta, Maun (End)

Off2Africa Travel

5.0 /5  –  93 Reviews

4-Day Victoria Falls & Chobe NP Safari Experience

$1,789 pp (USD)

Botswana & Zimbabwe: Private tour Luxury Lodge

You Visit: Victoria Falls (Start) , Chobe NP, Victoria Falls Airport (End)

Customise Travel & Tours

4.9 /5  –  28 Reviews

4-Day Luxury Honeymoon Tour

$2,941 pp (USD)

Botswana & Zimbabwe: Private tour Luxury Hotel

Exec Africa Travel and Tours

5.0 /5  –  11 Reviews

7-Day Magnificent Botswana

$6,160 pp (USD)

You Visit: Kasane (Start) , Chobe River, Chobe NP, Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls, Victoria Falls Airport (Victoria Falls) , Harare (End)

Zangada Safaris

Not yet rated

10-Day Classic Victoria Falls and Botswana Safari

$12,065 pp (USD)

Botswana & Zambia: Private tour Luxury Lodge & Tented Camp

You Visit: Livingstone (Start) , Victoria Falls, Chobe NP, Okavango Delta, Khwai (Okavango Delta) , Maun (End)

African Safari Guru

5.0 /5  –  51 Reviews

7-Day Botswana | Moremi & Delta | Fly In

$4,120 to $6,900 pp (USD)

Botswana: Private tour Luxury+ Tented Camp

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Moremi GR (Okavango Delta) , Okavango Delta, Okavango River, Maun (End)

Art of Safari

5.0 /5  –  5 Reviews

9-Day Classic Botswana & Victoria Falls Safari

$4,884 to $7,227 pp (USD)

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Okavango Delta, Chobe NP, Victoria Falls, Victoria Falls Airport (End)

Pembury Tours

5.0 /5  –  425 Reviews

9-Day Victoria Falls, Chobe and Okavango Fly-in Safari

$5,040 to $7,750 pp (USD)

You Visit: Victoria Falls (Start) , Chobe NP, Okavango Delta, Maun Airport (End)

7-Day Ultra-Luxury Okavango Delta Honeymoon

$8,338 to $15,008 pp (USD)

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Linyanti, Okavango Delta, Jao (Okavango Delta) , Maun (End)

4-Day Okavango Delta & Boteti River Tented Safari

$1,155 to $1,276 pp (USD)

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Moremi GR (Okavango Delta) , Okavango Delta, Maun (End)

7-Day Central Kalahari and Okavango Delta Safari

$6,075 to $7,720 pp (USD)

You Visit: Maun (Start) , Central Kalahari GR, Okavango Delta, Maun Airport (End)

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6 Questions About Botswana Luxury Safaris

Answered by

Anthony ham.

Why should I choose Botswana for a luxury tour?

“No other country does luxury safari packages quite like Botswana. A handful of high-level operators, usually with a strong background in conservation, share the market with independent safari companies. Fierce competition ensures places that don’t provide the highest standards of comfort, luxury and attention to detail simply don’t survive long. The overall offering gets better with each passing year, as each operator tries to outdo the others when it comes to luxury accommodation, world-class food, activities, and conservation credentials. The remoteness of so much of Botswana’s prime wildlife territory adds an additional charm to the experience. A touch of ‘the exclusive’ goes with the supremely comfortable accommodation. A real sense of personal service is another essential element in any Botswana luxury safari.”

What is included in a Botswana luxury safari?

“Most Botswana luxury tours offer all-inclusive rates. The details may differ from one operator to the next, but as a general rule the cost of your safari will include three meals a day, all transport, luxury accommodation and most activities. But the typical all-inclusive package does leave room for a few additional costs. For a start, the cost of flying into and between the various camps and lodges in the Okavango Delta and elsewhere is not always included in quoted safari costs. Some of these lodges and camps can only be reached via small plane. Ask your operator if you’re unsure about what is included. It may come as a surprise to find that you will not, despite the significant prices you’ve paid, have a safari vehicle to yourself and in fact will be sharing with other travelers. If you want a private guide and vehicle for your party, you will have to pay extra. Some of the more remote lodges and tented camps also have limited electricity, so do you really want the sound of a generator in the background? Many camps and lodges don’t have wi-fi. Beer and wine are usually included but top-shelf champagnes and other spirits are sometimes considered extras as well.”

Do luxury safaris always focus on the Okavango Delta?

“No. Many Botswana luxury tours do focus on the Delta though and with good reason. The Delta is one of Africa’s best places to see wildlife, and nowhere else in the country has the same choice when it comes to luxury camps and lodges. However, Botswana’s safari portfolio extends throughout the country. Chobe National Park is a vast protected area in the country’s northeast, and home to Africa’s densest elephant populations and some of Africa’s largest elephants. The park includes the wonderful Chobe riverfront (river-borne safari, anyone?) and the wild plains and swamps of Savuti. On the Okavango Delta’s southern fringe, Moremi Game Reserve has numerous luxury options. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the arid complement to all that water further north. Its golden grassland valleys shelter a handful of upmarket tented camps and lodges. In the country’s east, the often-neglected Tuli Block is another possibility.”

Can you describe a typical day on a Botswana luxury safari?

“Your day usually begins with a soft African voice coming out of the darkness to wake you just before dawn. You will often be served a hot drink and light breakfast snack, before setting out on a game drive or morning walk. The early start to the day happens with good reason: this is when most animals are active and easier to see. The duration of any game drive depends on what you see, you may be done in a couple of hours or five. Either way, mid-morning usually involves a return to camp for a more substantial breakfast, followed by time to relax as the heat of the African day takes hold. Then it’s lunch, followed by more time for relaxation (some luxury lodges and camps have a spa) or the journey on to the next camp. Afternoon tea is a noble safari tradition of varying formality depending on where you are. It occurs just before the afternoon game drive. At sunset, your driver will pull over and extract from the vehicle a cool box filled with drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic (a gin and tonic is the classic safari sundowner). A night drive may follow with a spotlight for seeing creatures of the night. Then a return to camp, dinner and perhaps some entertainment close to the campfire.”

What type of accommodation can I expect?

“The safari tent is the signature form of the Botswana luxury safari and is sure to be a highlight of your trip. Usually set atop a low platform, this canvas structure enables you to feel protected from the African wild yet be at one with it. You’ll hear lions roaring, elephants eating and all manner of night sounds. The typical safari tent has two main parts: the living area with a bed, writing desk and places to sit; and the partially separated bathroom area with shower and toilet. Depending on the remoteness of your camp, camp attendants may need to heat the water for your shower, so remember to give them a little notice. Most tents also have a deck where you can sit and admire the view. The other main possibility is a lodge. The best will be sleek-lined, stylish structures at one with their surroundings. Lodge rooms are usually larger than tents. Some are simply magnificent. Some camps even combine the two – a solid frame on three sides with a canvas front and/or roof. Regardless of whether you’re in a tent or in a room, you’ll need an escort to walk you to your lodgings after dark to make sure you don’t surprise any animals along the way.”

How much will this safari cost?

“As a general guide, luxury safari packages will cost around US$860 per person per day. But if you choose the most luxurious lodges or camps, the price can easily be twice that amount. Prices of luxury safaris in Botswana can go sky-high – there really does seem to be no limit to how much some travelers are willing to pay for their perfect holiday. It may cost more if you’re traveling alone: the cost of the single supplement is around 75% of the price for two people traveling together. The all-inclusive prices mean that additional costs are few. At this upper end of the market, the standard of accommodation is where you’ll notice the biggest price differences, although food is increasingly an integral part of the high-end safari in Botswana.”

Botswana Reviews

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

Low-impact safaris at their best

As I have a passion for responsible, sustainable wilderness experiences in beautiful natural surroundings, I find Botswana very hard to fault. It’s the quintessential safari destination, home to numerous lodges, tour companies and...

Full Review

Brian is an award winning travel writer, author of safari books and regular contributor to magazines such as BBC Wildlife and Travel Africa.

A dream of water in a thirsty land

In a troubled world there is nowhere safer than this most politically stable of African countries. The people are welcoming. English is widely spoken and when it comes to wildlife viewing Botswana is sensational. That’s because its policy...

Wonderful Experience

We had a Wonderful Time , since the support with Pamela with booking, the guide and driver T , the chef and his assistant Sidney, we will never forget Chobe !! Wee saw more them 1000 elephants on those 2 days!!

great trip - saw an incredible amount of wild life.

We were informed we that we would be picked up from our hotel at 10,00 a.m. in the morning. At 10.00a.m. exactly Simon and his assistant arrived at the hotel in a very clean air conditioned vehicle. The vehicle was spacious and first class....

Phenomenal beauty, amazing people, faultless

Staff enthusiasm was unprecedented, all gave 100percent to ensure we had the best experiences possible. No requests were too much. Food was exceptionally overwhelming and wild life experiences were next level. The trackers passion in...

Helpful, kind, honest people and an amazing country full of wildlife

Saw more birds in 5 days in Boteti Camp, Maun and Moremi game reserve than 2 weeks travelling round the Cape Provinces of South Africa. Wildlife in the Okavango Delta at a level with East Africa or Zambia in the late 70s. Absolutely...

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The Top 25 Best Safari Lodges and Camps in Botswana

Author: Matthys van Aswegen - 16 February 2023

Last Update: 16 February 2024

Part of the Botswana Safari Vacation & Travel To Botswana & African Safari Collection

Botswana is consistently rated as one of the best places in Africa to go on a safari. It’s home to the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park , as well as the hidden gems of the Kalahari and Linyanti. You’ll find ample opportunities to spot the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino) as well as a wide assortment of other exciting wildlife. 

Planning to go on a safari in Botswana? Get inspired with this round-up of the top 25 best safari lodges and camps in Botswana.

Mombo camp delivers authentic tented safari camping at its most luxurious in the world-renowned Okavango Delta floodplains. The camp puts a strong focus on customer experience and your every need is anticipated. Friendly and experienced guides make every game drive a trip worth remembering. 

Devotion to your satisfaction is a part of every experience at Mombo, and the deeply personalized service will leave you feeling pampered and cared for from every angle.

Highlights include:

• A photography hide
• Reliable Big Five sightings
• Scenic helicopter flights

Ideal for: Photographic safaris

Savute Safari Lodge

Nestled within Chobe National Park, Savute Safari Lodge is celebrated for its elegant accommodation and exceptional viewing of Africa’s largest elephant herds. The lodge’s strategic location offers a luxurious gateway to the wild, providing a serene backdrop for an unforgettable safari experience.

• A well-stocked library with views of watering holes
• Elevated decks for uninterrupted game viewing
• A refreshing swimming pool overlooking the Savute Channel
• Evening bonfires in a traditional boma setting

Ideal for: Birding safaris

Delightfully isolated San Camp is a must-go for anyone wanting to escape to the middle of nowhere and be immersed in the miracles of the African bush. Ensconced in the rolling golden grasslands and salt pans of the Kalahari desert, billowing white tents shaded by palm trees deliver a sense of the romantic.

This seasonal camp (November to March) is dedicated to making the most of the dry season in Makgadikgadi Pans and places a strong focus on the striking views of the salt pans and a game-loaded savannah, all of which can be scouted by horseback and quad bike (ATV).

• Delicious and innovative cuisine
• Meerkat interactions
• Bushman walks
• Tented yoga and meditation deck

Ideal for: Honeymoon safari

Tuludi Camp

Tucked away in the famous Khwai Private Concession and constructed in partnership with the local community, Tuludi camp is the ideal base if you’re looking to explore the fascinating Okavango Delta. When you’re done spotting elephants, hippos, lions, and leopards, settle into the stylish and polished camp to admire the breathtaking views of the spectacular wilderness in the shade of acacia trees.

• Private vehicle and guide with the family suite
• Mokoro safaris
• Night drives
• Excellent big game viewing

Ideal for: Family safaris

Jack’s Camp

Jack’s Camp is an iconic destination, offering a glimpse into an ancient landscape untouched by time. Set against the vastness of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, this camp is a sanctuary for those looking to step off the beaten path and into a world of exploration and wonder.

• Opulent safari tents with indoor and outdoor showers
• A plush, Persian rug-adorned mess tent for communal dining
• A refreshing pool pavilion for relaxation in the desert heat
• Private, guided walks to ancient baobab groves
• A specialist spa tent offering traditional treatments

Ideal for: Luxury safaris

Chobe Chilwero

Overlooking the sparkling Chobe river and limitless bushveld, Chobe Chilwero is a dreamy riverside retreat on the edge of the Chobe National Park. Whether you choose to explore the plains on a game drive or make your way along the waters in a boat, you can look forward to incredible wildlife encounters with lions, leopards, hippos, wild dogs, and buffalo.

Of course, no trip is complete without spotting the majestic elephants the area is famous for. A stay at Chobe Chilwero is everything you could hope for from a Botswana safari.

• Spa treatments in a treetop room
• A kids’ safari program
• Reliable elephant sightings
• Boat cruises on the Chobe river
• A tour of Victoria Falls in neighboring Zimbabwe

Ideal for: Family safari

Xugana Island Lodge

Xugana Island Lodge is a jewel within the Okavango Delta, offering an intimate setting for those wishing to connect with nature. Surrounded by water, this lodge is a haven for bird enthusiasts and those seeking tranquility in a lush, aquatic environment.

• Overwater chalets with panoramic delta views
• An elegant dining area set on a wooden deck above the water
• Sundowner cruises on the Xugana Lagoon
• A private bird hide for ornithology enthusiasts
• An open-air boma for atmospheric dining under the stars

Ideal for: Water-based safari

Situated in the heart of the Moremi Game Reserve, Okuti camp’s one-of-a-kind domed suites are built using wood, reeds, and canvas. Beneath the exterior of these masasas (houses of reeds) lies a lush interior with comfy furnishings. Each suite is raised on a wooden deck with rooms overlooking the tranquil Maunachira channel and Moremi’s flourishing wetlands. Expect views guaranteed to instill a sense of wonder and inner peace.

• Exploring the Delta by motorboat
• Custom safari vehicles for unparalleled game viewing
• Abundant birdlife

Ideal for: Birding safari

Sanctuary Baines’ Camp

The elegant and stylish Baines’ Camp delivers the classical African safari experience with a twist of romance. Perfectly suited to couples, the camp offers a range of intimate activities from candle-lit dinners under the Milky Way to languid sunset mokoro rides on the Delta, dips in the star bath, and peaceful nights in a star bed where you can drift off counting shooting stars.

• Eco-friendly camp
• Boat cruises

Ideal for: Romantic safari

Leroo La Tau

Perched above the western bank of the Boteti River, Leroo La Tau offers a panoramic vista of the Makgadikgadi Pans. This lodge is a sanctuary during the dry season, as herds of zebra and wildebeest congregate at the river, offering an unparalleled wildlife spectacle.

• Cliff-edge chalets offering expansive views of the Boteti River
• A floodlit waterhole attracting nocturnal wildlife
• A serene infinity pool with panoramic wilderness views
• Themed cultural evenings with traditional music and dance
• An observatory deck for stargazing sessions

Ideal for: Zebra migration safari

Vumbura Plains

Somewhere between a beach house and a log cabin, each Vumbura Plains suite tucked away in the African wilderness delivers a light and airy escape from it all. The camp exudes a relaxing and tranquil atmosphere with an elevated deck that lets you take in the awe-inspiring views of the Delta’s floodplain. Guaranteed to have you soaking up the magic of the African bush with every breath.

• Walks safaris
• Hot-air balloon rides (April to September)

Ideal for: Mokoro safari

Moremi Crossing

Moremi Crossing, a pioneer in eco-friendly camping, stands on a palm island, offering a sustainable way to experience the heart of the Okavango Delta. Emphasizing conservation and community involvement, this camp invites guests to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the delta.

• A lounge and dining area built around ancient trees
• Spectacular sunset views from the elevated deck
• A variety of dining settings, including private bush dinners
• Nature walks led by experienced guides focusing on conservation

Ideal for: Affordable Okavango Delta safari

Xigera Safari Lodge

Be pampered at Xigera safari lodge, where comfort and style are the name of the game. Enveloped in the tranquil waters of the Okavango Delta and its riverine forests, this 5-star destination will have you relaxing in the lap of luxury. From gourmet dining to top-class spa treatments, every aspect of your stay is designed to maximize well-being and deliver an unforgettable safari experience.

• Wellness center
• Fine dining
• Photographic safaris

Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp

Rustic meets elegant at this spellbinding destination, where you have uninterrupted views of lush mopane woodlands and flooded grasslands. Nxabega is everything you’d expect from a 5-star hotel, from its opulent comfort to personalized service. Enjoy gourmet dishes or grab a coffee from the in-house barista before you retreat to your hanging daybed to soak up the wonders of the bush.

• Catch-and-release fishing trips
• WILDchild activities for kids

Ideal for: Kid friendly safari

Nestled on a remote island in the heart of the Okavango Delta, Jao Camp oozes opulence and is only accessible by air. Built on a couple of levels rising into the tree canopy, this awe-inspiring safari destination incorporates natural materials and unique construction to deliver an out-of-this-world setting.

With floor-to-ceiling glass panels, you’re guaranteed awe-inspiring views of the verdant bush, while contemporary furnishings blend with local art and carvings for a sophisticated feel.

• Seasonal star-beds for nights under the Milky Way
• A one-of-a-kind spa
• Exclusivity in a private concession

Ideal for: Luxury Okavango Delta safari

Eagle Island Lodge

Positioned in the Delta’s stunning Xaxaba Island, Eagle Island lodge delivers a safari experience quite unlike any other. Here, timeless luxury meets Africa’s unique water-based experiences, skipping the rumbling 4×4 vehicles in favor of mokoro rides and barge cruises. Expect up-close sightings of wildlife like hippos, elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, and all the big cats at this one-of-a-kind destination.

• Horseback riding
• Fish Eagle Bar on the water

Ideal for: Horseback safari

Selinda Camp

Located on the banks of the Selinda Spillway, Selinda Camp incorporates traditional African materials of wood, thatch, and canvas to blend in with its pristine surroundings. Unique and contemporary design meets the highest levels of luxury, with jaw-dropping views of the Selinda Reserve’s endless wilderness.

Keen photographers will be blown away by the resident hide’s spectacular views of wildlife and the custom-built safari vehicles that make sure you can capture those amazing shots.

• Reliable sightings of African wild dogs and lions
• One-of-a-kind architecture
• Walking safaris
• Boat cruise

Ideal for: Walking safaris

Chobe Game Lodge

Moorish architecture and mind blowing decor make a stay at Chobe Game Lodge an unforgettable experience. As one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, this remarkable feat of design delivers the ultimate in luxury stays. Outstanding views of the wildlife-packed Chobe River are coupled with excellent levels of service, fine dining, and opulent accommodations. With such an upscale experience, you’ll be forgiven for forgetting you’re in the middle of the wilderness!

• Eco-friendly electric safari boats

Ideal for: Chobe river safari

Camp Moremi

Go off-grid without leaving behind the creature comforts of the modern world. Camp Moremi delivers the classic African safari experience with classy thatch and canvas safari tents, guaranteed seclusion, and opulent levels of service. Moremi Game Reserve plays host to daily game drives, sunset cruises on the Xakanaxa Lagoon, and leopard-spotting excursions.

• Privacy and hyper exclusivity
• Boating safaris
• Incredible views of the Xakanaxa Lagoon

Ideal for: Xakanaxa safari

Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

Tucked away in the depths of the Okavango Delta, Sandibe is ensconced in the forest canopy and tranquil waterways. The ultra-luxurious setting, unmatched levels of service, and awe-inspiring views combine to deliver a safari experience you’ll remember forever. Cool off in the plunge pool between game drives spotting wildlife like elephants and lions while the friendly staff anticipates your every need.

• Distinctive architecture
• WILDchild kids’ program
• An interactive kitchen

Ideal for: Luxury safari

Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp

Taking its inspiration from the plentiful water lilies of the Delta, Xaranna’s blend of chic yellows, lily pinks, and olive greens creates a calming atmosphere that will have you feeling at one with nature in no time. Unwind in comfort and soak up your time away from society while the staff takes care of your every need. Xaranna is the perfect place for couples and families looking to escape the hustle and bustle and reconnect with the miracles of the wilderness.

• Kids’ activities

Ideal for: Family safari in the Okavango Delta

Tucked away in a verdant riverine forest surrounded on all sides by open floodplains, Abu camp focuses on heart-stopping encounters with its resident population of African elephants. This ultra-luxury camp gets its name from a local bull elephant and the camp’s light grey color palette goes even further to entrench the aesthetic. If you’re looking for a completely unique getaway, Abu Camp won’t disappoint.

• Star-bed sleepouts under the African sky
• Water-based safaris
• Elephant experiences

Tubu Tree Camp, situated on the remote Hunda Island in the Okavango Delta, offers guests a unique blend of water and land-based safari experiences. With its diverse habitats, the camp is renowned for its leopard sightings and varied wildlife. Each of the eight luxurious tents provide stunning views of the floodplains. 

• Wildlife viewing hide

Ideal for: Photographic safari

King’s Pool Camp

With breathtaking views of the King’s Pool Lagoon and the wildlife-packed Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, you’ll feel like royalty at this idyllic destination. 5-star accommodations and service meet the quintessential African safari experience, and spacious, elegantly decorated suites will have you unwinding in no time. Extensive use of thatch and wood blend in seamlessly with the wonders of the bush, creating an atmosphere of sublime relaxation.

• Reliable predator sightings
• Opulent suites

Chief’s Camp

Safari chic meets tranquil luxury at Chief’s Camp. Situated in the heart of the Delta’s Moremi Game Reserve, here you’ll experience the very finest of what Botswana has to offer. Enjoy incredible views of the Piajio floodplain and all the creature comforts you’d expect from a 5-star hotel. Reliable predator sightings and Big Five game viewing combine to deliver a safari experience you’ll remember forever while unmatched levels of service anticipate your every need.

• A children’s play area
• Reliable rhino sightings

Ideal for: Big cat safari

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Best Botswana Tour Companies ; # 1 · Exodus Travels · 16,381 reviews ; # 2 · Ker & Downey Africa · 80 reviews ; # 3 · Explore! · 4,551 reviews ; # 4 · Intrepid Travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best safari in Botswana?

• The best safari camps in Botswana. As one of the most renowned safari destinations on the African continent, the question of which are the best Botswana safari camps is rather pertinent.
• Duba Plains.
• Chobe Chilwero Lodge.
• Selinda Explorers Camp.
• Jack’s Camp.
• Letaka Tented Camp.

What month is best for safari in Botswana?

Many experts regard the cooler months of June to August as the best time of year for luxury safaris in Botswana, which has the perfect weather for a game drive, and the risk of malaria is at its lowest.

Does Botswana have good safaris?

The Wildlife Safari Experience Botswana is truly wild. On a Botswana safari, game viewing is varied with both water- and land-based trips. The Okavango Delta offers gorgeous waterways, prolific bird life and the laid-back feeling that one only experiences when close to water.

Why Botswana is the best safari?

Thanks to a mild climate and an abundance of wildlife in heavyweight destinations like the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park, Botswana vacations deliver superb safari experiences any time of the year.

What are the Big 5 in safari?

Today – thankfully – Big Five is used by guides and tourists to group together some of the most popular African wildlife species: African leopard, African lion, Cape buffalo, African elephant and rhinoceros.

Is Botswana or Kenya better for safari?

Kenya is on top of the list for most first time safari-goers. It’s very safe and easy to travel and has a longstanding safari history and well-developed infrastructure. The Maasai Mara is one of the most iconic safari destinations in all of Africa and it’s landscapes served as backdrop to so many famous Africa movies.

How much should I budget for safari?

A budget safari averages $150 per night, mid-range $350 and luxury $750. The extreme top-safaris can easily go up to $1,500 per night, or more! There is literally a safari to suit every budget. An African safari costs anywhere between $125 and $1,500 per person per night.

How much should I budget for a safari?

The focus is adventure, rather than the luxury that’s on offer at other properties. A Value safari starts at about $4,000–5,000 per person. Classic – A Classic safari usually comes in at approximately $7,000–8,000 per person.

How much does it cost to go on safari in Botswana?

Guide to Typical Botswana Safari Costs (per night)

Which is better Chobe or Kruger?

If you only have time for one place, and you want to explore Victoria Falls, choose Chobe. But if you want to discover Blyde River Canyon, the second largest canyon in Africa instead, then Kruger would probably be a better choice.

What is the best month to visit Botswana?

The best time to visit Botswana is during the dry season, which falls between May and October. Temperatures range between 75°F and 95°F, so you’ll enjoy warm, sunny days — just remember the nights can get much cooler, so pack accordingly.

What is lacking in Botswana?

WEAKNESSES. Dependence on the diamond sector (over 90% of exports) Inadequate infrastructure (water and electricity production and distribution) High inequality and unemployment, poverty maintained at a relatively high level. Lack of skilled labour, small domestic market.

Botswana Safaris

Botswana safari guide – where & when to go, and what to see.

Botswana safaris are truly special. The country doesn’t see as many tourists as most other countries in Southern and East Africa, but this in no way diminishes the quality of the game viewing and safari experience Botswana has to offer – and in many ways, it’s a bonus. Rural Botswana is an inhospitable place for humans, but a country that manages to support an incredible diversity and density of animals. Botswana wildlife is hands down some of the best anywhere in the world.

Botswana is a large, wild country (approximately the size of France) with a decent – but very limited – road network where only the major roads are tarmacked. This makes Botswana a safari destination for the intrepid. If you’re planning on doing an independent, self-drive safari in Botswana a high-clearance 4WD vehicle and spirit of self-reliance are essential to get the most out of your visits to the national parks. The country is easily accessed from South Africa, with the capital Gabaronne just a few hours’ drive from Johannesburg.

Self-drive safaris are a big thing in Botswana and are popular with overland tours and independent travellers alike. You’ll need a rugged 4WD to access all areas, and be confident that you’re totally self-sufficient if camping on your own in the bush. If this safari-style doesn’t appeal then browse our guide to  safari companies in Botswana to speak to a professional.

Geographically Botswana is covered in scrub brush and savannah grasslands, with the occasional impressive geographic feature such as the Okavango Delta and adjoining Chobe National Park, huge salt pans, and the brutally picturesque Kalahari Desert. The country is landlocked and lies at a fairly consistent average elevation of 1,000m. The windswept and sand-based Kalahari Desert covers over 80% of the country in the south, west, and centre. To the north lies 15,000 km sq of the Okavango Delta, fed by the Okavango River and forming the northern border with Namibia .  To the east lie the great salt and clay desert of the Makgadikgadi Pans and occasional deciduous forests towards the Zimbabwe border.

One of the most impressive African rivers for wildlife, Okavango River supplies year-round water to much of northern Botswana, and ends in the inland Okavango Delta, support a vast array of Southern African mammal species. These include the big five , wild dogs , hippos , hyenas , honey badgers , and a broad range of gazelles and hoofed mammals.

Each year Botswana is home to one of Africa’s largest annual migrations , featuring huge herds of wildebeest, zebra, and other wild animals as they move from their winter ranges in the Makgadikgadi plains to the summer feeding grounds of the Nxai Pan region. Not as large in scale as the East African ‘ great migration ‘, but there are also far fewer tourists around to take away from the experience. This lack of tourists, the sheer scale of the wilderness and the abundance of game in Botswana’s national parks come together to make Botswana a safari destination that’s hard to better, wherever you visit in Africa.

Useful resources

Book a Botswana safari

Botswana wildlife

Botswana Tourist Board

Bostwana guidebooks

Botswana safari highlights

Okavango delta botswana, fly-in safari.

Safaris don’t come much better or more luxurious than an all-inclusive fly-in safari deep in the Okavango Delta . Take a four-seater flight over the wetlands, wildlife spotting as you’re flown to an exclusive, out-of-the-way lodge for a few days of game drives, safari walks , and boat trips .

Big five spotting

Go big game spotting at Chobe National Park – perhaps Botswana’s most famous national park . Boat safaris are a big draw here, with a waterfront teeming with wildlife… but you’ll have to be very lucky to see all big five from a boat – game drives in a 4X4 jeep are more the order of the day.

Leopard spotting in Moremi

The east side of the Okavango Delta Moremi Game Reserve is regarded as one of the top African leopard hangouts. On the fringes of the delta where water collects in small lagoons and fills grassy floodplains, antelope (and all sorts of other wildlife) are plentiful. Perfect leopard country.

Mokoro safaris on the water

The Okavango Delta offers ample opportunities to get out on to the water for some top-class wildlife viewing. Traditional wooden mokoros are a fun and eco-friendly way to head out on a canoe safari , though propeller boats are on offer too, and can easily be combined with superb walking safaris .

Best time to safari in Botswana

May to August is the best time to organize a safari in Botswana, as during this winter season the days are cool and sunny, and the lack of water drives the wildlife to congregate around permanent water sources. At this time getting around the country is fairly straightforward, with dust rather than water being the main obstacle. During winter months wildlife spotting is easy – simply find a river or watering hole and dig in to wait for the action. Bear in mind is that July and August is school holiday time, meaning more tourists than usual, higher prices for safari accommodation and tours, and busier national parks.

October to April is summer season in Botswana but brings with it severe heat and the rains – occasionally in extreme amounts. Getting around the country by road during summer can be disrupted by flooding, as many of the secondary roads are not tarmacked. Wildlife is also more dispersed and harder to spot, hidden by lush vegetation. An exception to this is in parts of the Okavango Delta where there’s so much flooding that many islands form, trapping wildlife which can be viewed from a boat – though vegetation still causes a problem.

Flights To Botswana

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Botswana Accommodation

Find safari accommodation in Botswana – from budget campsites to luxury lodges.

Botswana Car Hire

Considering a self-drive safari? Research and book car hire in Botswana.

Activities in Botswana

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National parks in Botswana

All national parks in Botswana are run by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), based in Gaborone, who enforce a strict no driving after dark rule in the parks. ( See this great article on driving in Botswana .)

Whilst not actually a national park or reserve, Botswana is renowned worldwide for the Okavango Delta region in the north of the country, providing water and supporting an incredible array of African wildlife.

Top Botswana national park picks

• Moremi Game Reserve

The only part of the Okavango Delta that’s officially a national park, Moremi covers almost one-third of the delta, and is packed with wildlife. There’s no public transport so you’ll have to get yourself there, but the trade-off is fewer tourists to share the plethora of wildlife with.

• Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park was Botswana’s first national park at an impressive 11,000 km sq. There’s easy access for spectacular game viewing from a boat on the Chobe river and the network of dirt and gravel roads. The Savuti area in south west Chobe is recognised as having one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Africa.

Makagadikgadi Nzai Pan National Park

Feel the unfettered freedom of driving through the never-ending parched-white salt pans, or plan your trip for the when the rains come and bird life and herd animals abound, including one of Africa’s largest migrations .

Central Kalahari National Park

One of Africa’s largest protected area at a whopping 52,000 km sq. Braving the tough conditions of Central Kalahari National Park in your own 4WD may reward you with viewings of hyena packs and prides of lions in the unforgiving desert.

All national parks in Botswana

Use the map to locate all national parks in Botswana. Click the icons for more info.

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• Central Kalahari Game Reserve
• Makgadikgadu National Park
• Nxai Pan National Park
• Okavango Delta

Botswana safari resources

Botswana safari companies.

Though Botswana has a relatively low number of inbound tourists each year, a very high proportion of these come for the wildlife. Around the capital Gabarone and also Maun – the de-facto capital of the Okavango Delta – there are numerous safari tour companies to suit all budgets. Check out our reviews of safari tour companies in Botswana .

Botswana safari lodges

Botswana has a focus on low-impact, high-end safaris, and the accommodation on offer reflects this. Luxury safari lodges are the primary accommodation in Botswana, though there are also mid-range accommodation in the tourist enclaves of Maun and Gabarone. If you have your own tent most safari lodges have an area where you can pitch up for the night, along with decent washing and BBQ facilities as standard. Search and book safari lodges in Botswana , or find all accommodation in Botswana below.

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Read safari guides to all countries

Botswana safaris , Namibia safaris , Rwanda safaris , South Africa safaris , Tanzania safaris , Uganda safaris , Zimbabwe safaris

Do you have any experience of planning or going on safari in Botswana?

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Top countries for safaris

• Botswana safaris
• Kenya safaris
• Namibia safaris
• South Africa safaris
• Tanzania safaris
• Uganda safaris

Safari basics

• Safari animals
• How to find the right safari company
• When to go on safari
• What to take on safari
• Safari clothing – what to wear
• Safari rules & etiquette
• Wildlife spotting tips

Most read articles

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Africa’s best game reserves

• Chobe National Park, Botswana
• Etosha National Park, Namibia
• Kruger National Park, South Africa
• Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
• Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
• Okavango Delta, Botswana
• Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

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The best safari camps and lodges in Botswana

Where to glide in a mokoro through the okavango delta, quad-bike on the makgadikgadi salt pans and watch zebras on the longest migration in africa.

T he Unesco-protected Okavango Delta has an almost mythical allure among lovers of wildlife, and elephants in particular: the sight of a herd wading through lily-studded channels is one of nature’s all-time highlights. In the wet season (November to March), the eponymous river fans out to create a 15,000 sq km watery garden of Eden that is home to 400 species of birds including the Pel’s fishing owl; in the dry season (April to October), the flood plains, woodland and lagoons are alive with prides of lion stalking giant herds of buffalo, solitary leopards and packs of endangered wild dogs. Outside the Delta, zebras pour into the Nxai salt pan from Namibia and Chobe National Park, and the Makgadikgadi pans offer quad-biking on a lunar landscape so vast you can see the curvature of the earth. The majority of Botswana’s safari camps and lodges are conservation-focused and high end — and some are more affordable than you might think.

Main photo: Eagle Island Lodge, Xaxaba Island, Okavango Delta

1. Jack’s Camp, Makgadikgadi, Kalahari Basin

Best for luxury in the desert The Ntwetwe Concession is a million-acre private wildlife reserve shared by three sister properties: San Camp, Camp Kalahari and this incredible nine-tent camp, originally built by safari guide Ralph Bousfield to remember his father, Jack. In 2020, it celebrated its 25th anniversary with a rebuild that retained its 1940s campaign style, while adding private plunge pools and a good deal more space. Activities on the shimmering Makgadikgadi salt pans include quad-biking, walks with San bushmen and game drives in search of brown hyena and bat-eared fox.

Spa N Price £££

2. Planet Baobab, Gweta

Best for safari on a budget This family-friendly budget lodge is encircled by ancient baobab trees (some more than 4,000 years old), with 18 spotless huts (some built from mud, others grass) a lively bar with cow-hide chairs and bottle chandeliers, and the largest, coolest swimming pool in the Kalahari. It’s also only 40km from the Makgadikgadi salt pans, where guests can track migrating zebras in the wet season, quad-bike and sleep under the stars in the dry, and meet meerkats year round.

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Spa N Price £

planetbaobab.travel

3. Meno a Kwena, Boteti River, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

Best for a family safari Harry took Meghan to this ten-tent camp overlooking the Boteti River, and it’s not hard to see why. It provides an endless round of memorable encounters (with San bushmen, migrating zebra, basking hippos and black-maned Kalahari lion) and its old-school, low-key interiors exert an indisputable, effortless charm. There are two family tents and children will love watching the comings and goings on the river as well as swimming in the natural pool. The camp’s name means “teeth of the crocodile” in the local language.

Spa N Price ££

4. Bushman Plains, Okavango Delta

Best for cultural immersion This four-tent camp is the first to be majority owned and operated by Botswana’s indigenous Khoisan-speaking bushmen, hunter gatherers who first came to the Delta 10,000 years ago. It overlooks a permanent water channel in a 370,000-acre private concession that has a mix of habitats and wildlife activities, from mokoro (canoe) trips to night and off-road game drives, learning about medicinal plants on bush walks, and storytelling around the campfire. While the A-frame tents are modest, the wildlife is exceptional (including wild dog and sable antelope) and the bushmen’s tracking skills are second to none.

okavangodelta.com

5. Migration Expeditions, Nxai Pan National Park

Best for a light footprint Mobile tented camps hold a particular appeal in these times of climate crisis; they also take guests to remote areas when the wildlife is at its best — in this case the Nxai Pan National Park between December and March, when up to 30,000 zebras come here to graze following their seasonal migration from Chobe National Park. This solar-powered African Bush Camp gets it right in all other respects, too. The six stylish canvas tents are thoughtfully furnished and come with portable flushing toilets and hot bucket showers; food is paired with specific wines; the guiding is excellent.

africanbushcamps.com

6. Eagle Island Lodge, Xaxaba Island, Okavango Delta

Best for messing about on the water Rebuilt in 2015, this established safari lodge is superbly located on a private island, with the option of watching elephant, crocs, hippos and birds from a mokoro, motorboat or barge, on a helicopter and horseback excursion, or simply from the bar. It’s beautifully designed, too, with walls the colour of elephant hide, ceiling lamps shaped like weaver birds’ nests, and ochre and cobalt sofas. The 12 rooms have high thatched ceilings and black-and-copper bathrooms, as well as private decks with plunge pools.

belmond.com

7. Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Okavango Delta

Best for radical architecture This extraordinary 12-suite boutique hotel won an Architizer A+ Award in 2016 for its architects, the London firm Michaelis Boyd and Nicholas Plewman of South Africa. Inspired by a curled-up pangolin, it is constructed in laminated pine and Canadian cedar “scales”; interiors showcase furniture and basket ware by Botswana artisans, and 70 per cent of the power comes from an onsite solar plant. A viewing platform peers over a waterway in a 55,600-acre private concession bordering the Moremi Game Reserve; bush walks, game drives and helicopter flyovers are all on offer.

Spa Y Price £££

andbeyond.com

8. Mombo Camp, Okavango Delta

Best for luxury in the Delta Ecotourism operator Wilderness Safaris now owns and/or manages 22 lodges and camps in Botswana; this eight-tent camp at the heart of the Delta is its flagship. It’s one of only two camps in a 70km stretch of the Moremi Game Reserve known as Chief’s Island and delivers royally on the wildlife front, too: the reserve is known as the “land of plenty”. It’s equally hot on glamour, with private plunge pools and copper soaking tubs and cocktails at a polished brass bar, all run on solar power. Sister camp Little Mombo has just four tents.

mombo.co.uk

9. Footsteps Camp, Okavango Delta

Best for a family adventure Early champions of the photographic safari, Ker & Downey Botswana now run four luxury camps here, including eight-tent treehouse-style Shinde on a palm island in the northern Delta, which was rebuilt in 2020 with an enclave (or camp within a camp) for six. Further south is the more rustic Footsteps, a three-tent camp that offers walking safaris and a Young Explorers programme for families: adults and children are taught to fish and track game, light a fire with sticks, identify birds, pole a mokoro, drive a 4×4, and shoot air rifles at tin cans.

kerdowneybotswana.com

10. Abu Camp, Okavango Delta

Best for walking with elephants Overlooking a lagoon in a 445,000-acre private concession, this six-tent camp owes its name to an African bull elephant who starred in Clint Eastwood’s 1990 movie White Hunter Black Heart , and was brought here from a Texas safari park by the American founder of the camp, who retrained captive elephants for release into the wild. Guests used to be able to ride the habituated elephants, but the emphasis has shifted to learning about elephant conservation by walking with them, as well as game viewing by vehicle, motorboat and mokoro. The tents are immaculate, with outdoor copper baths and plunge pools.

abucamp.com

11. Duba Plains Camp, Okavango Delta

Best for lion action This five-tent camp (and neighbouring two-bed suite) was previously home to Great Plains Conservation founders and National Geographic filmmakers Dereck and Beverley Joubert — and it was here that the couple filmed Relentless Enemies (2006), documenting the stand-off between local lion and buffalo. The interiors are classic 1920s safari, with copper tubs and vintage drinks chests, as well as private plunge pools. There are no other operators in this 33,000-hectare concession, so day and night drives and boat cruises are intimate experiences, taking in aardwolf and pangolin. Evenings revolve around the firepit.

greatplainsconservation.com

12. Zarafa Camp, Selinda Reserve

Best for an intimate safari experience This luxury camp overlooks the Zibadianja Lagoon in a 130,000-hectare private reserve known for the Selinda Spillway, an ancient water channel that, when it floods, links the Okavango Delta and Linyanti swamp. Like Duba Plains (and the more affordable Selinda and Selinda Explorers nearby), it is owned by the Jouberts, who have lavished attention on the four tents with Zanzibari doors, copper soaking tubs, Swarovski binoculars and watercolour paint sets (there are also two separately run suites for exclusive use). The game viewing is seasonal and wonderful; a pontoon boat is available for cruising the lagoon.

13. Jao, Okavango Delta

Best for dramatic interiors Silvio Rech + Lesley Carstens are the architects and designers behind some of Africa’s most striking safari accommodation, and this solar-powered lodge in a private concession in the Delta is one of them: a giraffe skeleton towers up in the wine cellar, and the spa, gym and pool are shaded by giant lattices of bleached wood. The two villas and five suites all have plunge pools, firepits and an organic, handcrafted feel, and the wine cellar doubles as a gallery for photos of lodge owners the Kay family, who have been in Botswana for six generations.

wilderness-safaris.com

14. Ngoma Safari Lodge, Chobe Forest Reserve

Best for large elephant herds Chobe is a 11,700 sq km national park touching the borders of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It’s famous for its herds of elephant and buffalo, which converge on the Chobe river in the dry season, and guests at this eco-friendly boutique safari lodge, set on a ridge above the river floodplain in a neighbouring reserve, are in a prime position to see them. The eight standalone suites have thatched roofs, outdoor showers and private decks with plunge pools, and are dressed in fabrics from Zimbabwe’s Ndebele tribe. After morning river cruises, picnic lunches and evening game drives, drinks are served around an open fire looking over the waterhole.

15. King’s Pool, Linyanti Wildlife Reserve

Best for honeymooners This eight-tent camp in the 127,000-hectare Linyanti Wildlife Reserve was beautifully refurbished in 2019 by Cape Town interior designer Caline Williams-Wynn. Named after King Carl XVI of Sweden, who honeymooned nearby in the Seventies, it stands on an oxbow lagoon in the Linyanti river, in an important wildlife corridor for elephant, wild dog, and declining roan and sable antelope. The eight thatched tents look out over wallowing hippos and basking crocs, and days end with a sunset river trip aboard the Queen Silvia barge. With its lantern-lit deck and firepit, in-room spa treatments, solar power and recycled plastic lampshades, it feels very much of the moment.

16. Kalahari Plains, Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Best for starry sleep outs Kalahari Plains is set on the edge of a vast pan in the Central Kalahari, part of the Kalahari Desert. The eight tented suits are topped with sleep-out areas for taking in the starry night skies — a highlight of any stay — and there’s a communal pool for a midday cool-off. The area is known for its black-maned lions, but you can also spot cheetahs, leopards and herds of springbok and wildebeest. As well as game drives, there are opportunities to go walking with indigenous San bushmen and learn about their millennia-old culture.

yellowzebrasafaris.com

17. Savuti Camp, Linyanti Wildlife Reserve

Best for birding Savuti Camp has seven tents overlooking the Savuti Channel in the Linyanti region. The Linyanti Concession is a recognised Important Bird Area, so it’s a great place for birders hoping to spot slaty egrets or African skimmers. Boating safaris head out when the water levels are high enough — and when the water is low, guests can spend an afternoon in the ground-level hide, watching elephants mess around in the mud. Game drives run twice a day and you can also take night drives to spot rare nocturnal animals, or perhaps even lions on the hunt.

18. Feline Fields, Kalahari Desert

Best for remoteness Between the Okavango Delta and the Namibian border, Feline Fields is in a part of the Kalahari Desert that gets few international visitors. But despite the remoteness of the location, the lodge is quite luxurious, with a 25m lap pool and a gym — even a tennis court and a driving range. There are game drives — wildlife in the area includes elephants, brown hyenas, oryx and leopards — and also walks with Ju/’hoansi bushmen. Guests can take fat bikes out for a spin and enjoy a massage in their suite before retiring to one of Feline Fields’ star beds for a night in the open desert air.

19. Vumbura Plains, Okavango Delta

Best for big cats In the north of the Okavango Delta, Vumbura Plains is in a prime position for wildlife sightings — especially when it comes to big cats. Lions are tough predators in these parts, known for taking down big prey such as buffalos, while leopards might be found hauling their kill up a tree, and even cheetahs are spotted roaming the plains. Wild dogs hound lechwe across the waterways and herds of elephants browse the trees. Vumbura is also one of the most luxurious properties in the delta, with 14 huge suites each with private plunge pools and spacious decks overlooking the water.

wildernessdestinations.com

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The world’s best safari companies – African tour operators

Safari. What an adventure!

But only when you do it right .

It’s not just the quality of the guiding and accommodation that makes a difference; it’s where and when you go .

The best safari travel agents provide you access to exclusive, wildlife-rich areas where you can fully connect with your wild side.

Over the last two decades, I’ve witnessed the good, the bad, the very bad, but also the very best safari companies in Africa .

As they say at National Geographic magazine: “in a time when travel dollars are stretched, it’s essential that an outfitter delivers the trip of a lifetime, the first time”.

That is why the tour companies selected below are the best of the best, because they deliver on the first experience .

10 of the Best African Safari Tour Operators

I have based the listing of the best Africa safari companies on my own experiences, along with National Geographic Adventure’s selection of the Best Adventure Travel Companies .

Out of hundreds of safari companies and tour operators surveyed, only the very top were chosen (based on criteria like education , sustainability , quality of service, and spirit of adventure ).

Best Africa Tour Companies

If you’re looking to have an unforgettable safari in Africa, then you better check out some of the best Africa tour companies below.

1. Micato Safaris

“The Travel+Leisure 10-Year Winner.”

Best For : Exclusive, private safaris. This company focuses on Eastern and Southern African countries.

2. Wilderness Safaris

“Creating Life-Changing Journeys.”

Best For : Exceptional safari experiences in Africa’s untouched wilderness.

Wilderness Safaris have around 40 luxury safari camps in over 5 countries , including Botswana , Kenya , and Rwanda.

They are committed to eco-friendly tourism , which is why these luxurious trips help protect biodiversity, conserve wildlife, and give back to local communities.

wilderness-safaris.com

3. andBeyond

“Leaving Our World a Better Place for 30 Years.”

Best For : Luxury safaris, though they do have broader options for families.

andBeyond have a luxury safari experience in 9 different countries in Africa , including South Africa , Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia .

andbeyond.com

4. Thomson Safaris

“40 Years of Wildlife Safaris.”

Best For : Safari in Tanzania. Their packages are well suited to every budget, which is why they are known as one of the best Tanzania safari companies.

Destinations include Mount Kilimanjaro , Serengeti , Selous Game Reserve , Olduvai Gorge , Ngorongoro Crater , Tarangire National Park , and Zanzibar .

thomsonsafaris.com

5. Mark Thornton Safaris

“It’s Not Only What You See. It’s How You See It.”

Best For : Tarangire and Serengeti walking safaris in Tanzania . This is one of the best Tanzania safari tour operators on the continent.

thorntonsafaris.com

6. Volcanoes Safaris

“The Number 1 Gorilla Safari Company.”

Best For : Gorilla trekking . Volcanoes Safaris is especially renowned for its gorilla safaris in Uganda and Rwanda .

Volcanoes Safaris also organize trips to the DRC and Tanzania.

volcanoessafaris.com

7. Africa Adventure Consultants

“Safaris for the Discerning Traveler.”

Best For : A tailored multi-destination (multi-country) safari.

Destinations include (East and Southern Africa)  Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda , Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia , Zimbabwe , Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.

adventuresinafrica.com

8. Gamewatchers Safaris

“Exclusive Safaris in Africa’s Finest Wildlife Areas.”

Best For : Classic safari experiences in East Africa .

9. The Africa Adventure Company

“Your Passport for a Safari Trip to Africa’s Top Wildlife Countries.”

Best For : An East and Southern Africa safari specialist, this is one of the best-rated African safari tour companies for good-value first-time adventures.

africa-adventure.com

10. Africa Dream Safaris

“Experience Your Dreams.”

Best For : Activities concentrated in East Africa, including unique safari activities .

africadreamsafaris.com

More of the Best Africa Safari Companies

The above list is by no means exhaustive .

There are many other top safari companies that will also do a great job, but they do not fall within the top 10.

Abercrombie & Kent

If you are looking for the best luxury safari companies in Africa, then you have found the right one.

Abercrombie & Kent cater to those who want to experience luxurious travel but still rough it out in the African bush .

Norman Carr Safaris

Norman Carr Safaris operates in Zambia, specifically in South Luangwa National Park .

They are one of the original safari operators in this park, and the pioneers of walking safaris to promote eco-safari tourism.

Deeper Africa

As one of the world’s best African safari tour companies, Deeper Africa is an East Africa safari specialist .

Embark with them for an enriching experience guided by African wildlife experts.

African Portfolio

African Portfolio is best for first-time visitors to East and Southern Africa looking for simple safari itineraries .

They also have trips to Morocco and Egypt.

There is no standard route in Africa. After more than a decade of exploring, I still haven’t seen half the continent .

There is always somewhere new to go, and something new to try. So I really encourage you to live out the Africa of your dreams , wherever and whatever that may be.

It can be a little daunting at first. To get started, check out the safari planning pages on Africa Freak.

Once you understand a little about African safari check out these incredible safari deals – you’re sure to find a wildlife adventure like no other.

Used an African safari company’s services before?

Why don’t you share your experience in the comments section.

About The Author

Michael Theys

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19 thoughts on “the world’s best safari companies – african tour operators”.

For that time may be true but nowadays there’s lots of tour companies which offer best services with affordable price. You might also found them in Tanzania including https://luitours.com/ . You should pay another visit soon.

LuiTours & Safaris is Tanzanian Tour Company based in Moshi (Kilimanjaro) and Dar es Salaam, and it offers the most competitive rates on safari tour packages. https://luitours.com/ If you are looking for the ultimate safari experience, day trips or looking to relax on best Indian Ocean beaches of Zanzibar, our team will make sure that your holiday becomes unforgettable.

Elevate your adventure with upcoming safari company, standing out among the top ten best African safari companies. Expert guides guarantee exclusive wildlife encounters, from the Big Five to birdwatching delights in diverse destinations like the Serengeti and the lush Okavango Delta. As you sip sundowners against Africa’s breathtaking sunsets, rest assured that upcoming company is committed to eco-conscious travel and your safety and comfort. Capture every awe-inspiring moment on your camera, making memories that will last a lifetime. For me once used Tanzania Inside and Safari, and everything went well

There are so more amazing companies just like: https://www.sunstripafricasafaris.com/

We had an awesome experience the last time we visited Kenya and Tanzania. Our guides were incredibly nice and patient with us and very informative.

Thank you for having these selections.

Perhaps, there are so more amazing companies just like https://wildtravelsafaris.com . We had an awesome experience the last time we visited Uganda & Rwanda. Our guide Richard was incredibly nice and patient with us for the 2 weeks. He answered almost every question and made sure everything was in order as per the earlier agreement.

When it comes to Uganda or Rwanda Gorilla Trekking, you want to use https://wildtravelsafaris.com and also https://www.ugandatravelsafaris.com as an alternative platforms of them. They offer unforgettable journeys to gorillas. Give them an opportunity, you won’t regret it.

Thank you Michael for the insights.

We had an awesome experience the last time we visited Uganda. Our guide Tony was incredibly nice and patient with us. He answered all the little questions and made sure all was in order as per the earlier agreement.

When it comes to Uganda or Rwanda Gorilla Trekking, you want to use https://silverbackgorillatrekking.com , they offer unforgettable journeys to gorillas.

Give them a shot and you wont regret.

I have see that you point out 10 of the Best African Safari Tour Operators that is Great but there is another company that deserves space in the top 10 – Foot Slopes Tours and Safaris ltd, website https://www.footslopestours.com/ They organize the best private custom safari, honeymoon, Kilimanjaro climbing, hiking and trekking mountain family holidays in Tanzania. They have experienced safari guides and staffs are best in the industry.

In essence it’s a tough pick for the best safari companies as best is relative and times change. Moreover, companies evolve for better and unfortunately others for worse. There are also local based companies that have competence and overall good service.

Check out https://www.alphadeantoursandsafaris.com/ as well as https://www.africamagicalsafaris.com/index.php

It would also be nice to consider Kenya-based safari companies like Explorer Kenya Tours and Travel for honeymooners safaris, photography safaris and Kenya wildlife safaris. See them on http://www.explorerkenya.com .

This is not a definitive, or updated list of the world’s ”best” safari companies. I think A&K should surely make the proper list, along with & Beyond. But someone has rightfully pointed out that these companies are quite expensive. A few years ago, I enjoyed a fabulous African Safari in Kenya with Shoor Safaris ( http://www.shoortravel.com/ ) at much cheaper rates using the same properties I was being offered by a top US operator. So do shop around and book wisely.

Thanks for your comment Carol. Sure, it’s not a “definitive” list. At the end of the day, it all depends on what YOU’re looking for. Choose wisely and “safari njema”! 😉

Based on the dates you posted the article, that was true but now things have really changed. Those tour companies that are not keeping up with the advancement of technology especially online marketing are being overtaken by smaller operators who have invested heavily in online marketing.

Most of the companies listed above are very expensive. I found a newer tour operator based in the US that runs their trips out of an office in Tanzania. They where almost half the price of the quote I got from Micato and 35% less than Thomsons. Our trip was great. I guess that the others charge more because they have a name. Anyway, check them out and see if they can do your trip cheaper http://www.etripafrica.com .

Good Safari.

I have gone through the list of safari companies listed and while it is true that they do offer great services, I am not sure that they are the top 10. There are a number of companies operating regionally and internationally that offer just as good or better services.

Another thing is there are some good companies who have had their names sullied by one disgruntled client over the most minor issue. Tour guides are humans and something like a flat tire is something that is sometimes unavoidable. However, some clients since they book these tours way in advance a few things could have happened in the months leading up to the safari making them wish they hadn’t booked. Take the world economic crisis, a client books his safari one or two years in advance only to lose a job. So reviews by clients should be taken in totality not from one disgruntled client.

Hello Michael.

I have seen the list of the top 10 safari companies doing safaris in Africa. In Uganda you have listed Volcanoes only. There is another company that deserves space in the top 10 – Advantage Safaris ltd, website http://www.advantage-safaris.com . They organize the best birdwatching, gorilla tracking, chimpanzee tracking and family holidays in both Uganda and Rwanda. The guides and safari drivers employed by Advantage Safaris ltd are the best in the industry.

All safari goers should be a little wary of the ‘group style’ safaris on offer. Remember that you are trying to get close to wildlife and be sensitive as well as be educated. Larger groups, of say 16 people or more, in numerous vehicles can find this a little difficult. Large groups are often led by ‘an expert’ with driver/guides in the other vehicles. Whilst this keeps the cost per head down some the overall ‘life time experience ‘ can get a little diluted by sharing one so called ‘expert’ between 16-20 group members.

Tanzania is a wonderful safari destination but you cannot beat a small group of up to 8 visitors being guided by two excellent guides in two well equipped vehicles. Guides that know the back roads and want to explore.

Camp in remote locations, don’t be surrounded by cement in a lodge. It costs more but these basic rules can get a visitor closer to that dream vacation.

I agree that it is impossible to limit the world’s best safari companies down to a list of 10, especially when each safari company is focused on a different region and/or type of trip (adventure, family, honeymoon, luxury, etc.). In many cases it’s like comparing apples and oranges.

Thanks for the feedback, you definitely have a point here. Of course, they can't possibly make a "real" top 10 out of the thousands of safari companies out there. But then again, how would you do it? Did you check out their methodology? Basically, it is based on surveys that follow specific categories: education, sustainability, quality of service and spirit of adventure.

About the "trip of a lifetime" experience. This goal should always be on top of the list, totally agree with you. The question is: are they all going for it? I don't think so. I have read a few stories where people were really not well catered for. In my opinion, there are always companies out there that are looking for a quick buck no matter what… even if it has to be at the expense of their clients.

Not quite sure what you're trying to imply about the recession bit. Did you read that? Possible but am not aware of it.

Hello Michael,

Interesting topic that is being discussed here. I must say though that the premise of NG a bit of an awkward one is. 'Delivering a trip of a lifetime the first time'?? In my opinion a safari outfitter should ALWAYS try to achieve this goal the first time. Now NG suggests that there are a number of operators out there that are not doing their utmost to accommodate clients the first time and that they will only do so in times of recession.

I therefore dare to say that this survey is absolute nonsense, as NG will not have the possibility to survey 100's of operators. Why? Because they have other things to do than being a consumer watchdog on safaris. I am not implying that the mentioned companies are no good, I am just saying that out of all the thousands of companies selling safaris, you can not just make a list of 10.

What do you think yourself Michael?

Cheers from Holland.

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• World's Best

The Top 10 African Safari Tours in 2021

Scott Bay is a magazine editor specializing in travel, architecture, and gear. He was previously an assistant editor at Travel + Leisure . His work has also appeared in Wired , Architectural Digest , Wallpaper , Robb Report , Saveur , Daily Beast , and more.

This year's World's Best Awards survey was open for voting January 11 through May 10, 2021, as destinations around the world were lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Survey rules have always allowed readers to reflect on their travel experiences over a three-year period. We hope that this year's honorees will inspire your own travels as you get back out into the world.

A safari tops most of Travel + Leisure readers' bucket lists — a trip that many spend a lifetime daydreaming about , saving for, and eventually splurging on. On this type of adventure, travelers pull out all of the stops and have high expectations. One of the best ways to have that dream trip live up to expectations is to hire one of the best safari outfitters, as voted by the discerning readers of T+L.

Every year for our World's Best Awards survey , T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated tour operators and safari outfitters based on their staff and guides, itineraries and destinations, activities, accommodations, food, and overall value.

The safari companies favored by T+L readers owe much of their success to the talented advisors, who get to know their clients so they can create truly customized trips. "We couldn't have worked with a better group of people," one reader said of No. 5 winner Travel Beyond. "They were friendly, efficient, informative, and made sure our entire trip went smoothly. We never had a care."

Each safari outfitter also displays a deep connection to the national world and conservation efforts . Readers felt that No. 10 andBeyond particularly excelled in this area: "They have an excellent commitment to local communities, protecting wildlife and the environment." Another reader said of No. 9 Wilderness Safaris, "Their commitment to local communities and protecting wildlife is outstanding."

Read on to see the full list of T+L readers' picks for the best safari outfitters — all of which not only make spotting the Big Five easy but also arrange unparalleled perks and accommodations.

1. Micato Safaris

This company has been voted onto T+L's list of the world's best safari outfitters every year since the awards' inception — and for good reason. The family-run business has deep roots in Kenya, and its owners' love for the country (and continent) is evident in the way they operate. Each itinerary, whether private or with a group, is tailored to be the most luxurious, comfortable, and exciting adventure possible. Readers couldn't say enough kind words about their recent trips. "Never met tour guides or staff that were so friendly and knowledgeable about the animals and the locations and the culture," wrote one reader. "They seemed to have a sixth sense for anticipating our needs. It was really something." A few more touted Micato's reputation, with one saying, "Simply the best safari outfitter in Africa. Bar none."

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Score: 98.88 More information: micato.com

2. Extraordinary Journeys

Score: 98.21 More information: extraordinaryjourneys.com

3. Dazzle Africa

Score: 98.08 More information: dazzleafrica.org

4. Thomson Safaris

Score: 97.73 More information: thomsonsafaris.com

5. Travel Beyond

Score: 96.82 More information: travelbeyond.com

6. Volcanoes Safaris

Score: 95.78 More information: volcanoessafaris.com

7. Alluring Africa

Score: 93.26 More information: alluringafrica.com

8. Rothschild Safaris

Score: 92.81 More information: rothschildsafaris.com

9. Wilderness Safaris

Score: 92.80 More information: wilderness-safaris.com

10. andBeyond

Score: 90.20 More information: andbeyond.com

See all of our readers' favorite hotels, cities, airlines, cruise lines, and more in the World's Best Awards for 2021 .

Travel Guide

• Things to Do
• Things to See
• Planning a Trip
• Specialty Tours

Organized Tours in Botswana

You'll have no trouble finding safari operators or packages. They run the gamut to suit a range of interests and pockets, from fly-in safaris to luxurious lodges, to all-hands-on-deck-type trips with nights spent under canvas.

Safari Operators Specializing in Botswana

• &Beyond (previously CC Africa) -- www.andbeyond.com
• African Bushcamps -- www.africanbushcamps.com
• Bush Ways Safari -- www.bushways.com
• Desert & Delta -- www.desert-delta-safaris.com
• Footsteps in Africa -- www.footsteps-in-africa.com
• Hartley's Safaris -- www.hartleys.co.za
• Ker & Downey -- www.kerdowneybotswana.com
• Kwando Safaris -- www.kwando.co.za
• Maplanga -- www.maplanga.co.za
• Moremi Safaris & Tours -- www.moremi-safaris.com
• Okavango Tours & Safaris -- www.okavango.com
• Orient Express Safaris -- www.orient-express-safaris.co.za
• Penduka Safaris -- www.pendukasafaris.co.za
• Sanctuary Lodges & Camps -- www.sanctuarylodges.com
• Uncharted Africa Safari Co. -- www.unchartedafrica.com
• Wilderness Safaris -- www.wilderness-safaris.com

Mobile vs. Fly-In Safaris

Certainly, the only way to appreciate the broad changes of scenery in Botswana is to plan a trip that encompasses the Delta (in which you should try to visit both a "wet" and "dry" camp, or one that combines these terrains), the greater Chobe Area, and the Kalahari; Victoria Falls is an easy add-on. To cover this, you'll need to stay a minimum of 7 nights and to opt for a fly-in safari. (If you don't have enough time or don't like to move around that much, combine a 3-night Delta stay with 2 nights in the Kalahari for greatest contrast.)

Most people with limited time opt for fly-in safaris, moving between camps to experience different landscapes within an hour, and usually with the same operator to ensure smooth transfers between camps (the exception being the Kalahari region, which many operators in the north do not cover; if you wish to add on a visit to this area, either choose an operator that covers it, or book a recommended operator in the north and then with Uncharted Africa, the best Kalahari outfit). Depending on your budget and what you want out of your trip, however, mobile safaris -- the more traditional safari, in which you ride, walk, or canoe to your next camp -- range from basic participation tours, during which you may be expected to erect your own tent, to the ultraluxurious expeditions that require you to lift a finger only to summon another cold drink. Participants are transported in a suitably modified open-topped vehicle (or a mokoro/canoe), and they camp or lodge overnight at predetermined destinations. Usually the camps will be without electricity or the comforts of plumbing, but the experience of an authentic back-to-nature safari in this prime wilderness is unforgettably thrilling.

The following operators, mostly local to southern Africa (that is, they will be used by international agents, who may add a commission), are all highly recommended.

Tip: Another way to shop is with two excellent Web-based agents, www.expertafrica.com and www.africatravelresource.com. Their agents travel regularly and provide honest information on just about every lodge and camp in Botswana (expertafrica.com also has traveler reviews), and will create an itinerary to suit your budget.

African Bushcamps -- A small portfolio of owner-run semipermanent tented camps, as well as mobile tented camp expeditions, this is for the luxury camping seeker who is looking for the real deal: a simple, understated tented safari experience, similar to the original explorations of Africa, hosted by a couple who are passionate about the bush and guest experience. Great value for your money.

&Beyond -- &Beyond (previously CC Africa, but now with an international portfolio) are known for the great design ethos of their camps; every new camp they open -- such as the latest, Xudum and Xaranna -- is destined to feature in top decor magazines. And the exclusivity, privacy, and space of their suites are hard to beat. Service at their top camps is also top notch, including private butlers. With four camps, their penetration in the Delta has improved, and they also have the best selection of luxury camps in South Africa.

Bush Ways Safaris -- This operator offers small and custom participation tours, themed around certain animals and best suited for more adventurous travelers who want an authentic experience. Guests stay in small dome tents and travel overland in an open Land Rover. Several itineraries are available, taking in all parts of Botswana, including Chobe, Moremi, the delta, Makgadikgadi, and the Kalahari.

Footsteps in Africa -- This relatively new company is a breath of fresh air in this seriously expensive region. Footsteps specializes in Botswana (Kruger is the only other destination), and they probably offer the most affordable way to experience the country's key destinations. You'll stay in moderate budget camps, such as Oddballs, Delta Camp, and Mapula Lodge, but fly in with Delta Air, which they own. It's an unpretentious outfit, offering much more for your money than most.

Ker & Downey -- Along with their five Botswana camps, this well-known top-end operator has a superb hand-picked property portfolio across southern Africa. With the best walking program (Footsteps) and mokoro trails (from their Kanana camp) in the Delta, Ker & Downey expeditions are an excellent value for those who want an authentic safari experience (camping in comfort). Agents will customize a very personal itinerary, depending on interest and budget; given their spread throughout southern Africa, you could do a grand journey across five countries, including semiurban and city destinations. (Wilderness Safaris, with an even greater spread in southern Africa, is concentrated solely in wilderness areas.)

Kwando -- This small, very professional outfit is a relatively good value, with some of the best camps in Botswana (Kwara, Little Kwara, and Lebala, in particular). It's more expensive than Footsteps, which is where you should look if you are watching your budget (or consider Zambia), but the Kwando camps are in a class of their own and well worth the extra cost if you can afford it.

Mike Penman's Wild Lifestyles -- Voted one of the top 15 safari guides in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, Penman -- who has produced and facilitated a number of wildlife documentaries -- offers private, custom-made luxury tented safaris aimed particularly at people with an interest in photography or filmmaking. Tents usually house no more than four guests.

Orient Express Safaris -- Orient Express is another operator that needs no introduction. The well-heeled international globetrotter has a choice of three camps in Botswana: two in the delta and one in Chobe. In classic Orient Express style, it offers top-of-the-range, unabashed luxury. &Beyond has the edge in terms of camp design and knowledge of the bush, but the staff training at Orient Express shines through.

Penduka Safaris -- Though it's based in Namibia, this trusted, reliable operator is one of the most established mobile safari companies in Botswana, offering fully catered and serviced camping trips in campsites throughout most of southern Africa.

Sanctuary Lodges & Camps -- This top-end operator, a division of the otherwise increasingly second-rate Abercrombie & Kent, offers a similar experience (at a similar price) as Wilderness Safaris. With just four lovely camps in northern Botswana (Baines', Stanley's, Chief's, and Chobe Chilwero), they don't penetrate Southern Africa like Wilderness Safaris does, but they can set up an itinerary that includes visits to one or more of their five new camps in Zambia.

Uncharted Africa Safari Co. -- This is the foremost operator in Botswana's Kalahari region. Besides the luxurious HQ camp (Jack's Camp), you can ask for mobile expeditions into the desert, as well as trips north to the delta and Chobe -- though that area is better serviced by Wilderness Safaris. I would urge you to include this personal favorite of mine into a Delta trip.

Wilderness Safaris -- Wilderness Safaris has some of the best concessions in Botswana, and by far the most camps. Since launching the much-lauded Mombo Camp in mid-2000, the company has grown exponentially. Today they operate some 60 lodges and camps in southern Africa (21 in Botswana), producing enough revenue to conserve 2.7 million hectares of wilderness. Service and design is not quite as OTT as &Beyond's -- with the exception of their pricey Premier Camps, the ethos is determinedly conservation. But this company has garnered immense respect within the industry, even among direct competitors. Given also their impeccable responsible tourism standards, it's a top choice.

Note : This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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Matador Original Series

The 9 Best Countries for Safari Vacations Around the World

F or centuries, the concept of the safari has captivated travelers, conjuring images of vast savannas teeming with iconic African wildlife. However, the modern safari experiences extends far beyond East Africa’s dusty plains.

Today, some of the best countries for safari across the world aren’t where you’d expect, but all offer opportunities to see animals in their natural habitats — albeit vastly different habitats, depending on where you go. Many counties offer excellent experiences, but the nine destinations below highlight the best of the best, including what makes them attractive to wildlife enthusiasts. You can still have a great safari vacation in the long-established safari powerhouses of East and Southern Africa, but lesser-known destinations like India and Rwanda also offer bucket-list safari experiences.

Whether you’re dreaming of encountering the Big Five in an arid savanna or observing a century-old endemic creature sauntering across a remote beach, one of the nine best countries for safari vacations below should suit your travel goals.

• The nine best countries for safaris
• Costs for safaris in Africa and beyond
• Safaris versus game drives: what’s the difference?

Botswana: the best for luxury

Many safari vacations in Botswana include private flights between remote lodges. Photo: Rosa Zwaiman /Shutterstock

Botswana is also a bit unique in the world of safaris as it has smaller, more diverse landscapes, rather than vast savannas. In Botswana, the iconic Okavango Delta weaves a watery oasis through the Kalahari Desert, creating habitats for everyone from wildebeest and lions to flamingos and hippos. A popular activity is exploring the lush paradise by gliding silently in a mokoro , a traditional dugout canoe.

Botswana prioritizes low-impact, high-end tourism. More than 25 percent of the country is within national parks, giving the animals plenty of space to roam freely and creating a more adventurous safari experience, as there’s no set area where certain animals usually are at any given time. Some Botswana safari camps are luxurious and semi-permanent , ensuring personalized experiences with minimal environmental footprint. This exclusivity makes Botswana safaris pricier compared to others, but the focus on conservation is undeniable. Revenue directly contributes to protecting these magnificent creatures and their habitats. Because so much of the country is inaccesible via road, you’ll find more luxe safari packages that include flights between lodges, rather than driving between parks.

While Botswana excels in predator sightings, with lions, leopards, and cheetahs frequently gracing the landscape, it offers even more. It’s a haven for the endangered African wild dog and boasts rare antelopes like the sitatunga (an amphibious antelope). If you’re keen on animals that live in the water, book one stay near the Chobe River, where you’ll witness massive elephant herds gathering and see giant floats of hippos and thousands of rare birds.

Read more about Botswana Sleep Above Lions at This Luxe Botswana Safari Camp How to Take Your Family on an African Safari For Locally Owned African Safaris, Community and Conservation Come First

Rwanda: the best for gorillas (or road trips)

A juvenile mountain gorilla Rwanda. Photo: Suzie Dundas

Rwanda offers a unique safari experience unlike any other in Africa. While most safaris focus on spotting lions, elephants, and other big game in the savanna, Rwanda’s specialty is encountering primates, particularly the majestic mountain gorilla. Volcanoes National Park, located in the Virunga Massif mountain range, is the most famous destination for gorilla trekking and home to more than one-third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas,. Travelers willing to shell out for a trekking permit, which costs about $1,500 per person for one day, can trek into the mountains to see the intelligent, emotive giants in their natural habitat, observing them as they go about their daily lives.

But recently, Rwanda has begun attracting attention for its other national parks. Akagera National Park is home to some of the world’s most successful rhino and lion rehabilitation and reintroduction programs, and Nyungwe National Park protects one of the oldest rainforests in Africa, as well as 13 primate species. The small country also has a very unique landscape, and the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” has lush rainforests blanketing volcanoes and volcanoes, as well as sprawling lakes. And because it’s a very small country, it’s possible to see it all in one trip.

When compared to other safari destinations in Africa, Rwanda offers a more intimate and unique wildlife encounter. While you won’t see the vast herds of animals found in the savannas of Kenya or Tanzania, the chance to come face-to-face with a gorilla family is a truly special experience. But for the ability to do a game drive at Akagera, then driving two hours to go see gorillas, it’s absolutely unbeatable.

Read more about Rwanda A First Look Inside Ellen DeGeneres’s New Gorilla Conservation Center in Rwanda $35 Safaris, $190 Lux Glamping: a Budget African Safari in Rwanda Use Instagram to Save Endangered Gorillas: Introducing the ‘GorillaGram’

India: the best for tigers

Bengal tiger in Kanha National Park. Photo: Suzie Dundas

Unlike the open savannas of Africa, Indian adventures take place in vibrant jungles, rugged terrains, and protected national parks. While spotting wildlife requires patience and skilled guides, India is one of the best countries for safaris if you’re keen to see one particularly famous animal: the elusive Bengal tiger .

Jeep safaris are the standard mode of exploration as they’re well suited navigating dense forests and rocky hillsides. Expect encounters with tigers, elephants, rhinos, sloth bears, and a dazzling array of birdlife. And accommodation options are varied, catering to a wider range of budgets compared to Africa. Lodge operators like Pugdundee Safaris offer luxury lodges as fancy as any posh, five-star lodge in Kenya, but there are also hotels generally called “domestic” hotels — more budget hotels designed for domestic tourists who don’t want to spend as much money as foreign travelers. But anyone can stay at any hotel, meaning you can book a domestic hotel and save a ton of dough.

For prime tiger tracking, Ranthambore National Park reigns supreme with its high tiger density. Bandhavgarh National Park boasts beautiful landscapes with frequent sightings, while Kanha National Park’s lush forests shelter tigers and barasingha (swamp deer). Weather-wise, it can get pretty chilly in India, and on early morning safaris, you’ll probably want gloves, an insulated jacket, and a warm hat.

Most tiger and safari operations are in Madhya Pradesh, accessible via a two-hour flight from Delhi.

Read more about India India Is the Best Place to See Tigers in the Wild, Thanks to Conservation Efforts 7 Epic Places to See Bengal Tigers in the Wild 5 Awesome Wildlife Safaris That Aren’t in Africa

Sri Lanka: the best for leopards and elephants

An Asian elephant in Minneriya National Park, Sri Lanka. Photo: Suzie Dundas

The small nation of Sri Lanka has a remarkable concentration of wildlife within a relatively small area, making it a paradise for nature enthusiasts.

Sri Lanka’s most sought-after wildlife encounter is one with the endangered Sri Lankan leopard, a solitary predator with the highest density of any leopard subspecies in the world. Spotting rates are excellent compared to other big cats in Africa or India. Sri Lanka is also a haven for Asian elephants, the world’s largest land mammal, and safari-goers will often see herds grazing and bathing, as the island has the highest density of elephants in Asia. It’s also home to five endemic primates, including the playful toque macaque and the endangered langur. More than 480 species of birds call Sri Lanka home, making it a paradise for birdwatchers.

Yala National Park is undoubtedly the most popular national park in Sri Lanka, with the highest density of leopards of anywhere in the world (plus sloth bears). Wilpattu National Park is the largest in the country, and Udawalawe and Minneriya national parks offer near-guaranteed elephant sightings. Sri Lanka game drives are relatively inexpensive, and you can find private half-day game drives for around $50-$60 per person. Depending on where you go in the country, you’ll want to avoid monsoon seasons. On the west and south coasts, December through April are wet and rainy, and September to November is the best time to skip the east coast.

Canada: the best for bears

Photo: GUDKOV ANDREY /Shutterstock

If you’re looking for the best countries for safaris to see polar bears, you’ll want to head to Canada — specifically, Churchill, in Manitoba. Nearly 1,000 polar bears migrate through the area each summer and fall, making the small town one of the best places to see the endangered Ursus maritimus. Polar bear safaris in Manitoba prioritize safety and responsible wildlife viewing and are highly regulated at the federal level, with strict guidelines and laws to ensure minimal disruption to the bears.

Churchill is one of the most beautiful locations for a cold-weather safari, with the stark landscapes of the tundra creating a dramatic backdrop for observing the magnificent predators. Polar bear safaris in Canada are generally pricier than traditional African safaris, generally ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 per person depending on factors like the tour operator, lodge accommodations, whether seaplanes and bush plane transportation is included, and the length of your stay.

The most well-known polar bear safari lodge operator is Churchill Wild, which runs three luxury lodges around Canada and sells extended, all-inclusive packages. But you’ll find local operators around Churchill offering polar bear tours in case you want to book just a quick day or overnight trip. And if grizzly bears are more your thing: head to western British Columbia, where resorts like Tweedsmuir Park Lodge cater to visitors keen to spot grizzly bears in their natural habitat via hikes and river floats around Bella Coola and Stuie.

Read more about Canadian safaris You Can Spend the Night with Wolves at this Canadian Park  Wapusk National Park: How to See Polar Bear Cubs in the Wild See Grizzlies From Your Front Porch at This Canadian Wilderness Lodge What You Must Know About Seeing Polar Bears in Canada’s Far North

The United States: the best for travelers short on time

Photo: CherylRamalho /Shutterstock

Travelers in the States may think they need to fly across the world to go on safari, but the US actually has several fantastic places to see rare animals in the wild. Many are close to national parks, since the US has 63 national park, covering 85 million acres. However, unlike in other popular countries for safari vacations, you have to work a little harder to find game drives in the US, as they’re not a standard offering at most parks. You’ll need to figure out what species you want to see, then seek our a wildlife viewing-tour or photo safari operator in that area. But it’s one of the best countries for a safari-filled long weekend, especially if you live near a major airport.

Good places for safari vacations around the US include:

• Yellowstone National Park: Often called the “Serengeti of North America,” Yellowstone is a must-visit for wildlife enthusiasts. Visitors with a keen eye may be able to spot wolves, bighorn sheep, and bears, and almost anyone visiting for more than an hour or so will likely see bison, elk, and dozens of other species. You can explore by jeep tours, guided hikes, or even horseback riding or even snowcoaches, if you visit in the winter .There are lots of private tour companies licensed to operate in the park , and the park’s lodges also offer wildlife-viewing drives, like the “ Wake up with Wildlife ” drive from the Roosevelt Lodge or Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.
• The areas around Everglades National Park: Visitors to Florida can glide through the lush wetlands surrounding the Everglades in an airboat, spotting alligators, snakes, turtles, and maybe even manatees, plus a vast array of birdlife. And the airboats are a unique way to explore the swampy ecosystem , even if you aren’t lucky enough to spot dozens of gators.
• The Brooks Range, Alaska : Katmai National Park and Preserve is the crown jewel of grizzly bear viewing in Alaska but the Brooks Range in general has a hug amount of grizzly bears. Brooks Camp is the most famous location for bear watching, but local companies like Alaska Bear Adventures also offer guided tours. You’ll also find helicopter and bush plane tours to spot grizzly bears offered from most cities in Alaska, as well as from most luxury or wilderness lodges.

Read more about wildlife in the US 8 Places to See Wild Horses in North America The 9 Best Hotels Near the Entrances of Yellowstone National Park Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park Is America’s Answer to Norway 8 Places to See Wild Animals Up Close in the US  The Best Places to go Whale Watching in Hawai’i

Brazil: the best for boat safaris

A jaguar watching tourists in Brazil. Photo: reisegraf.ch /Shutterstock

In Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, you’ll swap jeep rides through plains for exploration by boat, canoe, and maybe on foot, venturing deep into the world’s most biodiverse ecosystem. Unlike the open savannas of Africa, the Amazon is dense and filled with foliage, creating an always-lush canopy under which you’ll have to twist and turn at times. Brazil is one of the best countries for safari vacations if you want a sensory experience, waking to symphony of bird calls, and hearing the constant rustle of unseen creatures in the foliage.

The Amazon basin has the most biodiverse ecosystem on Earth with a staggering amount of wildlife, from graceful pink river dolphins and elusive jaguars to a mind-boggling array of birds, insects, and primates. After a few days in the Amazon, you’ll likely have spotted howler monkeys swinging through the canopy, colorful toucans perched on branches, and playful sloths hanging upside down. On Amazon safaris, you’ll likely do several boat “game drives” on tributaries, often in traditional canoes, and sometimes may even be based on a river boat, depending on what kind of safari you book.

Popular gateway cities for Amazon safaris include Manaus, Brazil; and Leticia, Colombia. From there, you’ll fly or take a boat to eco-lodges within the rainforest, from higher-end resorts like Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge to Amazon Eco Lodge near Manaus. Brazil’s dry season is May to October, during which water levels make exploring easier and offer a higher chance of spotting wildlife around water sources — but it’s also peak tourist season. The wet season is November to April, when the rainforest is alive and vibrant and waterfalls are flowing (and crowds are smaller). But some areas might become inaccessible due to higher water levels. Prices are generally cheaper in the wet season.

Read more about Brazil Novo Airão in Brazil Is the Perfect Gateway to a Remote Amazonian Adventure Your Sustainable Travel Guide to the Wild and Remote Brazil Atlantic Forest The 10 Most Romantic and Convenient Rio de Janeiro Hotels Brazil Tribe Wins as Hotel Group Cancels Plans for 500-Room Resort

Ecuador: the best for unique species

Photo: IntoTheWorld /Shuttestock

On a safari in the Galapagos, part of Ecuador, you’ll explore volcanic landscapes, swim through coral reefs teeming with life, and walk on pristine beaches alongside unique animals found nowhere else on earth. The iconic giant tortoises are undoubtedly the stars, but look out for playful sea lions lounging on the beaches, curious blue-footed boobies comically jumping through undergrowth, and the elusive Galapagos short-eared owl perched in the cacti forests.

The Galapagos Islands are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with strict regulations in place to protect the ecosystem, and tight rules about sustainable tourism practices. Those are all positive things, but it does make the Galapagos pricier than some other safari destinations. Prices can vary depending on the itinerary, chosen cruise or land-based tour, and the level of luxury you desire. Budget options start around $3,000 per person, while luxury cruises can reach $10,000 or more. If you book your own lodging, like a Galapagos Airbnb , you can do it a little cheaper.

Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands are also one of the best places for a scuba-diving safari, as the remote marine environment is one of the healthiest and most unique on earth . The nutrient-rich waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands attract a staggering variety of marine creatures, from playful sea lions and graceful sharks to manta rays, rare swimming lizards , and whale sharks. Most scuba diving safaris in the Galapagos operate on liveaboard vessels and can cater to most experience levels, though experienced divers can venture to deeper sites known for encounters with larger pelagic animals.

Read more about Ecuador These Unique Airbnbs Make a Trip to the Galapagos Islands Affordable The Galapagos’ New ‘Ocean Highway’ Will Create Amazing Marine Life Encounters for Visitors You can go glamping under the stars on this luxe Galapagos cruise 10 Things You Can Do in the Galapagos Islands Other Than Look at Tortoises

South Africa: the best for maximizing sightings

Private reserves often offer better odds of spotting multiple animals in a shorter amount of time. Photo: Suzie Dundas

Sure, if you live in the US, it may not seem like South Africa is the most convenient location for a wildlife adventure. But when it comes to cost, ease of travel, and finding Africa’s most well-known species with the least effort, South Africa may just be one of the best countries for a safari in the world.

For starters, getting there is easy. Johannesburg is a major airport, and you can fly direct from several cities in the US, dozens of cities in Europe, and just about every city in the Middle East or Africa. And once you’re in JoBurg, your options for safaris are nearly endless. You can choose from week-long safaris in Kruger National Park, with two game drives per day and luxurious lodging , or do a budget tented safari in a long weekend. You can arrange your own safaris by renting a car and booking your own stays at South Africa’s national parks online via the SAN Parks website , or find extended tours on websites like Viator or GetYourGuide starting around $500 for a three-day safari trip . But you can find trips that leave from cities like Cape Town and Durban, making South Africa one of the best countries for safari trips no matter where you’re based.

If you’re hesitant about traveling to Africa for the first time but have a game drive on your bucket list, you’ll be happy to know that South Africa is one of the best countries for safari cruises. Norwegian Cruise Lines offers fairly affordable cruises that makes several stops in South Africa for daily game drives (and go to a few remote African islands), and Oceana offers higher-end South Africa cruises that start and end in Cape Town .

One thing that really sets South Africa apart as one of the best countries for safari vacations are the country’s private game lodges. Private game lodges often are near or abuting national parks, and are large parcels of privately owned land where animals roam mostly free (like South Africa’s national parks, the property may be fenced in). These game lodges offer similar experiences as national parks — on-site resorts and glamping, game drives, and other wildlife-viewing opportunities, but are often more upscale and private than national parks. Often, it’s easier to find wildlife, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on your point of view.

Many private lodges work with tourism operators to offer all-inclusive stays, including game drives, all meals, lodging, and transportation to and from towns like Johannesburg, Cape Town, or Durban. They’re ideal if you only have a few days to spare and don’t want to rent a car.

Read more about South African safaris African Safari Perfection: A Look Inside Singita’s Resorts in Kruger National Park Spot the Big Five Over Breakfast at These Epic Kruger National Park Airbnbs 5 Things to Know Before Planning Your First Kruger National Park Safari This Luxury Lodge in Kruger National Park Is One of Africa’s Best Safari Destinations 19 Kruger National Park Lodges and Safari Packages, From Budget to Luxe Inside the South African safari lodge that lets you eat breakfast with elephants

What is a safari vs. a game drive?

“Game drives” are what most other countries call the actual activity of looking for wildlife. Photo: Suzie Dundas

The terms “safari” and “game drive” are often used interchangeably among Americans on vacation, but there’s clear difference between them. In most safari destinations, lodges and drivers will make a distinction between the two. A  safari is a broader term, encompassing the entire wildlife-spotting adventure. It comes from a Swahili word meaning “journey,” and refers to the whole trip focused on observing wildlife in the wilderness. A safari can include various activities, not just driving around to look for animals.

Game drives are specific activities that are part of a safari, but they’re the actual drives in open-air vehicles to try to spot wildlife. Usually, if you’re staying at a safari lodge, you’ll do several two- or three-hour game drives a day, most often at dawn and dusk. But you could do other safari activities, like bush walks, boat trips, and visits to local communities.

How much does an African safari cost?

Some luxury safari camps have room with sitting areas, private decks, and high-end bathrooms deep in the savanna. Photo: Digital_Lions /Shutterstock

The cost of an African safari can vary greatly depending on several factors, making it difficult to give a one-size-fits-all answer. Generally, East African safaris (Kenya, Tanzania) tend to be slightly more affordable than Southern African safaris (Mozambique, Botswana). That’s due to a combination of factors, including park entrance fees, transportation, and safari lodge availability. In South Africa, there are so many options between national parks and private game reserves that the prices really run the gamut.

No matter where you go, luxury lodges with private plunge pools and gourmet meals will naturally cost more than rustic camps with shared facilities. Budget camping safaris can start around $150-$200 per person per night, while luxury lodges can reach $1,000 or more per night. But when you’re evaluating the best countries for safaris that won’t break the bank, you need to look at more than just the overall cost. Some safaris include all game drives and activities in the base price, while others might charge extra for night drives, walking safaris, or cultural excursions. Extras like spa services, transfers, and alcohol may or may not be included, too.

Prices vary greatly from country to country, but here are some very basic examples for one-week safaris. None of the prices below include flights, so while African safaris may be cheaper than those in other countries, you’ll need to take into account the cost getting there. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the best countries for safaris are automatically the most well-known ones.

Budget safaris : You can book a 7-night group safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park for $1,299 per person, including all lodging, meals, game drives, lodging, and transportation from Johannesburg.And in Sri Lanka, prices for week-long safaris start just under $1,000 per person, as with this guided safari trip through several national parks .

Mid-range safaris: A week-long safari starting and ending in New Delhi focused on tiger sightings will set you back $2,700 per person, excluding alcohol and some sight/park entrance fees. In the US, you can do a Yellowstone Winter Wonderland Safari for $4,399 per person. It starts and ends in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and includes almost everything, except for a few meals in the park at your leisure.

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My best friend and I are looking to take a 50th birthday trip to Botswana and Mauritius in May or June of 2025. We will have about 2 weeks and a budget of about $10k each, not including international travel. Can anyone provide recommendations for good Africa-based companies that can help us plan this whole trip? I’ve done some research but there are so many companies to choose from and it’s just overwhelming! Thank you!!

2 replies to this topic

How wonderful!! I as well spent my 50th birthday in Botswana, and have absolutely amazing memories.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Expert Africa. (Especially for multi-national travel). They are UK based (as opposed to Bots - based), But they are just SO experienced, and have been in the business forever. They've also literally "written the book" (pun intended). (Chris McIntyre, owner, has written many of the Bradt Guide books).

For a Bots tour operator, I recommend Roger with Safari Lifestyles. He answers on here quite frequently. I have travelled to Bots once with him before, and have a second trip booked. The only reason I didn't list him first, is I am not quite sure of his ability to counsel you with respect to Mauritius.

You don't mention the actual number of days (outside of travel) you are looking at, so it is difficult to judge whether you can come in within budget. (If you say 2 weeks, does that mean you really only have 11 days? And will you be spending some of that time in transit again, say in Joberg, or Maun?) It would help for you to identify: I want 7 days in Bots, and 4 in Mauritius, etc. My initial gut reaction (knowing what my ex spent on fishing lol) is no.......but I am suspecting you won't be paying for fishing guides in Mauritius, so my radar could also be way off. Or, you may only want 4 days in Botswana, and 7 days in Mauritius. And.....I'm sure you've done some research on Botswana, and have realized that May/June could either be shoulder season, or high season. Which, will make a phenomenol difference to the price tag. Also, your choice of private concession vs national park in Bots will be absolutely key to the budget.

Happy planning, it was literally THE best birthday of my life. Loved every second of the trip. And.....that "trip of a lifetime" turned into 4 more.

Wow! Thank you SO much for this great info! I reached out to Expert Africa (as well as a few other companies). We picked Botswana for a few reasons, but are open to other locations (like S.A.) if it’s too difficult/expensive to do Botswana with Mauritius. We are also flexible on our timeline in each place, so could do 6 days in each place or 8/5 or whatever is recommended. We will probably be able to travel for about 16 total days max, including travel from the US. It is both of our first times in Africa, so we are open to all advice or recommendations on how to make the best of our time and budget. The biggest priority is seeing as many animals as possible!

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Botswana Hotels and Places to Stay

Animals Around the Globe

10 Best African Countries for Safari

Posted: December 19, 2023 | Last updated: December 19, 2023

#1 Botswana

Recommended Tours:

Thus, poachers are seen as enemies of the people. As a result, Botswana has come into view as Africa's most sought-after ecotourism destination. Starting from the Chobe National Park to the Moremi Nature Reserve, you'll be able to witness numerous gems all around the country.

Back in 2014, Botswana widely banned the hunting of wild animals and implemented strict laws which are still in practice. The country resumes its zero-tolerance for poaching and their very own environmental minister, Tshekedi Khama, has even launched a shoot-to-kill policy for poachers.

Botswana, with its wildlife conservation and natural parks, is a haven for nature lovers. It is currently in the top 5, as its approach to the protection and conservation of wildlife is worth the praise. As a country, it is very forward-thinking, some may even call it aggressively forward-thinking when it comes to its preservation and anti-poaching laws.

Its fertile land provides a safe and comforting home to around 200 mammal species. This includes elephants, hippos, monkeys and so much more. Along with 650 bird species and 5,500 plants. Even though the country is still underdeveloped and most of the population live in rural households, its national parks, and sight-seeing destinations are on the top 10 of our lists.

Even though many would face some difficulties in locating Malawi on a map, given how tiny it is, the country is home to the world-renowned Lake Malawi National Park. This is practically one-third of the country and is the most biodiverse lake in the world.

Most of the land in Namibia is occupied by the Kalahari and Namib Deserts. Along with that, the country also has 12 national parks and many other areas which are protected. So, if you go there for a safari, you'll have many rich areas to see and explore.

When it comes to countries with the least amount of population, Namibia is one of them. Which proves to be a good thing for nature. This is because most of the land in Namibia is still unspoiled by human filth or any sort of development, giving nature a chance to breathe.

In the country's Volcanoes National Park, you'll find 10 habituated gorilla families. Groups of 8 trekkers can visit them for one hour per day. But that's enough to get the best African safari experience. And as a nature lover, you'll enjoy the experience to the max.

If you've been around for some time, you'll be familiar with Rwanda's mountain gorillas. They were famously broadcasted and their fight for survival was shown on  National Geographic . This was all thanks to the late  Dian Fossey  back in the 1970s who advocated for the rights of these mountain gorillas throughout her life.

Considering the tragic history surrounding the mass genocide of the people of Rwanda back in 1994, it's truly a blessing what the country has achieved in the past 25 years. There have been countless investments in infrastructure. This has resulted in the country being a very fast-growing destination for ecotourism.

#6 South Africa

But given all the advantages, it's safe to conclude that South Africa also suffers from over-tourism. I mean, if you have so many great attractions, people will flock towards it. Chances are that you'll find yourself in the middle of dozens of unruly visitors who are not too keen on obeying the rules. This occurs mostly during the peak seasons.

Annually, the country has one million visitors. Its biggest attraction is the Kruger National Park with its enrichment in biodiversity. Visitors there also have the liberty to self-drive, thus, getting a first-person private but superb experience. 

For some time now, South Africa has been climbing the charts to become one of the most popular destinations for African safaris. Given its location, South Africa is a very convenient and cheap destination for people from the United States. Besides that, the country also boasts a well-developed infrastructure which makes it perfect for luxury travelers as well.

#7 Tanzania

One of the most popular locations would be the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The country is also a haven for 1100 different bird species. It's no wonder that Tanzania gets this much rep. Especially when the country boasts so many wonders.

We talked about Kenya being the top destination for Safari. Now Tanzania here takes second place in being the continent's most popular safari destination. And why shouldn't it? The country has 16 national parks and an extraordinary amount of wealth and wildlife wonders for the people to witness.

Some of its natural attractions include housing the highest mountain range in Africa. It also has the world's largest free-standing volcano and the second-largest freshwater lake. With its 30 national parks and other wildlife reserves, Uganda boasts many more sanctuaries which are worth the visit. Especially if you're a lover of nature and wildlife.

Often called "The Pearl of Africa", Uganda is certainly a great pick for an African safari. Its reputation as being one of the best ecotourism destinations comes from the country's natural attractions and wildlife.

Out of its 20 national parks, the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is home to many wildlife animals such as African elephants, Angolan giraffes, Cape buffalo, etc. Other than that, there are many private ownerships of National parks, notably the Kasanka National Park which is near the basin of Lake Bangweulu. It's a safe place where visitors can see 400 different avian species.

Zambia may be a bit far down the list of popular destinations for your African safari, but many consider it to be a destination for diversified and immersive safari experiences, and making a notable feature on our 10 Best African Countries for Safari guide. The country is steadily focusing on conservation as their president has shown a keen interest and is working on building the nation's economy as well as the infrastructure.

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