Botswana Game
Reserves & National Parks
The
game reserves, national parks and historic sites of Botswana are all natural
and untouched. The wildlife in the game reserves is really wild, the parks are
not fenced like in other countries where animals are bound to live in a way the
park wardens deems fit for them. In Botswana the wildlife has been left to be
as wild as they are supposed to be.
The
animals are free to migrate to any place the feel it suitable for them at their
own convenient time and they are not stopped by anything whatsoever.
Botswana
The
country lies between longitudes 20 and 30 degrees east of Greenwich and between
the latitudes 18 and 27 degrees approximately south of the Equator. Botswana is
bordered by Zambia and Zimbabwe to the northeast, Namibia to the north and
west, and South Africa to the south and southeast.
Botswana is an independent, democratic and politically stable
African country with a population of about 1.7 million people. It is a
landlocked country surrounded by South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and
Zimbabwe. Because of the Government's serious and dedicated commitment to
conservation it hosts some of the largest animal herds in Africa. Most of the
country is made up of semi-desert, large salt pans, indigenous forest to the north
and the Okavango Delta, one of the largest inland delta's in the world. With
these vast tracts of pristine land Botswana offers the visitor a truly unique
African experience.
The
Okavango delta which is one of the largest inland deltas in the world is very
attractive and totally unique. Botswana is a combination of the desert, water
lands and rivers. With all the big five found in its national parks. We have
unspoilt wilderness and natural resources. Our tourism is based on low volume
high income as to conserve our natural resources. Botswana is part of the great
Kalahari Desert. Most of the area covers a semi-desert - a thirsty land without
any surface water, except the famous Okavango Delta - the largest and probably
the most beautiful wildlife oasis of Africa.
Botswana
is a highly democratic country, with a few corruption cases and no civil wars.
It is one of the Africa’s most politically stable countries. When tourists book
with us they are sure of a good stay in Botswana without fear of waking up one
day in danger of one thing or the other.
The
Batswana are very friendly people, with always willing to help people and one
is sure not to get lost when ever in a country like Botswana.
About Us
Most
people would like to travel but money is the issue. Now with our system, we
allow people to choose from self catered safari to a fully catered safari.
Clients have a chance to choose from these two main safaris at the prices they
can afford.
With
the self catered camping safari, you
hire a vehicle with a professional guide and other camping equipment from us
and still be able to travel to places of your interest very cheaply. But we
make sure that we supply you with a professional guide to lead all excursions.
Typical Camping Tour
Itinerary
Game
drives which are done in 4x4 game view open vehicles twice a day are in charge
of professional Botswana guides. He is in charge of all the vehicles and the
laws of the national park or game reserve. Game drives are done early in the
morning with a wake up tea at 5.30 – 06.00 am. This is followed by an early
game drive while the wildlife is still active accompanied by picnic baskets.
The drive takes about4 hours before you come back to camp between 1130 and 1330
when you will find lunch ready. There are waitresses who will be serving you in
each meal.
Then
relax or sleep until 1500hrs when there will be afternoon tea with biscuits,
water and soft drinks or you can have your shower for easy relaxation.
Afternoon
game drive is done at 1500hrs until 1830 for you to watch sunset while at your
game drives, then you come back for shower and dinner around the camp fire.
After
dinner relax and get briefings around the camp fire before you go for bed where
you can share your night with the sounds of the wilderness. Africa at its best………..sounds
of lions, jackals, and elephants. The hyena always visits the camp at night.
On
your last day you wake up early for tea then depart the camp for your last game
drive of the day. When you come back the camp is already dismantled. Lunch will
be served at 1000hrs that day before you drive straight, slowly out of the park
to Maun.
We
are really different. Our prices as compared to other companies are very low
and affordable. We offer fully catered luxury safari at an affordable price. We
are owned and run by local people who have been born and raised in this tourism
hub town. They have learned their skills right in the field, learning what they
do the right way in the field, practically.
The
director of We are, Mr. Kenson Kgaga, has a very good experience of running a
safari. He has worked in numerous safari companies since his boy hood and has
also owned a few safari companies before starting up. We have worked in safaris
and tourism all of our life.
Our Guides
Our Manager, Mr Kgaga
Kenson, is a member of the Botswana Guides Association (BOGA). In fact, he is
the President of the Association so you know straight away that we are
professional, skilled and we select the best Guides in Botswana. We also strive
to protect the rights of our Guides and ensure their working conditions are
looked after.
As
we are a local, family business based in Maun, we use local guides only. Our
Guides have lived in the Okavango Delta all their life, around the animals and
the plantations of the Okavango. They have grown up learning from the animals
at a young age. They have seen a lot and are calm and centered in all
situations.
They
have also completed the 1 year Professional Guiding Course of Botswana, where
they learn the behavior of the animals, their patterns, the signs to look out
for, and learn to be astute wildlife trackers. They must pass exams to be
awarded their Certificate in Professional Guiding.
Once
graduated, they know the patterns of the animals which gives you piece of mind
knowing that you’re in safe hands, but also it will get you to see the animals
because our Guides know where the animals go in different seasons and times of
the day. These skills are not learned over night. They are learned over many
years, living with the animals, learning their traits and behaviours, and then
actually being out there, first hand, seeing them every day of the year. Our
Guides are the finest there are in Africa for this reason.
Getting to us
Maun
is the Botswana tourism hub, and we are based in Maun. For you to get to Maun,
the most direct route is via Johannesburg in South Africa. Then is easier for
you to get a flight to Maun or via Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana via www.airbotswana.co.bw. You can also try
www.zambianairways.com to fly to
Livingstone for a cheaper alternative to Botswana Airlines, then make your way
to Maun by public bus or start one of our tours from Kasane.
Best time to visit
For
great safari wildlife tours, the best time to visit is from April to September.
During this time, access to the parks are much easier. Toward the end of the
dry season (August, September) the water holes dry up so the animals are easier
to find as they all go to water especially at the end of the day. Having said
that, April to July is a great time to visit as the flora is flowering and
looks amazing… everything is green and lush. Any time during April to September
is a great time to visit because you always see different things and you get to
see the different faces of Africa.
From
October to March is rainy season and most safaris are closed. When it rains,
the parks and game reserves roads are impassable and animals have dispersed to
open grass lands since there is water everywhere.
What to bring on a safari
- Though Botswana
temperatures are very high, Maun can sometimes become very cold and
temperatures can go down to 9 degrees celsius. So it is advisable to bring
very warm clothing. Long sneakers, binoculars, enough batteries for your
cameras, assorted camera adaptors to be able to fit in our charging
system.
- Clients are
advised also to take their malaria medication, to bring mosquito
repellants. The Okavango delta have a lot of mosquitoes which breeds in
this water lands but carriers of malaria.
- We do not
prepare visas for our clients, so clients are advised to get their own
visas when they book with us.
Please,
remember the following items (and many more) coming on safari to Botswana:
- Your passport
- Valid visa if
necessary
- Malaria tablets
(consult with your doctor or tropical clinic)
- Tropical
strength insect repellent
- Inoculations are
not required but some might be advisable: hepatitis, tetanus….
- Hat and
sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- In winter warm
clothing such as thermal tops and long cotton tops
- Comfortable
shoes, good walking shoes that covers up to the heels.
- Good flash light
with batteries and spare batteries
- Photo or video
camera with spare batteries and enough film or memory cards, tapes, and
chargers. When out in the wild, you will need lots of spare batteries and
memory cards
- Binoculars,
especially if you are interested in birds
- Guests need to
have travel insurance and medical aid. We need to be informed of medical
aid details in advance
Dos and don’ts
Bear in mind that most animals allow vehicles to approach them
much closer than people on foot. If you get out of your vehicle or walk towards
animals they become more nervous- with unpredictable results. It is illegal to
get out of your vehicle in National Parks and Game Reserves, except in
designated areas.
Most
of waters though regarded as safe for drinking, check with your Guide however
we recommend you to buy and drink purified water.
Wear “neutral” or bush colors if on a guided walk: khaki,
olive-green, even grey and brown. Camouflage might Be considered a little
excessive… The color of what you wear on your game drives in vehicles or in
boat or Dug-out canoes are not as important.
DON’T Approach dangerous animals too closely (even those seemingly
unconcerned by your proximity). Give them room to maneuver.
DON’T speak too loudly or shout in the bush in the presence of
animals. You don’t have to be quite like mice, but loud voices can make
animal’s nervous, move away quickly or, in the case of potentially dangerous
animals, even aggressive.
International flights
We
do not organize international flights but, we do assists clients with their
travel documents and flight bookings where possible. As we are in the tourism
hub of Maun, we can assist you with local information as well as info on
Botswana and Africa.
Why Botswana over
other African countries
Botswana
is one of the best places to see lions, hippos, leopards, cheetahs, elephants,
rhinos and all the other animals. Why???? Because there aren’t as many people
in Botswana compared to say the Serengeti. Rather than have 80+ vehicles around
a pride of lions, which can happen in the Serengeti or more popular places in
Africa, you can often be the only vehicle around the animals.
Tour numbers – we can
take 4-20 people on tour. The more people you can organize yourself in a group,
the cheaper it is for you. This is a rare opportunity for you. In most other
tour companies, don’t necessarily get rewarded for bringing more people with
you or organizing your own tour.
If
you prefer to go in a small group to minimize costs, then let us know as soon
as possible, so we can see if there are any other people who can go at the same
time as you.
Why are the lodges so
expensive in Botswana?
One
of the main policies of the Government is to have high costs and low numbers of
tourists in Botswana. The Government has chosen this as a way to preserve the
wilderness of the country, protect the animals species and try to increase the
natural diversity of nature in Botswana. So this is great news for the animals
and natural resources. For tourists this means it seems quite expensive
compared with other countries.
The
difference is though, Botswana is a politically safe place to visit, it’s
actually cheaper in terms of transport and food supplies than neighbouring
countries such as Zambia, and yet you’re guaranteed to see an abundance of
wildlife.
Our
tours are the most affordable in Botswana. Once you experience local service,
you’ll see that supporting such small family run businesses is vital to our
survival and you’ll have an amazing time in our backyard!
More info… specials,
news, glossary, links
We
currently have tours leave on a weekly basis. Contact us to find out whether
you can fit onto one of our tours or we can create one especially for you.
We’ll need to know the date you will arrive. How many days you have, which tour
suits you 5 or 3 star or self catered, and where you want to go or at least
what you want to see.
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