The Botswana government recently dedicated it’s entire armed forces to anti poaching which has been the most incredible success. Poaching is sadly winning the war at the moment apart from in Botswana where the team only lost 100 elephants last year, compared to thousands being lost in other African nations. Botswana is so safe that Great Plains and &Beyond have teamed up to import 100 endangered rhino from South Africa (where the poaching is rife) to Botswana. This huge exercise will make this famous luxury safari destination even more desirable.
From the outset the Botswana government worked on a low impact high income format for their tourism which means that the lodges are very luxurious and and very expensive, but there are fewer of them so you don’t see other tourists when you’re game driving, and will see abundant game. The game viewing here is absolutely magical and the predator action can be completely astonishing. Take Duba Plains for instance, this is one of the best places in Africa to see lions take on buffalo. The lions here adapted to be able to hunt successfully in water and as a result are actually bigger than lions in other parts of Africa.
- Botswana LionsEarthTouch / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA
Don’t forget about the huge zebra migration, which takes places in the Kalahari from February to March, second only to the Wildebeest Migration in Tanzania. The meerkats of the Kalahari are also worth a visit as these adorable creatures climb all over you to get a better and safer view of their surroundings. The elephant action in Chobe is also world famous, it is a great place to see large bulls making themselves at home in the bush there. Last but not least there is also a high chance you will see the heavily endangered Wild Dog, who are not doing so well when it comes to keeping their numbers up, but are making a serious come back in Botswana.
