For many South Africans, Botswana is a quick escape that feels worlds away – wide floodplains, lions calling at night, elephants on the move, and skies filled with stars.
What makes it different is its approach to tourism. Botswana focuses on low-volume, high-value travel, keeping safari areas quiet, wild, and well protected, with nearly 42% of the country set aside for conservation.
If you’re searching for Botswana holiday packages from South Africa, here are seven reasons it keeps topping bucket lists.
If there’s one place that defines Botswana travel, it’s the Okavango Delta. It’s a vast inland delta made up of lagoons, channels, islands, and floodplains in the middle of the Kalahari.
What makes it special:
For a different perspective, take a mokoro safari – a traditional dugout canoe that glides through the waterways while hippos surface nearby and fish eagles call overhead.
If your dream safari includes elephants – lots of them – then Chobe National Park needs to be on your list. Chobe is famous for having one of Africa’s largest elephant populations, and it’s one of the best Botswana attractions for first-time safari travellers.
You don’t just see elephants here – you see entire families swimming across the river, babies splashing behind their mothers, and giant bulls standing silently at the water’s edge. One of the best ways to experience it? A sunset river cruise.
Instead of bouncing through dusty tracks, you float along the Chobe River while wildlife comes directly to the shoreline – elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, hippos, and often lions nearby.
If you’re hoping for leopard sightings, wild dog packs, or lions on the move, head straight to Moremi Game Reserve.
Found on the eastern side of the Delta, Moremi is widely considered one of Africa’s best predator-viewing destinations. This is where many travellers get their first sighting of endangered African wild dogs – one of the continent’s rarest carnivores.
Leopards often patrol the riverine forests here, while lion prides dominate open grasslands.
If you’re hoping for a proper Botswana luxury safari, Moremi is where many of the country’s top camps are based. And yes – this is where your camera memory card starts running out.
Not all things to do in Botswana involve safari vehicles. The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans offer one of the most surreal landscapes in Africa. By day, it feels endless – white earth stretching to the horizon. By night, it becomes one of the best stargazing spots on the continent.
Here, you can:
The wet season between November and April transforms the pans, attracting birdlife and seasonal migrations. If you’ve already done traditional safari trips, this adds a completely different side to your Botswana holiday.
Some destinations give you wildlife. Others give you history.
Tsodilo Hills gives you both. This sacred site contains more than 4,500 rock paintings created by the San people over thousands of years. Walking these hills with local guides adds a completely different layer to Botswana travel. You’re not just looking at landscapes – you’re stepping into one of Africa’s oldest living stories.
When people picture Botswana, they often think water, elephants, and wetlands.
Then they arrive in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and realise Botswana has another side entirely. This is raw, open desert country. Here, you can join San Bushmen guides who share ancient tracking, foraging, and survival knowledge that has been passed down for generations. It’s one of the most meaningful things to do in Botswana, especially if you want culture alongside wildlife.
And yes, Kalahari lion sightings are very real.
This might be the biggest reason people fall in love with Botswana.
Unlike some safari destinations where traffic builds around every lion sighting, Botswana keeps visitor numbers intentionally lower.
That means:
Botswana is a year-round destination, but your experience changes depending on when you travel.
For most, 7 to 10 days works beautifully. That gives you enough time to split your stay across:
Planning a self-drive 4×4 through deeper parks? Give yourself closer to two weeks.
South African passport holders generally do not need a visa for tourism visits, but your passport should be valid for at least six months with blank pages available.
Northern safari regions like the Okavango and Chobe do carry malaria risk, especially during and after rainy season. It’s smart to speak to your doctor or travel clinic before departure.
Light aircraft luggage restrictions often apply in safari regions – some charters allow as little as 12kg. Soft bags work best. Neutral clothing, warm layers for early drives, sunscreen, insect repellent, binoculars, and a decent camera are essentials.
Botswana is the kind of trip that sticks with you long after you’re home – and it’s right on our doorstep. Book your Botswana holiday package with Pentravel and we’ll match you with the right lodge and safari style for your trip.
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