Botswana Safari Trips & Tours

Sparsely populated Botswana is home to some of Africa's most intact ecozystems and richest safari destinations. Depending on which Botswana safari tour you book, you'll get to explore Chobe National Park in search of the Big Five, by land, and by Chobe River cruise.

Other highlights on our Botswana safari tours include Moremi Game Reserve and the important wetland known as the Okavango Delta. And many of our trips also visit the barren white salt pans of the Makgadikgadi.

The Big Five are the five species most sought after by travelers on a Botswana safari. They are lions, leopards, African elephants, rhinos, and buffalo.

We give our travelers the best chance possible to spot the Big Five on their Botswana safari tours. We include game drives and boat cruises in Chobe National Park, which is one of the country's premier safari destinations. And we visit the Okavango Delta. Both of these Botswana highlights are home to the Big Five.

Botswana's Okavango Delta is one of the most diverse destinations in Africa, home to all manner of exotic wildlife including a rich tapestry of rare bird life. And Botswana's wider wildlife-rich landscapes and national parks are home to all manner of rare African species, from wild dogs to cheetahs and the Kalahari black-maned lion!

Of course, no wildlife encounters can be guaranteed, as wild animals are unpredictable. Leopards in particular are hard to spot, because they are well camouflaged and mostly nocturnal. But you are sure to see some incredible wildlife, and you never know, you may be able to tick off all five on your Botswana tour!

April - October is the dry season in Botswana, which is generally considered the best time to visit as the weather is dry and warm. Water levels in the Okavango Delta are also at their highest at this time of year, perfect for exploring by mokoro canoe.

For a more detailed breakdown of when to book your Botswana safari, check out our guide on when to visit.

If travelling on one of our overland Botswana holidays, we recommend you read our guide to overland camping safaris. You can also see a detailed packing list in the Trip Notes for each tour.

Some of the important items to remember on your African safari are: sleeping bag, travel pillow, towel, Mosquito spray (with active DEET ingredient - especially important at the Okavango Delta!), your own personal first aid kit, torch, antibacterial wipes, a photocopy of your passport data, and your Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate.

Please note that on our comfort camping safaris, camp bed, mattress, sleeping bag and pillow are provided.

The local payment is a cost per person that needs to be paid in US Dollars cash only. It is this payment that in part covers the park fees and other inclusions such as meals as detailed on each tour page. The local payment also covers your arrival transfer and first night’s accommodation.

Our comfort camping safaris also have a small local payment, to be paid in South African rand or USD (check each tour for details) at the start of your trip.

Please note that due to exchange rate fluctuations in the US dollar, the local payment amount may be subject to changes. This payment will be collected by your tour leader at the Welcome Meeting on day 1 of your escorted tour. Our Reservations team can give you more information about the local payment, the cost of which can be found on each tour page. Please note that a per person local payment also applies to some of our Botswana lodge safaris.

On our Botswana overland safaris, the maximum group size is 30, and these trips depart with a minimum of 4 passengers. Our comfort camping safaris have smaller groups, with a maximum size of 16.

Group sizes are smaller on our lodge safaris, with a maximum size of 7 - 16 depending on the tour, and departing with between 2 - 4 passengers depending on the tour.

On our overland safaris in Botswana and other African destinations, you will be escorted by a three-person crew comprised of a qualified tour leader who will act as your guide, as well as a driver and cook. On our comfort camping tours you will be escorted by a three-person team including a qualified African guide.

On our lodge accommodated safaris, you will be fully escorted by an experienced local guide, who will also act as your driver. You have fewer staff accompanying you on our accommodated safaris but the groups are a lot smaller, so there are actually more guides and staff per person travelling on these trips.

According to the 2022 LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index, Botswana scores a D+ rating for LGBTQ+ traveler safety, ranking 73rd out of 203 countries.

Although same sex marriage is not legal, there are legal protections for workers based on their sexual orientation, and 26 – 50% of consulted citizens consider Botswana a good place to live for gay and lesbian people. There are no legal punishments for same sex relations.

The LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index is designed to provide a good overall picture of attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community in each country and may not reflect the experience of foreign travelers to the country.

Travelers are often surprised to hear that the tap water in Botswana is officially safe to drink. However, we advise caution here. The water is heavily chlorinated and there is always a risk of stomach upsets, so our advice is not to risk it during your visit unless you are desperate!

Stick to filtered and bottled water during your holiday. It is readily available in most destinations: in hotels, restaurants, and safari camps.

On our overland Botswana trips (excluding comfort camping), solo travelers will be matched up with another solo traveler of the same sex, with whom they will share a tent. If there is no other solo traveler of the same sex on the tour, you will have a tent to yourself at no extra cost.

If you book a Handpicked Botswana lodge safari, a single supplement applies per person for solo travelers. The cost of this per person can be seen on the tour page for each trip.

As a United Kingdom-based company, we follow the latest up to date travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) for all of our destinations. You can see the latest travel advice and local laws for Botswana here.