BOTSWANA: Wild and Beautiful

My visit to Botswana coincided with the green season or summer months when the bush is lush, foliage vibrant, and temperatures rise into the 90’s. A vast part of this relatively flat, land-locked country in southern Africa encompasses grasslands, scrub savannah and the sands of the Kalahari Desert. The Okavango Delta, the largest inland delta in the world, covers the northwest, alongside Chobe National Park and Moremi Game Reserve. The delta is fed by the Okavango River, which originates in the Angolan highlands, 600 miles to the northwest of Botswana. The river waters take 6 months to reach the delta where it spreads across 6,000 square miles before dissipating into the vast sands of the Kalahari.

The remarkably stable, peaceful government of Botswana has set aside nearly 40% of the country for National Parks, Game Reserves and wildlife management in the form of private concessions. Tourism contributes significantly to the economy in the form of first-class lodges and small luxury camps. High prices keep crowds at bay, and maintain the feeling of traveling through a vast, pristine wilderness with few people around.

My travels were sponsored by the Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO), for whom I served as trip photographer. I was accompanied by James Currie and his Birding Adventures TV (BATV) crew, as they were filming several episodes of the show. Our 11-day adventure centered around three areas in the northern part of the country: Chobe National Park, the Okavango Delta, and Makgadikgadi Pans.

BATV Website : www.birdingadventures.com
BATV Facebook : www.facebook.com/BirdingAdventures
Botswana Tourism Organization : www.botswanatourism.us/