Botswana is a land of contrasts: delta and desert; water and sand; verdant, thick bush and empty wide open spaces; human and wildlife; waterways and moonscapes…

The Okavango Delta is one of the richest and most varied habitats in Africa. It is the world’s biggest inland delta – and is home to large numbers of wildlife, comprising common mammals and bird life along with those that are not often seen elsewhere, such as sitatunga, wild dog, and wattled crane. On the mainland and among the islands in the delta, lions, elephants, hyenas, wild dog, buffalo, hippo and crocodiles congregate with a teeming variety of antelope and other smaller animals – warthog, mongoose, spotted genets, monkeys, bush babies and tree squirrels. Fishing, bird watching, game viewing, photography or simple relaxation; indulging any of these in theOkavangoare experiences without parallel.

The Kalahari Desert is the largest unbroken stretch of sand in the world and at its core is the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, one of the largest game reserves in the world. It is famed for its outstanding wildlife, with vast herds of antelope and a number of predators – including the legendary black manned lions of the Kalahari.

The Chobe National Park, which is the second largest national park in Botswana has one of the greatest concentrations of game found on the African continent. Its uniqueness in the abundance of wildlife and the true African nature of the region, offers a safari experience of a lifetime. Often described as one of, if not the best, wildlife-viewing area in Africa today. If you allow yourself adequate time here (a minimum of three to four days is recommended) you will probably see nearly all the major species: giraffe, elephant, zebra, impala, tsessebe, roan, sable, wildebeest, kudu, buffalo, waterbuck, warthog, eland and accompanying predators including lion, hyena, jackal, bat-eared fox and possibly even cheetah and wild dog.

The Moremi Game Reserve makes for spectacular game viewing and bird watching, including all major naturally occurring herbivore and carnivore species in the region, and over 400 species of birds, many migratory and some endangered. Both Black and White Rhino have recently been re-introduced, now making the reserve a ‘Big Five’ destination. Moremi is a very popular destination for the self-drive camper, and is often combined with the Chobe National Park to the northeast.

The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, the Pans of Makgadikgadi were once the centre of a great lake that has now been dry for more than two thousand years. Today, it is thought to be the largest saltpan in the world. Despite being a desert, Makgadikgadi Pans activities are exciting and include game drives and amazing star-gazing experiences, where you discover the wonders of the cosmos. A quad-biking expedition, where you speed across the salt crust of the pans for an age, and seem to get nowhere provides one of the greatest thrills of a Makgadikgadi holiday.