Botswana

My Botswana travel summary:

Visited: August 2025

Duration of visit: 3 days

Capital city: Gaborone

Population: 2.5 million (2025)

Botswana travel blog reading time: 5 minutes

• Premium tourism: high prices and professional treatment.
• Safari adventure: chasing a lion in Chobe National Park.
• Better developed compared to neighboring countries.

Botswana was part of my three-months trip that also included Angola, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique. Traveling from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean was one of my most enjoyable journeys in Africa. Along the way I encountered warm hospitality, reliable infrastructure, delicious cuisine, excellent value for money, and, thanks to perfect timing, I avoided crowds in many areas.

My three-day trip to Botswana focused on exploring Chobe National Park, one of the most popular places to visit.

I took a taxi across the new Kazungula Bridge, which in 2021 replaced the ferry to cross waters where Zambezi and Chobe Rivers meet. Despite being open for four years, the railway line in the middle of the bridge was still not operational.

The Zambian and Botswana immigration officers were efficient and friendly, quickly handling all border formalities. Despite tough negotiations with the taxi driver for a ride to my guesthouse, I couldn’t get the same fare as locals. In this part of Africa, it hasn’t happened to me often, so I was disappointed by the dual pricing for foreign visitors.

I chose to visit Chobe National Park, because it’s easy to reach and offers a good chance of seeing wildlife. Botswana’s first national park spans over 11,000 km² and is famous for its massive elephant herds and the highest concentration of wildlife in Africa. Since I didn’t have my own car, I stayed at the Elephant Trail Guesthouse, which also organizes affordable tours into the park.

A week earlier, I’d already seen many animals in South Luangwa National Park, in Zambia. This time my goal was specific; to spot the king of animals, the lion. When I told our ranger about it, he smiled and said:

“I can guarantee you impalas, elephants and giraffes, but lions aren’t easy to find.”

Just a few minutes after we started driving along the Chobe River, a male lion appeared ahead of us. He was slowly making his way toward the water. As soon as he stopped, a crowd of safari vehicles gathered around. Tourists eager to capture a photo of the lion were shouting and urging their drivers to get even closer.

I was shocked watching the aggressive circle, which formed around the poor lion and the struggle for the best view.

Most of the drivers seemed to forget the basic rules of driving on the tracks and keeping distance from animals.

The lion soon began to look uneasy, glancing nervously at the group of vehicles surrounding him. Two minutes later he walked away toward a patch of trees, where he finally found some peace. And just like that, our encounter with lions was over.

During the rest of the safari, we observed hyenas, jackals, elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalos and impalas. A few crocodiles were warming in the sun along the riverbank.  On the opposite side of the Chobe River in Namibia, where the area is no longer protected as a national park, zebras were grazing side by side with cows.

“When the river level drops, the lions cross to the other side. They’re no longer protected, since the national park ends with the river. They are rather seen as a threat to cattle, so locals are legally allowed to shoot them,” our safari guide explained.

After lunch, the number of vehicles on the road reduced. While driving deeper into the park, our driver got news that a leopard had been seen somewhere ahead. Half an hour later we noticed a tall tree with some vehicles parked around it.

High up in the branches, we saw a half-eaten impala, but not the leopard that was supposed to be resting there. It was apparently taking a nap with the full stomach in the midday heat. The tree was a bit too far from the road to see clearly, so our driver decided to move closer. As we slowly circled the tree, I finally spotted the lazy leopard laying on a branch.

On the way back, I noticed a large herd of buffalo, slowly moving in the afternoon sun. As we passed by, they lifted their heads for a moment, before going back to their afternoon rest.

One of the popular things to do in Chobe National Park is a late-day boat trip, which offered me a new perspective from the river. Most of the animals were near the river in the afternoon hours to drink the essential fluids for survival. In some parts, the water was so shallow that entire elephant families could cross to the island in the middle.

For the adult elephants, crossing the river seemed like part of their daily routine, but the youngest ones were completely submerged at times. They were keeping contact with the air only through their trunks.

By the evening, the hippos had become more active, moving toward the river and roaring loudly. A group of crocodiles rose gracefully above the water surface, revealing the tops of their heads, blinking a few times, then sinking back down to quietly wait for their prey. Just a few meters from our boat.

It is truly amazing how wild animals have become accustomed to the presence of human beings and coexist with them.

The group in the guesthouse was pleasant and diverse. In a longer conversation with two Japanese men, I shared my experiences from visits to my favorite country - Japan. They couldn’t believe how well I knew their homeland and how many places I had visited.

“You are rich! How can you travel so much? You know my country better than me,” one of them said.

“Well, maybe that’s true,” I replied with a smile.

“I’ve always wanted to travel, and I’ve shaped my whole life around that dream. But I always travel on the lowest budget possible.”

My trip to Botswana was short and mainly focused on visiting Chobe National Park, so I didn’t really get a full picture of the country. Nevertheless, it was clear to me that Botswana is more developed than its neighbors, especially compared to poorer Zambia.

Luxury tourism with higher prices attracts a different type of visitors; fewer backpackers and more comfort-seeking tourists.

I will definitely come back soon to see more of Botswana, including the capital, Gaborone.