One of my favourite countries in the world for sure. I’ve been to Botswana twice now; first time as a backpacker on a group truck trip and the second time on a private safari. And both times were mind-blowing.

Botswana is a safe and politically stable country in southern Africa, landlocked between Namibia to the west, South Africa to the south, Zimbabwe to the east and Zambia to the north. The people are very friendly and the landscape and wildlife are truly awesome.

Of all things it is probably best known for the Okavango Delta; a huge part of the country that floods at various times during the year, bringing a change to the scenery and wildlife as it comes and goes.

Maybe not so well known are the game reserves of Botswana, which are comparable to the other more well known national parks of Kenya and Tanzania and for my money are even better.

The country caters for all sorts of budgets, from backpackers to the super-rich and I think both forms of travel here will enjoy the same experiences.

It’s true, if you have to do one thing here then you should go to the Delta, it is truly amazing. From being poled along the crystal clear waterways by traditional wooden dugout canoes, to game walks and wild camping. But if your budget allows then you really must go on safari in one of the many amazing national parks. You won’t find the same number of tourists here as you would in the Masai Mara or Serengeti and yet the game viewing here is second to none.

To explain what this country is like to visit let me describe my experiences from the last time I was there in 2015; it’s probably my best holiday ever.

Having done our research on the internet many months beforehand we had decided to take a private safari for two with a local tour operator and instead of staying at various lodges or hotels along the route we would be camping in the wild. I’d done this before in Kenya as a backpacker, sleeping in a little tent in the Masai Mara with a Masai tribe and the sounds in the evening were incredible, so I wanted to experience that again.

To be honest we didn’t really appreciate what mobile camping would involve until we were collected at the airport by our tour company, but as soon as we exited the airport we realised our trip would require a big 8 seater Toyota Landcruiser with a trailer, a guide, a cook and two camp-hands……. just for the two of us. It seemed a bit OTT, but I guess we’d paid for it, so lets go.

For the next two weeks we would do hours of game-drives during the day, stopping somewhere beautiful for lunch, come back to our campsite for the evening which was just simply out in the wild in the national parks. Elephants, hyenas and lions walking through the camp during the night and for me, the coolest thing ever, lying on a thin mattress on the ground, I woke up one morning to the vibrations coming from the ground of a male lion roaring close by. Terrifying and amazing all at once.

The sounds of the animals in the evenings and the feeling of being at one with nature and the wildlife was a real attack on the senses. We saw all the animals you would want to see on a safari, we watched elephants bathing and a whole family swim across a river together, watched hippos, lions, monkeys, all up close and the nature itself was magical.

So, in brief, my advice for Botswana. If you don’t have much time then go to the Delta, do the boat poling on the water, take a wild walk on one of the islands and camp out if you can to enjoy the sounds of nature.

Wild walking on the Okavango

If you have time and a slightly bigger budget, then please do a safari in one or more of Moremi, Xakanaxa, Khwai, Savuti and/or Chobe. They are all excellent and for me, the elephant experience in Savuti and Chobe just blew me away. There were so many elephants it felt like going back in time. And the elephants in Savuti, whilst more aggressive than other areas in Africa, would often charge the jeep, but our guide/driver was so experienced that they never really felt threatened, they were just bluffing, but you’ve never lived until you’ve been charged by an angry elephant.

Chased by an elephant in Savuti

This country is awesome. I could write a book based just on my experiences during my 10 day safari here, so please, if you want to know more about this country then do ask, I’m more than happy to get you excited about this wonderful country.