Savuti National Park

If you are looking for places in Botswana for a safari, then Savuti National Park is one of the most highly recommended destinations. Found right on the western corner of Chobe National Park, it's an area of about 5000 square kilometers with safari accommodation options ranging from classic desert campsites to lodges luxury with its hot tub overlooking the plains.

One of the most famous parts of this national park is the Savuti Canal, which has a really interesting history. It's hard to imagine this area once lay on the bottom of the inland sea until one had a closer look at the desolate landscape. On drying up, the lake left the Okavango Delta, Mababe Lowland, Lake Xau, Lake Ngami, Nxai Pan, and Makgadikgadi Pans. The Magwikhwe Sands to the north represent ancient coastlines, while the road from Maun to Savute follows the edge of the Mababe Depression, of which the deepest part is the Savute Marsh. The dead trees in the marsh are the result of the recent flooding (the only part filled in recent history) and the drying up of the Savute Canal.

The Savute Canal has a fascinating history of flooding and drying independent of the rainy and flood seasons elsewhere. That attracts many classical African wildlife species to drink or hunt beside the water and live in the open areas left behind.

Location: South west of Chobe National Park