There’s nothing quite like a Botswana safari. In fact, The Telegraph even named it ‘the BEST safari in Africa‘.
I’d have to agree. A safari in Botswana is non-short of magical.
Being out in the wild, amongst nature. I would say that Botswana is one (if not the) most relaxing and natural places I’ve ever been to with not much going on really, except for pockets of activity here and there.
I just re-watched Levison Wood’s ‘Walking With Elephants’ and it made me want to go back even more. Where he went on that trip is where I take my tours and I can confirm, it really is like what you see on TV.
But Botswana is notoriously expensive, especially if you stay in a lodge and there are lodges that cost more per person, per night than I charge for a 2-week tour!
But travelling in Botswana on a budget is very possible! It’s not generally as cheap as travelling in Malawi or Tanzania, but it is possible. Especially if you join a mobile safari group tour!
I’ve travelled Botswana on tours and on a self-drive and both are amazing, but very different experiences.
Due to where everything is in Botswana, there is no real easy way to see all of the highlights without doubling back on yourself or veering wildly off course. Which is great if you have time and money, but not so great if you don’t.
But to be honest, Botswana is so amazing, you will have a great time no matter where you go! So below I’ve listed some of the key places to visit and some suggested itineraries to allow you to plan your own trip of the back of it.
At the bottom of the post, you’ll find some important info about how to travel Botswana on a budget, how to get around, including self-driving vs taking a tour and where to stay!
Botswana on a Budget: 3 Incredible Safari Itineraries
Itinerary 1 – The Overland/Backpacking Route
This route is great if you are travelling the classic ‘Nairobi to Cape Town Overland Route’, via Zambia/Zimbabwe and Namibia. It’s the route that most overland tours take, good for self-drivers and also the route that you would take if you are travelling by public transport. Can easily be reversed.
Can also be done in a non-4×4 car (although you will still need to take a tour for the Okavango Delta).
- Chobe National Park & Kasane: 2 – 3 Days
- Nata (Elephant Sands): 1 – 2 Days
- Gweta/Magkgadikgadi Pans National Park/Nxai Pans National Park: 2 – 3+ Days
- Maun: 1-2 Days
- Okavango Delta: 2 – 3 Days
- Dekar: 2 Days
From Dekar (sometimes called D’Kar – but there are two, so don’t get confused, it’s the one near Ghanzi) you can head back to Maun to catch your flight or you can continue towards Namibia.
From Kasane you can hop across the border to Livingstone or Victoria Falls.
READ MORE: An Epic Namibia Itinerary (Plus Things to See & Do)
Itinerary 2 – The Off-Road Route
If you are looking for a immersive safari experience that goes into the wild, then this may be the route for you!
This is the itinerary we follow on my Botswana & Victoria Falls tour. You spend a lot of time in nature and travels through the national parks, rather than along the main road as the above itinerary does. Again, this route can be reversed.
You will need a 4×4 for this route and it cannot be done by public transport.
- Maun: 1 -2 Days
- Dekar: 2 Days (if coming from Namibia you can go to Dekar first)
- Okavango Delta: 2 – 3 Days
- Khwai Concession: 1 – 2 Days
- Moremi Game Reserve: 1 – 2 Days
- Savuti: 2 Days
- Chobe National Park & Kasane: 2 Days
- Livingstone, Zambia or Vic Falls, Zimbabwe: 3 – 5 Days
Itinerary 3 – The Full Circuit Route
This combines the two above routes, starting and ending in Kasane. However, you could start in Maun too.
If starting/ending in Kasane, you can tag on Victoria Falls/Livingstone at the end or the beginning. You could also make a detour to see the San in Dekar.
You will need a 4×4 for most of this route.
- Kasane: 1 Day
- Nata (Elephant Sands): 1 – 2 Days
- Gweta/Magkgadikgadi Pans National Park/Nxai Pans National Park: 2 – 3+ Days
- Maun: 1 Day
- Okavango Delta: 2 – 3 Days
- Khwai Concession: 1 – 2 Days
- Moremi Game Reserve: 1 – 2 Days
- Savuti: 2 Days
- Chobe National Park: 2 Days
- Livingstone, Zambia/Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe: 3 – 5 Days
Other Places To Consider
These are places that aren’t on any of the routes above but definitely worth the detour if you have the time! Botswana is a big country.
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve: Great place to see the brown hyenas.
- Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Straddling the border with South Africa, can get booked up well in advance.
- Gabarone: The capital city.
Fly-In Safaris
The other option in Botswana is to do a fly-in safari. Doing one of these allows you to hop around from national park to national park, no problem.
But…these are always at the high-end of the spectrum and usually for those staying at pretty expensive lodges that cost a minimum of £500 per person, per night (and often much more).
The reason these lodges are expensive is due to the fact that they are very luxurious and also very remote, therefore a logistical nightmare to run. But you will have a lot of stuff included in your stay, such as transport, food, drinks and activities.
The budget outfitters tend to drive (or sometimes canoe) to the campsites and bring everything in with them. There are no hostels in the national parks.
You don’t have to stay in Kasane at all, as most of the safari companies can arrange transfers direct from Livingstone/Vic Falls to Chobe National Park and back again, however, Kasane is the town closest to Chobe National Park and there is an international airport.
So, if you have a bit of time, or are coming from/going to somewhere further away than Livingstone/Vic Falls you could relax here for a night before or after your Chobe Safari.
It’s also a good place to stock up on food, petrol and other supplies.
On the other hand, you also don’t have to stay inside the park if you are doing a Chobe safari, so you could use Kasane as your base and take day trips into the park. There are LOTS of options.
Last time I was there, I stayed at a couple of different places. The first was Senyati Safari Camp a few kilometres outside of Kasane town, and what a great choice it was!
Senyati Safari Camp overlooks a beautiful waterhole where lots of animals congregate (especially elephants) and they have an underground bunker so you can get really close to the action!
Our chalet was number 1, which sleeps 4 and has a fantastic view over the waterhole (as does the bar and chalet number 2). As we were chilling on our porch in the afternoon, we saw lots of elephants, kudu, impala, warthogs, baboons and even a rare sable antelope galloping by, which I thought was very cool, but the best was yet to come…
Around sunset, we were sat in the bar when a herd of maybe 25 – 30 elephants came trundling into camp, including a few tiny (like really tiny) babies. Jessi and I bolted for the bunker (where the photo above was taken) and watched as they drank and played right in front of us, for a while before wandering off into the night.
They’d only been gone for a few minutes when 10 more arrived to drink. This group were a bit more feisty and I almost pooped my pants when one of the older elephants trumpeted angrily at one of the little ones.
Then as soon as they’d left, another showed up, then another, then another…you get the idea. It was bloody amazing!
I’d say that this place is even better for elephant spotting than the more famous Elephant Sands as you can get way closer and the waterhole is floodlit at night, but Elephant Sands is also awesome – bring on the elephants!
You heard it here first – this is now one of my favourite camps in Africa (yes, in the whole continent, not just Botswana).
I also stayed at Thebe River Safaris Lodge. This place was nice with a good and lively bar and relatively good wifi.
Things To Do in Kasane:
Day or overnight safaris to Chobe National Park, river cruises, day trips over to Livingstone/Vic Falls, fishing trips, take a dip in the hot springs, shop at the Chobe Women’s Arts & Crafts Centre and visit the old baobab tree.
Time Needed: 1 – 2 Days
I’ve been to Chobe quite a few times and it’s one of my absolute favourite national parks in all of Africa and one of the best places in the world to see elephants. Definitely a staple of any Botswana itinerary.
Plus it’s great for a budget safari too, as you can easily take day trips into the park with someone like Kalahari Tours.
Last time I was there was on the Rock My Malawi, Zambia & Botswana Adventure and I swear we saw about 1000 elephants over the 2 days. Seriously. It was pure magic.
But as well as the elephants, we saw a ton of buffalo, lions, giraffes and 3 leopards, including the closest leopard sighting I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously amazing!
There are a whole load of safari companies that offer trips to Chobe of varying lengths, some include boat trips along the river too.
Things To Do in Chobe National Park:
Camp in the bush, take a river cruise, go on safari and take millions of pictures of elephants, leopards, lions…
Time Needed: 1 – 2 Days
Savuti is part of Chobe National Park, however, it’s much deeper into the bush than the Kasane part of Chobe.
On a good day, Savuti may just be the most magical safari in Botswana.
When we were there on the Rock My Botswana & Victoria Falls Adventure, we saw a leopard eating an elephant (seriously), 3 male lions covered in blood (who had also been eating the elephant, hundreds of live elephants, a pride of lions and lion cubs, hyenas fighting over a baby elephant carcass, jackals trying to get the baby elephant carcass and 3 cheetahs. That was a pretty amazing day.
To get to Savuti you can either fly (expensive option as you have to stay in a lodge) or you can drive in via Chobe or Moremi/Khwai. You will need a 4×4 and I’d recommend having a guide.
