10 Best Local Holiday Destinations To Check Out This Festive.
Botswana has jut been named the best place to visit in 2016. This means that our country has a lot to offer than we can think. Quite often we are a nation that loves traveling during the holidays, it is a pity that we travel to other countries. Make these holidays about your country, explore places that tourists travel thousands of kilometers just to see. Look at some of the best places you can explore this December on the following list.
1. Okavango Delta.
The Okavango Delta is a very large inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari. It is a unique safari destination because you can view much of the wildlife from a traditional canoe. Every year the delta floods covering over 16,000 km’s. There are numerous lodges dotted around as well as luxury safari camps, many of them offer walking safaris.
2. Chobe National Park.
This national park lies in the Okavango Delta, and covers four distinct Eco-systems. Chobe boasts around 120,000 elephants, and they are wonderful to watch from the water on a safari cruise, popular at sundown here. Chobe is accessible by car which makes it a little less expensive than some other Botswana Parks. There’s a wide variety of accommodation available to suit all budgets, you can even rent a houseboat.
3. Tsodilo Hills.
Tsodilo hills is a spiritual outdoor art gallery, showcasing more than 4,000 ancient San Bushmen rock paintings. There are around 400 sites depicting hunting scenes, dances and animals. Some rock art dates back more than 20,000 years and archaeologists have ascertained that people lived in this area as far back as 100,000 years ago. Not surprisingly, this is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
4. Nxai Pan National Park.
The Nxai Pan National Park is just a beautiful destination for a safari. There are wonderful sand dunes, the famous Baines baobabs, and of course the salt pans themselves that when flooded offer tremendous opportunity to view bird and wildlife. The short grasses that have replaced the salt pans of old, attracts vast herds of ungulates. The best time to visit is from December to April.
5. Tuli Block
The Tuli block is a wildlife rich area in eastern Botswana that borders South Africa and Zimbabwe at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers. The Tuli block encompasses several reserves, including Mashatu Game Reserve and Northern Tuli Game Reserve. It’s a beautiful area with several rivers, riverine forests, savannah, and lots of massive baobab trees
6. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier park is huge, covering an area of 38,000 sq km (larger than Holland). It’s a new park, encompassing two previous separate parks: The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (South Africa) and Gemsbok National Park (Botswana). You wont see all of the Big Five here, but large migrating herds of wildebeest and other antelope attract the major predators.
7. Mokolodi Game Reserve.
Mokolodi is a private reserve dedicated to conservation education so when you visit, don’t be surprised to see excited school children out on a field trip. Given that many Africans are denied access to game reserves because of prohibitive costs, Mokolodi is well worth patronizing so it can continue its programs. Rhino tracking is a highlight at Mokolodi and one of the few places you can see white rhinos.
8. Moremi Game Reserve.
Moremi is a small reserve with a very high density and variety of wildlife. It’s bird life is unrivaled, with over 500 species to gaze at through your binoculars. Wild dogs are regularly spotted here, as well as the Big Five with the recent re-introduction of both black and white rhino. There are a few camps within the park, some exclusive to fly-in safaris, and others are very sought after by those on a self-drive safari.
9. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Tours.
Alexander McCall-Smith’s popular detective series, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency put Gaborone, Botswana’s capital, on the map. Now you can take a tour and see Precious Ramotswe’s, home town come to life. Tours also include film locations from the popular HBO series based on the books. Short tours (half day) concentrate mostly in and around Gaborone where you get to see her home on Zebra Drive, and her office opposite Speedy Motors.
10. Khama Rhino Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary is centered around the Ser0we Pan – a large grass-covered depression with several natural water holes, in the Kalahari desert. Basic camp sites and chalets offer accommodation in the Sanctuary. Activities include game drives and walks to view the many animals besides rhino that live in this area. Khama Rhino Sanctuary is an excellent option for a self-drive safari.
