Botswana's Great Game Parks

by Alison Westwood, 1 December 2005

With its unique ecosystems, Botswana is home to an amazing variety of wildlife. Botswana's great game parks are pristine wildernesses that remain largely untouched by man and protect some of the most spectacular wildlife in the world.

Large predator populations, massive herds of elephant, wildebeest and zebra, plenty of reptiles and amphibians, and a wealth of birdlife make Botswana's game parks top safari destinations.

The Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is the largest freshwater wetland in Africa. The Okavango's lagoons, islets, waterways, forests and plains stretch for 300km from end to end. Its pure clean waters flow seasonally all the way from Angola and deposit 660 000 tons of sediment a year to its great alluvial fan.

Although the Okavango Delta is not strictly speaking a game reserve or a national park, it's still an untouched paradise for wildlife. Made up of a maze of lagoons, narrow waterways and islands that occur when fresh water floods the Kalahari sands, the Okavango Delta is an oasis of abundance in an otherwise parched land.

The Okavango is home to more than 400 species of birds and an astounding array of animals, both on land and in the water. The islands teem with life and just below the water's surface, crocodiles, hippos and countless fish live in abundance.

The Delta is famous for its mokoro canoe trips through endless hidden waterways. Nothing can beat the experience of sliding silently through the crystal-clear waters past floating gardens of water lilies as you approach hippos and elephants, getting to within an arm's reach of these magnificent creatures.

Palms and tall trees tower over banks of papyrus reeds, crystal pools and secret forest glades, creating a tranquil environment rich in colours, sounds and life. Out among the reeds, deep in its waterways you'll find peace and serenity and absolute isolation.

The Okavango is an untouched, unchanged wilderness waiting for you to discover its magic.

Moremi Game Reserve

The Moremi Game Reserve is situated in the eastern corner of the Okavango Delta in the north-west of Botswana. The Moremi consists of a network of waterways surrounding two large islands - Chief's Island in the west and Mopane Tongue in the east.

The Moremi Game Reserve is one of the most beautiful game reserves in Africa. In this wonderland of lily-covered wetlands, grass plains and forests is an impressive variety of animals and birdlife.

Sandy riverbanks are home to hippos and crocodiles while lion, elephant, leopard, hyena, eland, kudu, roan antelope, giraffe, zebra, impala and buffalo roam the higher ground. Wild dog, whose numbers are so rapidly dwindling elsewhere, are regularly sighted in the Moremi.

The best time to visit is during the dry season as that is when the seasonal pans dry up and the game congregates around the permanent water supplies.

Chobe National Park

Famous for its huge elephant population, the Chobe National Park is the second largest national park in Botswana. Situated in the north of Botswana and fed life-giving water by the Chobe River, this great park has some of the highest concentrations and widest variety of game in Africa.

The Chobe National Park is divided into four main ecological areas - the Serondela in the north-east; the Linyanti Swamps in the north-west; the Savuti Marsh in the west and the hot dry hinterland in between.

These areas encompass a variety of habitats ranging from floodplains, baobab, and mopane trees and acacia woodlands, to verdant flood grasslands and thickets bordering The Chobe River. Flowing along the park's northern boundaries are the Linyanti and Chobe rivers, while in the south the Savuti Channel brings life to the Mababe Depression.

The famous Chobe elephants are part of Botswana's 120 000 strong elephant population. The elephants are migratory and walk 200km from the Chobe and Linyanti rivers in the dry season to the pans in the Chobe's south-east corner for the rainy season. The Chobe elephants are the largest of all living elephants, which makes them a spectacular sight to see as they wander through the park.

To be surrounded by a herd of the largest living land mammals is very humbling. The quiet power of Chobe's elephants is an exhilarating experience for any animal-lover and will present you with unmatched photo opportunities and some incredible stories to take home.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

The second largest game reserve in the world and the biggest in Botswana, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, is situated in the middle of Botswana and is characterised by shimmering pans, golden grasslands and ancient riverbeds.

During the dry season, from May to October, the park is hot and dusty with very few animals. The wet season finds the animals flocking to the pans and valleys which fill with much-needed water. Deception Pan attracts large numbers of game and is the most popular tourist destination in the park.

An interesting fact about the park is that it was created not to protect wildlife but to protect the San Bushmen. The park provided a home in the last natural environment in which the Bushmen could survive and live according to their traditional values.

They now live in settlements, some of which are situated within the southern half of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pans National Parks

The Makgadikgadi Pans are the remnants of a massive lake that was formed more than five million years ago. One and a half thousand years ago the pans held permanent water, but now they are dry until the rainy season starts.

The Makgadikgadi Pans are the largest salt pans in the world. Their glaring white plains appear endless in the harsh African sun and make for stunning views.

The change that comes over the plains in the rainy season is dramatic and the water brings with it a barrage of life in all shapes and forms. Waterbirds flock to the vast pools and great herds of game migrate through the area, followed closely by the predators.

Nxai Pan is part of an old lake bed and is now an extensive grass plain covered with acacia trees. Wildebeest, zebra, buffalo and other grazers are common in the area. Large herds of giraffe and eland frequent the area and make for spectacular game viewing.

The pans are a truly unique game viewing destination and have amazing qualities in both the wet and dry seasons.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park

The Kgalagadi National Park is the first official transfrontier park and is managed jointly by both South Africa and Botswana. The park covers an area in Botswana of 28 105 square kilometres, while the overall size of the park is around 2,5 million square kilometres.

Kgalagadi means "land of thirst". The huge, desert landscape is part of the Kalahari Desert, the largest continuous area of sand in the world. It's characterised by red sand dunes and sparse vegetation and is home to black-maned Kalahari lions as well as a host of other predators and mammals.

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