Things to do in Botswana

Surreal safari in the Savute

You could be sitting on the deck of your room and see a range of amazing animals …

By Cindy Boshoff

Director of Sales and Marketing for Belmond Safaris

For me the Chobe National Park has some of the most amazing animals. Savute Elephant Lodge is tucked away in the remote southwestern part of the park in the Savute area and allows guests to experience its exciting wildlife and ancient terrain in exciting new ways.

A lot of people may not know this about the Savute but it’s an amazing area for lions. Our highly talented guides can always find the location of the area’s two dominant lion prides known for being fiercely competitive. You can head out into the vast, flat plains surrounding the lodge and spot their sandy coloured bodies in huge numbers of twenty or thirty, prowling the savanna in search of prey. You may also see other predators like leopard and cheetah that reside in the hilly terrain.

We’ve also got a lane of huge baobab trees. Their trunks are literally three times an average arm span. I say it’s always a great Instagram moment, sipping on a gin and tonic while admiring these ancient giants as the sun slowly sets. In the absence of leopard tracks and if you’re still feeling energetic you can climb the nearby hill to observe San Bushmen paintings over 1,500 years old.

While the Chobe doesn’t permit night drives, you can enjoy a private dinner in our animal hide, which offers surreal sightings of the park’s nocturnal animals. You could see owls, porcupines, honey badgers as well as elephant that are supremely active at night. During the day you could sit here for hours, starting at sunrise when the wild dog come to drink their morning water.

Available in these itineraries…

Itinerary

Unsurpassed Botswana and Cape Town
by Daniel Heatly

Length8 Days

Price range£6,895 - £7,750pp

Alfred & Cindy Boshoff

Originally from Johannesburg, Cindy Boshoff moved to London to embark on a career in hospitality. After 10 years of experience abroad she returned to Africa where she has lived for eight years in Cape Town working in the luxury hospitality industry. She is an avid birdwatcher, keen photographer and conservationist. Most of all she loves creating bucket-list Botswana travel experiences for her clients, one dream trip at a time.

Plan your holiday withAlfred&

Your journey will start with one of our UK team – someone like Louise, who's travelled extensively in Botswana. They’ll shape your ideas into the trip of a lifetime. But they won't do it alone. They'll draw on the expertise of our contacts on the ground, connecting you to the people who'll make your holiday one you'll always remember - the rangers who'll ensure you'll spot the best wildlife in Chobe, the village chiefs who'll give you an insight into local life and the helicopter pilots who can land you on an island in the Delta never visited by humans before.

Louise Dean

Africa Expert for Alfred&

When it comes to Africa, Louise is well versed. She’s flown into an empty Namibian beach to eat lunch on the aircraft wing, experienced Tanzania’s Great Wildebeest migration and listened to stories of the Anglo-Zulu War on the battlefields where it happened over a centennial ago. While she’s witnessed vast, incredible game including the last two northern white rhinos, it’s the people who she finds most inspiring; the native Maasai women whose lives are deeply rooted within the Olare Motorogi Conservancy and the local guides - resilient, highly knowledgeable, and ever smiling.
Harrison Mangwegape

Guide at Camp Xakanaxa

Harry was born in the Botswanan village of Thamaga, near capital Gaborone. He loved wildlife growing up and trained at the Okavango Guiding School in Maun to pursue his passion. He started working as a guide at Desert & Delta’s Savute Safari Lodge in 2010 and later joined Leroo La Tau in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, before moving to Camp Xakanaxa.
Keitumetse 'KT' Mogale

Guide at Camp Okavango

Keitumetse has been guiding for 12 years. He grew up in the village of Mogotho in the Okavango Delta and began his career as a tracker. He now leads walking safaris and game drives at Camp Okavango and enjoys sharing his stories with guests from all over the world.
Florence Kagiso

Senior Guide at Chobe Game Lodge

Florence grew up in a farming family in the Okavango Delta and has been a guide at Chobe Game Lodge for 17 years. When she joined in 2004, she was the first female guide at the camp - she now mentors a team of 17 women. Her work was recognised in National Geographic Traveller’s recent Reader Awards 2021, where she won The Innovator award.
Andrew Baker

Founder and Managing Director of Helicopter Horizons

Andrew grew up in Zimbabwe before moving to the US to train as a pilot. Botswana had always held a place in his heart, so he began his aviation career as a fixed wing pilot in the Okavango Delta. He founded Helicopter Horizons in 2004, offering photographic flights - without doors - for organisations such as the BBC and National Geographic. The company now offer scenic flights for tourists in the Okavango Delta, Linyanti region and the Makgadikgadi Pans, as well as transfers between safari camps.
Ollie Maitapiso

Guide at Leroo La Tau

Ollie grew up in the village of Xaxaba in the Okavango Delta and began his career as a trainee poler in 1999, taking guests out on mokoro trips. He started guiding in 2004 and joined Camp Xakanaxa in the Moremi Game Reserve in 2007, before moving to Leroo La Tau in 2014.