Botswana Travel Facts

Natural Features: Botswana is a land locked country and it forms a part Southern African plateau. The country is almost entirely flat above the sea level except in the southeast where the terrain is hilly and broken. Two distinct topographical regions are found, in the east, hilly grassland and the Kalahari in southwest about 80% of Botswana consists of Kalahari sands. The only sources of permanent surface water are the chobe, Okavango and Limpopo rivers. Read the rest of this entry »

Makgadikgadi National Park

Makgadikgadi National Park
Makgadikgadi is a 3900 km 2 wilderness of salt, and pale, wafer-crusted clay, dazzling to the eye, animated by mirages that dance and shimmer in the air, but when it rains the landscape is transformed, delineated into huge pans which attract game due to availability of food and water. Makgadikgadi is believed to be the largest salt pan in the world. When dry which is most of the time it is 6500squre km of glaring saline sand-white and absolutely flat. Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve and Nxai Pan National Park were established concurrently in the early 1970’s in the hope of protecting the entire ecosystem. In 1992, when the tarred highway was built Nxai Pan National Park was extended south to the road to take in Baines Baobabs. Visitors to either section must pay park and camping fees. Read the rest of this entry »

Kgalagadi TransFrontier Park

Kgalagadi TransFrontier Park
Mabuasehube Gemsbok National Park covers 12,800 sq.km and lies in Botswana’s remote south west corner. The national park was created in 1995 by amalgamating the former Gemsbok National Park and Mabuasehube Game Reserve. In west it abuts South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park.

Previously known as the Gemsbok National Park, this 28 000 sq kilometre reserve is located in the south-western region of Botswana. As with most areas of the Kalahari there is little infrastructure and the adventurous travelers will enjoy a true safari experience into vast unexplored expanses with herds of desert game, predators and scavengers. Although the southern part of the park falls within South Africa’s boundaries the reserve is now managed as a single ecological unit with the active co-operation of both countries. This remote reserve is difficult to reach from the Botswana side -with the only accessible sector being the former Mabuasehube National Park situated on the far eastern boundary. Read the rest of this entry »