AAC Senior Journey Specialist Angie Voigt recently visited Botswana on safari. She joins us on the blog to share some of the highlights of her journey and talk about what makes Botswana such a special safari destination.
When it comes to African safaris, iconic destinations like Tanzania and South Africa often dominate the conversation. Yet, tucked away in Southern Africa lies a country that many consider the continent’s ultimate safari experience: Botswana. Untamed, exclusive and astonishingly beautiful, Botswana is a place where nature still sets the pace, where crowds are few and where some of Africa’s most rewarding wildlife encounters unfold in remarkable landscapes.
One of Botswana’s greatest draws is its commitment to conservation through low-volume tourism. Rather than oversaturating its parks, Botswana intentionally limits visitor numbers, ensuring minimal environmental impact and a more intimate safari experience. While this model comes with a higher price tag, the benefit is that you will not be jostling for position at wildlife sightings or sharing a safari moment with dozens of vehicles. This exclusivity creates an atmosphere that feels immersive, deeply personal and wonderfully unhurried, allowing you to fully connect with the natural world around you.
On my recent trip to Botswana, one of my all-time favorite safari moments was during my stay at Selinda Explorers Camp. My guide, Stitch, anticipated the crossing of a large herd of elephants from the other side of the river. He carefully positioned our vehicle, switched off the engine, and together we waited in silence. For the next hour, Stitch and I remained completely still, the only people for miles, as the herd crossed the river and then surrounded our vehicle. Watching these beautiful giants at such close range with no distractions, no crowds and no urgency was an extraordinary privilege.
Botswana is renowned for its exceptional wildlife and consistently delivers some of Africa’s most rewarding safari experiences. Home to one of the world’s largest elephant populations, more than 500 bird species, and healthy numbers of predators, it offers remarkable diversity across its varied ecosystems.
Botswana is well known for its strong populations of lions, leopards and African wild dogs – one of the continent’s most endangered carnivores. One of the many surprises of my recent visit, however, was the quality of the cheetah sightings. At Rra Dinare, I spent time with a coalition of four cheetah brothers, an unforgettable encounter made all the more exciting as our guide and tracker, Mark and Tizo, kept up with them at ‘cheetah pace’ while they searched for a female that had recently moved into the area.
Then, at Kanana, the abundance of wildlife was on full display one morning when my guide Bahtusi described the outstanding sightings that his fellow guides let him know about in the immediate area: a pride of lions with seven cubs that we had watched hunting the previous afternoon; a leopard with an impala kill in a tree while hyenas waited below for an opportunity to steal it; three African wild dogs that had recently crossed back into the concession; or two male leopards that had ventured into one another’s territory, with a potential confrontation on the cards. Talk about being spoiled for choice! While it’s not the norm on safari to have this much going on nearby at once, it can happen now and then. I was in the right place at the right time!
The most remarkable part? Throughout my Botswana safari, my vehicle was only ever one of two or three at each sighting. In many other safari destinations, these encounters would draw a crowd. In Botswana’s concessions sightings are uncrowded and exactly the kind of experience that every safari-goer seeks…even if they don’t know it yet!
One of the things I love most about Botswana is that no two days on safari ever feel the same. While exceptional game drives are at the heart of the experience, Botswana offers far more than simply exploring the bush by vehicle.
Across Botswana’s reserves, concessions and waterways, guests can experience the landscape from a variety of perspectives. You might spend the morning tracking wildlife on foot, observe a bloat of hippos aboard a motorboat in the afternoon and then head out in a vehicle after dark in search of elusive nocturnal species such as honey badgers, bush babies and aardvarks. For a completely different perspective, scenic helicopter flights over the Okavango Delta reveal the intricate network of islands, floodplains and waterways that make this ecosystem so unique.
No visit to the Okavango Delta is complete without a mokoro excursion, gliding silently through reed-lined channels in a traditional dugout canoe. During my stay at Jacana Camp, I enjoyed an unforgettable mokoro trip to a private island dominated by two magnificent baobab trees. As we drifted through the waterways, my guide, Moruti, brought the Delta to life with stories of its ever-changing rhythms. He explained how termite mounds gradually become islands, how seasonal floods shape the landscape and how wildlife movements are closely tied to water levels and the ebb and flow of papyrus and spear grass. It was a fascinating insight into the delicate balance of this extraordinary ecosystem and deepened my appreciation for the Delta’s remarkable complexity.
Many of Botswana’s private concessions operate in partnership with local communities, creating employment opportunities, supporting education and healthcare initiatives, and providing tangible benefits that encourage long-term stewardship of wildlife and people. Kwando Impact is a grassroots initiative that combines conservation, scientific research and community outreach. As a mother of a five-year-old with a background in social work, I was especially drawn to their partnership with ‘Mummy’s Angels’, which allows travelers to bring and donate a selection of essential baby items for vulnerable mothers and newborns in communities in Maun and surrounding the Okavango Delta. Every donated item is matched, creating an even greater impact. Guests can also choose to support local conservation and education programs through initiatives such as scholarships for young scientists at the Okavango Research Institute or early childhood education projects in remote villages, providing a meaningful way to contribute to both the protection of Botswana’s wild spaces and the well-being of the people who call Botswana home.
Making a connection to local conservation and community projects while on a safari makes the entire experience even more special. For those seeking a safari that combines exclusivity, conservation, impact and unforgettable encounters, Botswana stands in a league of its own.
Contact one of our Journey Specialists to start planning and subscribe to our newsletter below for more safari information and inspiration.
Photos courtesy of AAC Senior Journey Specialist Angie Voigt and Mummy’s Angels