Botswana Many positive factors have come together in Botswana
to create one of the finest tourist destinations on the entire African
continent. Its low population density, one of the lowest in the world,
insures that most of its wilderness attractions remain uncrowded and unmarred
by the development or exploitation efforts of previous generations. In
addition, its tourism policies,
Mekoro canoe safaris. (Okavango Delta, Botswana)
relatively forward-thinking by African standards,
have resulted in fairly enlightened management of its national treasures
under active conservation tenets. The government stepped back from early
efforts to fence off portions of the Okavango Delta to support cattle-ranching
operations when those plans were met by sustained opposition from a coalition
of local fishermen and international organizations, who pointed out the
disastrous effect such actions would have on migratory game. But, of course,
the biggest factors at work in making Botswana an unparalleled African adventure
experience are the national treasures themselves. In this small country
in Southern Africa's arid interior can be found the riches of the Okavango
Delta, the Kalahari Desert, the Moremi Game Reserve, the Chobe National
Park and many others.
Botswana's wildlife is among
the most varied and exotic to be found anywhere on the continent. The
lush indigenous forests of the Okavango Delta, and the floodplains spawned
by this great marriage of water and sand, shelter more than 400 species
of birds. On the surrounding "mainland" and among the islands
of the Delta, the predators live among their prey. Lions, elephants, hyenas,
wild dogs, buffaloes, hippos and crocodiles share the space with many
Leopard on the hunt. (Moremi Game Reserve,
Botswana)
antelopes species, as well as many other smaller
animals, including warthogs, mongooses, spotted genets, monkeys, bush babies
and tree squirrels.
Historical and cultural treasures are also scattered
about Botswana's landscape. Unique San rock art, geological wonders, and
other traditional arts attract visitors to the four corners of the country.
The diamond industry, which, for the most part,
was not established until mining began in 1971, has transformed Botswana
from an agriculture-based economy to one in which diamonds account for
80 percent of exports and 50 percent of government revenue. In the years
since this economic shift began, Botswana has enjoyed largely uninterrupted
economic growth and steady increases in per capita incomes. Botswana has
supplanted its African neighbors to become, by value, the largest diamond
producer in the world, with an annual output exceeding 17 million carats.
At the start of the new millennium, the government is making efforts to
develop the non-mining sectors of Botswana's economy, through a combination
of policies liberalizing exchange controls, reducing personal and corporate
taxation, and privatizing some government activities.
Gabarone Gabarone, Botswana's capital, is named after a
revered kgosi (or "chief") of the Batlokwa people
Lion. (Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana)
who settled the Tlokweng area in 1881. Gabarone
is now a vibrant and colorful city and one of Africa's fastest growing
urban areas. Its 1998 population was estimated to exceed 192,000 inhabitants.
Gabarone is not only Botswana's seat of government; it has also grown
in the years since its founding to become the country's commercial and
administrative heart. Gabarone's bustling streets harbor busy shopping
malls offering a full range of imported and locally-produced goods, excellent
restaurants, international hotels, sports clubs and an active nightlife.
Maun Maun is the gateway to the Okavango Delta and
the Moremi Game Reserve. For that reason, most visitors to Botswana pass
through Maun at one point or another, making it the country's "tourism
capital." Maun, the administrative center of Ngamiland, is also the
headquarters of countless safari and air-charter operations whose signs
and offices dot almost every intersection. Despite its rampant development,
Maun retains a pleasant "edge of civilization" feel. The atmosphere
is generally upbeat, filled with the anticipation of those just embarking
on a great adventure in the
Relaxing in the Okavango Delta. (Okavango
Delta, Botswana)
African bush and the elation of those just returning
from that unforgettable experience.
Since the town's establishment in 1915 as the tribal
capital of the Batswana people, Maun has had a rough and ready reputation
as a hard-living "Wild West" town servicing the local cattle
ranching and hunting operations. The growth of the tourism industry and
the completion of the tar road from Nata in the early 1990's led to a
change in Maun's character. The town has developed rapidly and is now
home to more than 30,000 people.
Maun is the main provisioning point for the entire
Delta. Regular supplies of just about everything can be found in Maun.
The town boasts several hotels and lodges, as well as numerous car rental
agencies. Maun's international airport was officially opened in 1996.
It has rapidly grown to become - when light aircraft charters to the various
Delta camps are counted - one of the busiest airports in all of Southern
Africa.
Kasane Not too long ago, Kasane was a remote and forgotten
village despite its stature as administrative center of the Chobe District.
However, its strategic location along the main tourist routes at the confluence
of the borders of four countries (Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia)
has
Group on safari in Botswana. (Botswana)
changed all of that. Just 4 miles (6 kilometers)
east of Kasane is tiny Kazungula, the border post between Botswana and Zimbabwe
and the landing for the ferry that connects Botswana and Zambia.
Situated on the Chobe River, Kasane is the main gateway
to the world-renowned Chobe National Park, via the Sedudu Gate south of
the river. No boundary fences separate the park from the village. Elephants
and hippos frequently wander through the town's streets and campsites.
Kasane is also home to an old and dignified baobab tree with its own story
to tell. For many years in the early part of the twentieth century, the
hollowed out tree trunk served as the local jail.
A short drive out of Kasane, at a bend in the
Chobe River near the Kasane Rapids, can be found a birdwatcher's delight.
At the picnic sites in the area, a number of unusual species, such as
the African finfoot and the half collared kingfisher, can be spotted.
Most of the lodges in the surrounding area offer river cruises, which
provide a good opportunity for close-up views of the birds and animals
alike.
Francistown Francistown, in Botswana's eastern bulge, is the
oldest town in the country. It was named for an early prospector, Daniel
Francis, who was a prominent figure in the 1860's gold rush that occurred
in the Tati area 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Francistown. Today,
Francistown has grown to a population of over 60,000, making it the second
largest town in Botswana after the capital of Gabarone. Most visitors
to Botswana pass through Francistown, owing to its location on the main
road from Gabarone to the north. At Francistown, the road forks, with
the western fork leading to Maun and the eastern fork leading to Kasane.
Kalahari Desert About 80% of Botswana is covered by the sands
of the vast Kalahari Desert. The Kalahari is the largest continuous stretch
of sand in the world, with arms extending from the Orange River in the
south to the tropical forests of the Republic of Congo in the north. It
covers substantial parts of South Africa, Namibia and Angola as well.
The "desert" designation, however, is almost a misnomer. The
Kalahari hides many remarkably-
The Savuti after a rainstorm. (Savuti, Botswana)
adapted creatures that can be found in its striking,
stark landscapes. Perhaps the earliest travelers had it right when they
called it a "thirstland." Most of the Kalahari (or the "Kgalagadi,"
as it is called in the Setswana tongue) is a sandy thorn veld covered with
stunted thorn and scrub bush, trees and grasslands. The largely unchanging
flat terrain is occasionally interrupted by gently descending valleys, sand
dunes, salt pans and, in the extreme northwest, isolated hills, such as
Aha, Tsodilo, Koanaka and Gcwihaba. Many of the pans have dune systems on
their southwest sides. The pans fill with water during the rainy season,
and their hard surface layer ensures that the water is not immediately absorbed.
The pans are of great importance to the wildlife of the area, which go there
to obtain valuable nutrients from the pan's salts and grasses.
Okavango Delta Within the confines of the Kalahari lies another
world. The Okavango Delta, in the northwest corner
Safari by mokoro dugout canoe. (Okavango Delta,
Botswana)
of Botswana, is a 5,800 square mile (15,000 square
kilometer) network of water channels, lagoons, swamps and islands. This
area, the largest inland delta system in the world, is not much smaller
than the nation of Israel. The Okavango's vast areas of wetlands - often
of the purest, clearest waters - are an oasis in an otherwise inhospitable
landscape. The vegetation is lush and fertile, attracting a wildlife population
unrivaled in Africa. The Okavango is a part of what was once one of Africa's
largest lakes, Lake Makgadikgadi. At its peak, it covered as many as 23,000
to 31,000 square miles (60,000 - 80,000 square kilometers). By 10,000
years ago, the evaporation of Makgadikgadi was well underway. All that
is left today is the vastness of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and one of
the most remarkable wildlife-viewing areas in the entire world.
Chobe National
Park The Chobe National Park, Botswana's second largest
national park at 4,100 square miles (10,600 square kilometers), has one
of the greatest concentrations of game to be found anywhere on the African
continent. The abundance of its wildlife and the true African nature of
the region coalesces to form the safari experience of a lifetime. The
park is divided into four distinctly different ecosystems: Serondela,
with its lush plains and dense forests in the Chobe River area in the
Mother and baby hippo. (Chobe National Park,
Botswana)
extreme northeast; the Savuti Marsh in the west
near the Mababe Gate; the Linyanti Swamps in the northwest; and the hot
dry hinterland in the center.
Animals are present during all seasons. At certain
times of the year, their numbers can be staggering. A few days in the
park will probably assure you of viewing all of the major species: giraffe,
elephant, zebra, impala, tsessebe, roan, sable, wildebeest, kudu, buffalo,
waterbuck, warthog, and eland. Not far behind will be their ever-present
predators, including the lions, hyenas, jackals, bat-eared foxes, cheetahs
and wild dogs.
But Chobe's primary attraction is its elephants. Chobe
hosts perhaps the largest surviving elephant populations in the world,
currently estimated to exceed 120,000. This population is dispersed throughout
much of northern Botswana as well as parts of northwestern Zimbabwe. This
population has grown steadily from the few thousand animals that existed
in the early 1900's and has escaped the massive illegal killings that
decimated other populations during the 1970's and 1980's. The Chobe elephants
are migratory, making seasonal movements of up to 125 miles (200 kilometers)
in a circuit from the Chobe and Linyanti rivers, where they concentrate
in the dry season, to the pans in the southeast of the park, where they
gather during the rainy season. Chobe's elephants have the distinction
of being the largest in body size of all living elephants. However, the
ivory of their tusks is brittle and it is therefore uncommon to see many
huge tuskers among the rangy monsters.
The Savuti Marsh is famous for its predators,
particularly its resident lions and spotted hyena populations. Visitors
to the Savuti should always be on guard. At time, marauding lions and
their rear-guard of hyenas will come close to campsites in the wild. Their
roars and haunting cries will echo through the nights.
Moremi Game
Reserve The Moremi Game Reserve has always been a meeting
place for great herds of animals. The area, covering some 1,900 square
miles (4,900 square kilometers) in the eastern section of the Okavango
Delta, was hunted by the bushman as long as 10,000 years ago. Moremi,
in the territory of the Batswana tribe, offers the diversity of mopane
woodland and acacia forests, floodplains and lagoons. This ecological
diversity engenders the great diversity of plant and animal life for which
Moremi is famous.
The reserve is known for the
great heights achieved by the trees in its "mopane tongue,"
which covers the reserve's central portion. However, the mainland forests
cover only about thirty percent of the reserve's total area and are, in
many ways, atypical. The remainder of the reserve is a part of the vast
Okavango Delta. Bird life is prolific and varied, ranging from water birds
to shy forest
At the game reserve entrance. (Moremi Game
Reserve, Botswana)
dwellers. Elephants are numerous, particularly during
the dry season, and are accompanied by wide range of other wildlife species,
including buffaloes, giraffes, lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas,
jackals and the full antelope spectrum, from large to small, including the
red lechwe. The rare sitatunga antelope also lives at Moremi. This shy relative
of the bushbok has extremely wide-splayed hooves and a light body weight,
which permits it to walk on the matted reed-beds of the marshlands without
sinking. Rhinos, both black and white, were past residents of the reserve,
but most of the few remaining examples of the species have been relocated
to the protection of a sanctuary, where they are safe from the attentions
of illegal hunters. Wild dogs, whose numbers are rapidly dwindling elsewhere,
are regularly sighted in the Moremi. Since 1989, researchers have been working
with the wild dog population, so many of the animals that seen by Moremi's
visitors may be wearing collars or other identifying markings. Researchers
believe that Moremi may house as much as thirty percent of the world's remaining
wild dog population.
Game viewing is at its peak from July through
October, when seasonal pans dry up and the wildlife concentrates on the
permanent water.
People In 1999, Botswana had an estimated population
of 1.6 million. About 60% of the population is of Tswana origin, primarily
Batswana or Setswana. About 75% of Botswana's population is
Lion. (Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana)
concentrated in the eastern part of the country,
in agricultural or urban settlements. The remaining 25% live in smaller
settlements scattered throughout the country's arid west. Almost one-fifth
of the population is concentrated in just four urban areas: Gabarone, Francistown,
Lobatse and Selebi-Phikwe, all in the eastern part of the country.
Botswana, along with its Namibian neighbor, is
home to the majority of the San and Khoi people, more popularly known
in days past as the "bushman." These people were the first modern
inhabitants of Southern Africa. Their origin is not certain, but paintings
done by their ancestors date back as many as 25,000 years. The Batswana,
the largest tribal group in the country, forms about 50% of the population,
but their numbers are even greater in South Africa. Not surprisingly,
Botswana means "Land of the Batswana," the dominant tribe. The
Herero people, which reside west of the Okavango Delta, came to Botswana
when they fled the German colonial wars being waged in Namibia in 1904
and 1905. Today many of these people have settled in the Maun area. They
can be recognized by their beautiful, long, colorful dresses.
Travel Tips Botswana is a relatively safe and secure travel
destination, with little crime or unrest. With a growing number of successful
community-based tourism initiatives, there is a widespread appreciation
of tourists and the revenue they bring to the country. Only normal precautions
need to be taken with valuables, but it is still wise to be careful. For
the latest information on security issues in Botswana, please consult
the U.S. State Department's consular warning sheets.
Temperature/Weather Botswana's climate is semi-arid. Though it is
hot and dry for much of the year, there is a rainy season during the summer,
between October and April. For tourists, the best months to visit, in
Sunset. (Savuti, Botswana)
terms of both weather and game-viewing, are between
April and October. During the later months of this period, when the water
has dried up everywhere but in the natural waterholes and salt pans, the
wildlife of the great spaces congregate near the remaining waters and are
at their most visible.
The peak of the rainy season begins in late December
and continues through February. During this time, the rains can be intense.
The rainfall averages about 21 inches (538 mm) per year. Botswana's rainfall
figures are low and unreliable as a result of the inability of the moist
air from the coast to penetrate the high atmospheric pressure that normally
prevails over the country.
The summer season begins in November and ends in March.
Summer days are hot, especially in the weeks that precede the coming of
the cooling rains. Temperatures in the shade can rise to the 100°
F (38° C) mark and even higher, reaching a blistering 112° F (44°
C) on rare occasions. Cloud coverage and rain can cool things down considerably,
but such respites typically last for only a short period of time.
The winter season begins in May and ends in August.
Winters are clear-skied and bone-dry, the air seductively warm during
the daylight hours. However, due to the lack of cloud cover, temperatures
can get very cold at night and in the early morning hours. During the
winter months, daytime temperatures can reach 80° F (27° C), but
they often fall to the freezing point, or even lower, at night. The shoulder
periods (April-May and September-October) still tend to be dry, but the
days are cooler than in the summertime and the nights are warmer than
in the winter.
Reading List In order to make the most of your trip to Botswana,
the following reading lists will help you gain a better understanding
of the landscape, culture and people. Here you can also purchase any books
you might need for your Global Adrenaline trip!
Global Adrenaline, Inc.
25 East Washington Street, Suite 1458
Chicago, Illinois 60602
USA
Tel: +1-866-884-5622 (toll free in USA)
Tel: +1-312-863-6300 (outside USA)
Fax: +1-312-873-4440
Email: info@GlobalAdrenaline.com
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