Editor's Choice: Safari Lodges and Camps

If wildlife watching is top of your agenda, you'll want to stay in a safari lodge or camp. The majority are found in the prime game areas of the Okavango Delta (including Moremi Game Reserve), Chobe National Park and Kwando-Linyanti. There are also a few lodges in the Makgadikgadi Pans and Tuli Block. Some lodges include built structures but the majority of places are luxury camps consisting of private tents with ensuite facilities, and a communal dining and meeting area. Almost all camps and lodges are extremely comfortable, spacious and expensive, with excellent catering and activities (typically game drives, guided walks and trips in wooden canoes known locally as mekoros) included as standard. Most are in remote areas; guests arrive by charter plane, followed by an off-road journey of up to an hour or two, which may double as a game drive.

An alternative to staying in a permanent lodge or camp is to book a mobile safari, whereby you and your group will move on to a new spot every two or three days, while being looked after by a full team of staff who handle all the setting up, taking down, transport and catering. Mobile camps tend to be simpler than the fly-in camps, with more of a ‘bush-camping' feel. They're a good option if you'd like to experience remote areas.

Botswana's main urban centres - Gaborone, Francistown, Kasane and Maun - all have a number of hotels and motels which generally maintain a reasonable standard. The top-end hotels offer air conditioning, swimming pools and entertainment such as film screenings, live music and dance shows; there are also budget places with fairly basic amenities. Botswana Tourism Department (see Contact Addresses) lists accommodation options online.

Grading: Botswana operates a standard 5-star rating system for all hotels, lodges and camps.

There are campsites at the main national parks and game reserves. Grass fires should not be started, and all litter should be removed. The presence of dangerous animals makes it advisable to exercise extreme care. Visitors are not permitted to leave their vehicles in a national park or game reserve unless in a designated area.

The Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB)
Private Bag 00423, Gaborone, Botswana 
Tel: 395 7144.
Website: www.hatab.bw