EcoVentures Travel
Safaris and nature tours for discriminating individuals

Botswana

Tours and Explorations
Botswana Camps and Lodges
Ecology and Wildlife
Facts about the Country
Botswana brochure in pdf

In the heart of southern Africa, Botswana offers possibly the finest, authentic wildlife experience in the world. It is comprised largely of the Kalahari Desert, within which lies the Okavango Delta, a wonderful blue-green wetland considered by many to be Africa's most incredible wildlife and wilderness sanctuary. This dynamic waterworld contrasts with an ecosystem driven by different stimuli in the Linyanti and Selinda region in the north of the country.

With an area of almost 600 000 square kilometres, Botswana is virtually the same size as France or Texas. Situated in the centre of southern Africa, it is a landlocked country, with Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe as its immediate neighbours. Botswana lies an average of 950 metres above sea level and is more than 600 kilometres from the nearest coast. The Tropic of Capricorn bisects Botswana.

The most striking features of the country are its flatness and aridity. With the exception of the eastern part of Botswana where the great majority of Batswana live and where the summer rainfall is slightly higher, three-quarters of Botswana is technically a desert. This is what makes the Okavango Delta even more remarkable. It is a wonderful wetland within a desert, getting its waters from rain falling in central Africa, 1000km away.

Botswana is one of Africa's success stories. Prior to independence in 1966, it was one of the world's poorest countries. When we started to work in Botswana in the 1970s, very few people who lived outside Botswana had even heard of the Okavango. It was undiscovered, only visited by a few hardy adventurers. But South Africa's first democratic elections began a change in the area. Within Botswana, there were big changes, too. Diamonds were discovered in the Kalahari shortly after independence and this kick-started the economy. Sir Seretse Khama was the country's first post-independence president. He was a wonderful leader and one of the most pragmatic and far-thinking presidents any country could ever hope for. Seretse laid the foundations that Botswana needed to propel itself forward, without compromising democracy; the result is a booming economy in a stable country.

On the wildlife front, Seretse's son, Ian, is one of the country's unsung conservation heroes (and currently its president). When he became head of the military, he positioned his troops to secure Botswana's borders from poachers. The game concentrations within the country multiplied overnight. Many people owe their jobs and careers to his actions.

The country abandoned mass tourism and focused on high quality / low volume tourism as the best way to create a sustainable industry that would employ a large percentage of its people, while still preserving the environment. Today wildlife and tourism employs about 45% of all the people who live in northern Botswana.

ECOLOGY AND WILDLIFE

Situated in the centre of southern Africa and more than 600 kilometres from the nearest ocean, Botswana is surrounded with Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe as its immediate neighbours. With the exception of the eastern part of Botswana, where the great majority of the Batswana people live and where the summer rainfall is slightly higher, the majority of Botswana is desert.

Each year floodwater flows into the Okavango from its source in the moist central African highlands over a thousand kilometres away. These floodwaters flow from their catchments southwards and into the Kalahari Desert to create a unique wetland that supports and sustains a huge diversity of wildlife. Apart from year round excellent game viewing, the beauty of this water wonderland is awe inspiring. To the north-east of the Okavango Delta are the Chobe and Linyanti Game Reserves. The many varied habitats within the Chobe and Linyanti parks - such as marshes, waterways, riverine forests, dry woodlands and the world-famous Savute Channel - have created an area renowned for its predators and large concentrations of game, particularly elephant. The grasslands of the Kalahari together with the lunar expanse of the Makgadikgadi saltpans complement and are in total contrast to the verdant, game-rich Okavango and Linyanti regions.

While the emphasis of a Botswana safari is often on large mammals - and there are plenty of these - there are many other specialised creatures to be seen and enjoyed. As many as 580 bird species have been recorded in Botswana with 75 larger mammal species known to occur and more than 80 fish species identified in the Okavango. But overall it is often the sense of wilderness and pristine functioning ecosystems that has the most significant impact on visitors. Nearly 40% of the country has been set aside as private reserves and national parks!

The importance of visitors and tourism to the sustainability of these areas cannot be overstated. Approximately 60% of all the people who live in northern Botswana are employed in some aspect of the wildlife and tourism industry, an industry which is now the second largest contributor to the GDP of the country. The presence of camps such as our own and the protection afforded by the concessions in which we operate, has had a spectacular impact on the sustainable conservation of all the animals and plants that live here. A case in point: white and black rhino, poached to extinction in Botswana some time ago have, thanks to a joint project between the Botswana government and Wilderness Safaris, been returned to their integral place in the hierarchy of wild Botswana.

FACTS ABOUT THE COUNTRY

Republic of Botswana
Capital: Gaborone
Population: 1.8 million
Coordinates: 22 00 S, 24 00 E
Area: 600,370 sq km

Language
The national language is Setswana however the official language is English.

Currency
The currency in Botswana is the Pula (P) which is made up of 100 Thebe.

Time
Botswana is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) all year round.

Climate
Summer is from November to the end of March and usually brings very high temperatures. It is also the rainy season and cloud coverage and rain can cool things down, although only usually for a short period of time.
The winter season begins in May and ends in August. This is also the dry season when virtually no rainfall occurs. Winter days are invariably sunny and cool to warm; however, evening and night temperatures can drop below freezing point in some areas.
The in-between periods - April/early May and September/October - still tend to be dry, but the days are cooler than in summer and the nights are warmer than in winter.

Recommended Reading
We recommend the following books specific to the Botswana region. A further list of recommended books is contained in our pre tour information.

Okavango: Wetland Wilderness - Adrian Bailey
Okavango River: The flow of a lifeline - John Mendelsohn, Selma El Obeid
Okavango: Jewel of the Kalahari - Karen Ross
This is Botswana - Daryl Balfour
The Bushmen - A Changing Way of Life - Anthony Bannister
Newman's Birds of Southern Africa - Ken Newman
Sasol Birds of Southern Africa - Phil Hockey, Ian Sinclair and Warwick Tarboton
Behaviour Guide to African Mammals - Richard Estes
Guide to the Trees & Shrubs of the Okavango Delta - Veronica Roodt
Guide to the Wildflowers of the Okavango Delta - Veronica Roodt
Botswana Tourist Map & Guide - Veronica Roodt
Running Wild: Dispelling the Myths of the African Wild Dog - John McNutt, Lesley Boggs, Dave Hamman & Helene Heldring.
Botswana - The Bradt Travel Guide - Chris McIntyre
A Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa - Johan Marais, Graham Alexander
Butterflies of Southern Africa - Migdoll
Cry of the Kalahari - Cordelia and James Owens