As the only protected reserve in the northeastern periphery of Sowa Pan, Nata Bird Sanctuary is a community-managed project. This avian sanctuary opened in 1993 with the objective of wildlife conservation. The local people not only relocated their cattle of about 3,500 heads to adjacent land but also built a network of dirt roads.UNESCO has recognized the Nata Bird Sanctuary as one of the “largest breeding of lesser and greater flamingos in the world”.

The Nata Bird Sanctuary is one of only three nesting places for African flamingos. After the rainy season, when the pan receives influent flow from the Nata River, enormous amounts of water birds have their breeding grounds here. Many pelicans and over 250.000 flamingos can then be found here. Overall, 165 different bird species can be found within the sanctuary. Apart from birds, many antelopes like kudu, oryx, springbok and many more are found in the Nata Bird Sanctuary. Visitors can stay at Nata Lodge or on the campsite close to the park entrance.

Location: Nata, Gaborone, Botswana

Website: https://nataconservationtrust.org.bw/

Hour: Open all hours

Google Rating: 4.9/5

The Okavango Delta is one of the most inspiring and awe-inspiring wilderness locations in Africa, if not the entire planet. It is a truly unspoiled wilderness with terrain ranging from dry grasslands to swamps. With the flood waters of the river reaching the delta at the start of the dry season, the Okavango Delta has a distinct rhythm. It is one of the few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system that is almost intact. This peak coincides with Botswana’s dry season resulting in great migrations of plains game from the dry hinterland.

The Okavango Delta is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammals, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion. With rich wildlife, this delta is a sanctuary for some of the world's most endangered animals and birds. Safaris and game-watching are the most popular activities in the Okavango Delta. Trips should be planned appropriately because, although the terrain here is always stunning, the seasons can dramatically affect your chances of seeing certain animals. This is an adventure for purists and adventurous travellers looking for an authentic experience.

Location: Gaborone, Botswana
Website: https://www.okavangodelta.com/

Tel: 44 (0) 20 3890 9231

Hour: Open all hours
Google Rating: 4.8/5

With one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world, Tsodilo has been called the ''Louvre of the Desert''. The Tsodilo Hills appear almost suddenly out of the ground in northwest Kalahari. The word Tsodilo is derived from the Hambukushu word 'sorile' which means sheer. The Tsodilo Hills are a Unesco World Heritage site and are home to a fantastic 4000 cave paintings spread out over 200 locations. The cave paintings, along with other evidence, suggest that the hills were first inhabited over 30,000 years ago. Some of the paintings date back to around 800 to 1300 AD.

The best time to visit Tsodilo Hills is in the winter, as summer can be blisteringly hot. Local communities in this hostile environment respect Tsodilo as a place of worship frequented by ancestral spirits. Many local peoples around the Tsodilo Hills have stories of times past that deal with the many painted caves and rock shelters at the site. In some of these alleged campsites, there is little to no evidence of fire remains. The local San people believe Tsodilo is the birthplace of all life, art there is made by the descendants of the first people.

Location: Gaborone, Botswana

Website: https://www.botswanatourism.co.bw/explore/tsodilo-hills

Hour: Open all hours

Google Rating: 4.8/5

Voted the best game reserve in the African continent in 2008, The Moremi Game Reserve protects the central and eastern areas of the Okavango Delta. It is the first reserve that was solely founded by local residents who were growing ever more concerned about natural and man-made threats to the local environment and wildlife. By combining drier areas and waterways, the contrasts are astonishing.

To this day, Moremi includes the Moremi Tongue and Chief's Island, boasting one of the continent's wealthiest and most diverse ecosystems. The Moremi Game Reserve initially consisted mostly of the Mopane Tongue area, but in the 1970s the royal hunting grounds, known as Chief’s Island, were added. This place is home to the most endangered species of large mammals: the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion.

Over 500 bird species and over a 1.000 species of plants are also recognized in the Moremi Reserve. Many tourists choose to visit the park by self-drive campervan but the park also has many great campsites. You can discover a unique land while staying in one of the intimate lodges in the Moremi Reserve and let the river take you on an adventure. Whether you are already a bird enthusiast or not, these magnificent creatures come in large numbers, and quickly win over your heart once you arrive.

Location: Masarwa, Gaborone, Botswana

Website: https://www.moremi.com/

Tel: 267 391 3111

Hour:267 316 1955

Google Rating: 4.7/5

The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park is situated south of the Nxai Pan National Park in Botswana and forms with its huge salt pans an impressive surreal landscape. The formation of the salt pans started with the evaporation of a huge inland lake in central Botswana, which covered an area of about 60000 km². As a result of plate tectonics, the feeding rivers were cut off. In 1970 parts of today’s national park were declared as game reserve, which were then extended to the north up to the Maun-Nata tar road in 1992 and proclaimed Makgadikgadi National Park.

The name may be a mouthful, but the reasons to visit Makgadikgadi Pans National Park are simple. For those who prefer solitude and silence this is paradise. Due to the absence of water the area of the national park has never been inhabited. The surrounding villages had the states permission to graze their herds on the fringes of the area.The pans are surrounded by open grasslands, which attract the largest zebra migration after Tanzania.

During the rainy season from December to March, large herds of zebras, oryx, wildebeests, impalas and springbuck roam the northern part of the Nxai Pan National Park. Elephants can be found along the Boteti River and there are waterholes big enough for hippos to stay in. You can go camping on Kubu Island, a rocky island at the edge of the Sowa Pan. The best time to travel to Makgadikgadi Pans National Park is in June and October as the pans are then dry and traversable.

Location: Gaborone, Botswana

Website: https://mistersafari.com/makgadikgadi-pans/

Hour: Open all hours

Google Rating: 4.5/5

Established in 1968, Chobe National Park covers approximately 11,700 sq km, encompassing floodplains, swamps and woodland. The Chobe River forms the park's northern boundary, which includes four distinct geographical areas: the Chobe Riverfront: the Ngwezumba pans; Savuté; and Linyanti. The national park takes its name from the Chobe River which, at first glance is guaranteed to take your breathe away. Chobe National Park is the third largest in Botswana but it has one of the largest concentrations of rare game animals in the continent of Africa.

During the winter, you may see hundreds of elephants at one time in the Chobe National Park. The main Serondella Road sometimes becomes impassable as scores of family herds cross the main road to make their way to the river to drink, bathe and play. You can take a river cruise – and you'll experience the park and wildlife from a different vantage point, getting up closer to hippos, crocodiles and a mind-boggling array of water birds than you ever would on land. Over 460 bird species have been recorded in the Chobe National Park, making it one of Africa's premier venues for bird safaris.

Location: Gaborone, Botswana
Website: https://chobenationalpark.co.za/

Tel: 27 82 082 6715

Hour: Open all hours
Google Rating: 4.5/5

Nxai Pan National Park is set on the northern fringe of the Makgadikgadi basin and includes pan, an ancient lake bed that was once part of the vast Lake Makgadikgadi. At roughly 2,580 km² (996 m²), this incredible destination offers stark contrasts between its dry and wet seasons. The immensity of the sky and horizon of the Nxai landscape always strikes travellers.

After good rains in the area, Nxai Pan is covered in lush green grass. This attracts enormous concentrations of Burchell’s zebra, blue wildebeest and springbok, while healthy numbers of other grazers include gemsbok, eland and red hartebeest. During the dry season, visitors to the Nxai Pan National Park will be treated to sightings of giraffes, lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, brown hyenas, bat-eared foxes, and occasionally elephants and buffalo.

In the Nxai Pan National Park, there are two small public camping grounds with ablution facilities; one in the south on the edge of the plain, less than 2 kilometres from the entrance gate, and the other in the north, 8 kilometres from the gate, within mopane woodland. In addition to this, informal camping is permitted at Baines Baobabs. However, no facilities are available and the nearest water supply is at the Game Scout Camp situated near the entrance gate.

Location: Gaborone, Botswana

Website: https://www.botswana.co.za/africa_nxai.html

Hour: Open all hours

Google Rating: 4.4/5

The Three Dikgosi Monument is a bronze sculpture in the Central Business District of Gaborone, Botswana. In 1885 three tribal chiefs representing the people of Botswana, Sebele I, Bathoen I, and Khama III, travelled from their African nation to plead with the Queen. At the time, Botswana was in danger of being incorporated in the exploitative British South Africa Company, and the tribal leaders set out to do something about it. Each of the leaders is depicted in regal bronze, 18 feet tall.

Their granite stands bear their names, and informational plaques tell of their achievements. Adding to the controversial legacy of the leaders, the monument also drew criticism for the North Korean labour used in its creation. On the day it was first opened, the monument received 800 visitors. The Three Dikgosi Monument was inaugurated on 29 September 2005 by Festus Mogae, President of Botswana at the time. One of the most visited tourist attractions in Gaborone, The Three Dikgosi Monument is also a venue for popular public events like the Miss Botswana pageant.

Location: Commercial, Gaborone, Botswana

Website: https://www.commonwealthwalkway.com/place/the-three-dikgosi-monument/

Tel: 267 368 9000

Hour: 8:00 AM - 17:00 PM

Google Rating: 4.3/5

Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive national park in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. Established in 1961, it covers an area of 52,800 square kilometres, making it the second-largest game reserve in the world. During and shortly after good summer rains, the flat grasslands of the reserve's northern reaches teem with wildlife, which gathers at the best grazing areas. The magnificent expanse of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a not-to-be-missed attraction when embarking on a Botswana safari.

Throughout the Central Kalahari Reserve, travellers are reminded of a more bountiful period in Kalahari history, one where temperatures are less extreme. The reserve is well-known for providing awe-inspiring stargazing experiences and for its most notable attractions such as Deception Valley, the Sunday and Leopard Pans, Passage Valley and Piper’s Pan. After driving a few metres along the impressive Chobe Riverfront, your guide suddenly stops. As you gaze at this amazing scene, you can hear the dull sound of heavy feet in the sand, the breathing and whiffing, and the occasional trumpeting from these beautiful creatures in the Central Kalahari Reserve.

Location: Gaborone, Botswana
Website: https://www.botswanatourism.co.bw/explore/central-kalahari-game-reserve
Hour: Open all hours
Google Rating: 4.2/5

Mokolodi Nature Reserve is a private not-for-profit game reserve in southern Botswana. Founded in 1994 by The Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation, it is situated on 30 square kilometres of donated land, 10 kilometres south of the capital Gaborone. The nature reserve is inhabited by a wide variety of indigenous African game, bird and reptile species, some of which are rare and vulnerable to the threat of extinction.

The southern white rhinoceros herd at Mokolodi Nature Reserve is part of a national breeding programme which contributes to the rebuilding of the national herd in Botswana. There is also a reptile park containing black mamba, Mozambique spitting cobra, puff adder and snouted cobra, amongst other species, and an aviary with rescued white-backed vulture and cape vulture. For nature and wildlife lovers, the reserve offers an excursion from Gaborone that provides a wide variety of activities for the entire family.

Mokolodi offers game drives, guided walks, horse-back safaris, rhino-tracking, giraffe-tracking, walks with trained elephants, and cheetah visits. Facilities include camping sites, chalets, picnic sites, an education centre, a museum and library, the World's View Conference Centre, and a lovely stone thatch restaurant that gives a beautiful view of the surrounding bush. Environmental education for children from local schools is a significant part of the Mokolodi Reserve's mandate. Each year, thousands of schoolchildren come for courses, sleeping in the dormitories or camp-outs.

Location: Mokolodi 2, Gaborone, Botswana
Website: https://mokolodi.com/
Tel: 267 316 1955
Hour: 7:00 AM - 18:00 PM
Google Rating: 4.2/5