Luxury Botswana Tours

Safaris across the Kalahari plain might not seem a likely setting for luxury Botswana tours, but be prepared to be surprised. An African success story, Botswana gained independence from Britain in 1966. Shortly afterwards it had the good fortune to uncover three of the world's richest diamond mines. Since then both its national economy and policy have focused on low impact tourism, translating to an emphasis on luxury Botswana tours.

In the country's northwest, for example, above the Tropic of Capricorn, you can delight in hot showers, superb cuisine, and ice-cold cocktails at a tent camp near Maun. Just northeast, Chobe National Park encompasses about 4,300 square miles of grassland and is a haven for elephant herds. To the southeast lie the famous Makgadikgadi salt flats, home to antelope, blue wildebeest, and immense flocks of flamingo.

The vast Kalahari plain, however, and its savannah, grassland, and sand, is one of Africa's richest regions for native wildlife. If your luxury Botswana tours include time for game viewing, you're advised to visit during Botswana's winter, from June through August. Nights are cooler but dry. Each of Botswana's national parks offers slightly different conditions and thus different wildlife.

What You'll See Where on Luxury Botswana Tours

The Okavango Delta and its extensive river delta are home to hippopotamus, crocodiles, elephants, zebra, giraffe, and other large game. Birds and plant life are especially abundant. Chobe, to the east, is packed with a variety of game--cheetah, elephant, lion, giraffe, jackal, warthog, buffalo, antelope, and many others. To the south, in the vast stretch of Kalahari are its two largest parks, Central Kalahari and Gemsbok. All in all, Botswana is home to about 150 mammal species--including 30 of bat, 27 of rodent, and more than 30 of larger game--and about 450 bird species.