Safari in Botswana

Beverly and my journey started in Botswana. As we were both born in Africa, we needed to pursue a personal quest to find the continent’s soul. We initially settled in the Selinda Reserve before ending up in the Duba Plains Reserve. This remains our current home.

These are two distinct and fascinating areas of Botswana, presenting some fantastic safari in Botswana opportunities. The Selinda Reserve bristles with elephants and painted dogs (wild dogs) with great leopards and lions in the north. One finds Okavango Delta swamp swimming lions hunting day and night in our Duba Plains Reserve. The birdlife in both areas is superb! It is here that David Livingstone camped for months.

These private areas are my top picks, representing the best wildlife viewing and experiences when on a safari in Botswana.

Beverly and I have made films in both places. Relentless Enemies, The Last Lions and our Okavango River of Dreams series, all filmed in the Duba Plains Reserve. Wildlife Warriors, Birth of a Pride, Reflections on Elephants in and around the Selinda Reserve.

A golden rule of thumb is that if an area has good predator numbers like lions and leopards (like we have), there will be good numbers of plains game like antelope and other species such as elephants to view. Predators are territorial; they don’t migrate. Considering our high predator numbers in both areas, I would have no hesitation in suggesting you combine these wet and dry regions of Botswana at any time during the year.

Also, consider staying longer. There is no need to unpack and pack your suitcase again every two nights. Rushing from one location to another is not conducive to enjoying a perfect safari. Basing yourself for a more extended period at a camp not only allows you to relax on your safari but also ensures you get a more meaningful understanding of all of Africa’s most iconic species. Not only those that seem to be the poster kids of the wildlife world.

It is all you need. It is all I need for that perfect safari.”

Botswana is a country of diverse beauty, outstanding wildlife and offers an array of landscapes found nowhere else on earth and uniquely adapted flora and fauna. From the channels of the Okavango Delta, the world’s only inland delta, to the banks of the Selinda Spillway teeming with elephants, to the vast salt pans of the Makgadikgadi. This varied landscape also lends itself to various safaris to experience the country, from wildlife drives to guided bush walks to canoes and boating, all of which are available when staying with Great Plains Conservation.

Botswana is a country for travellers who value remoteness and exclusivity, with vast tracts of pristine wilderness home to healthy wildlife populations and an often explosive mix of predator and prey. Great Plains Conservation’s camps in Botswana epitomise the wonder that the country has to offer. We have several camps and safari in Botswana experiences spread across almost 400,000 private, conserved land acres. Some of which communities lease to us. More than a decade ago, some areas were former hunting concessions converted and protected by Great Plains Conservation.