Returning to Botswana, Again and Again
Sometime in July 2024, I noticed there would be a few weeks free, between summer camp and the start of school, when I could take my daughter to Botswana, again. She's a lucky kid. She's been there before, and she's been on safari every other year since she was 18 months old. She was up for the adventure.
I've also been visiting Africa, and Botswana in particular, since I was a kid. When I was putting this scouting trip together with just a few weeks notice, I sketched out all of the camps I've been to in the Okavango, and I realized I've visited more than 100 camps over 40 years of travel!
And yet, I'm always learning the Okavango. It is hard to pin down. It is elusive, always changing with dramatic seasonal differences and a rapidly evolving landscape. Slight tectonic activity, or even a pod of hippos jostling for position, can change how the floodwaters flow, which channels fill up and where wildlife might congregate in the oppressively hot dry season.
Botswana is home to an unbelievable density and diversity of wildlife, and the Okavango Delta is a miracle of nature where a corner of the vast Kalahari desert transforms into a water world full of life. It is truly pristine wilderness, and it has earned a reputation for the most exclusive and dramatic safari experiences in Africa.
With growing popularity in the travel market and more than a dozen new safari camps since I visited in 2023, it was time for me to go back with my favorite travel companion.
Even though Botswana is celebrated for its wildlife experiences, of course, it is the people of Botswana who never fail to impress me. Their kindness and professionalism is truly special, and it often feels like the entire country is there, working together, to take care of us and share with us an amazing wonder of the world.
Here is a lookbook of a few of the paces we visited, and some of our photos are below. I hope you are inspired and that we at Next Adventure can help you plan your trip of a lifetime.
Safari Njema,
Kili McGowan
