With an area of 581,730 square kilometres, Botswana is virtually the same size as France, Kenya or Texas; yet Botswana’s population is only 1.6 million. Situated in the centre of Southern Africa, Botswana is a landlocked country, with Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe bordering it. Botswana is more than 600 kilometers from the nearest coast and the Tropic of Capricorn bisects the country.
Botswana is Africa’s success story. Diamonds were discovered in the Kalahari Desert shortly after independence in 1966 and this kick-started Botswana’s economy, one of the poorest nations on Earth. Sir Seretse Khama was Botswana’s first president. He was one of the most pragmatic and forward thinking presidents any country could ever hope for and laid the foundations and the platforms that Botswana needed to propel itself forward. Democracy has never been compromised and the economy has been booming ever since. Botswana has focused on very high quality and very low volume tourism and the country's leaders took the view that this policy was the best way to create a sustainable industry that would employ a large percentage of its people, whilst preserving the pristine wilderness environment. Today wildlife and tourism employs about 45% of all the people who live in northern Botswana.
Botswana has remained focused on delivering the finest possible, authentic wildlife experience. This is accomplished through one of Africa's most sensible land plans ever devised. Much of Botswana’s best wildlife land is outside the parks! This land has been resurveyed over the past 15 years and has been divided into massive private reserves that are leased out to safari companies or to rural communities. Almost 40% of Botswana has now been set aside for wildlife which is unprecedented anywhere in the world. The safari companies have to manage their operations within strict guidelines to prevent overcrowding. These companies have to train and employ local people and they have to pay large amounts to the communities or the Government for the privilege of being there. Communities in Botswana are now being brought into the mainstream of the wildlife industry.
Most of Botswana’s best wildlife experiences are in these private reserves (or concessions, as they are known locally), and these are the areas where you should travel to for what will be a life changing journey. Botswana can be divided into three very different habitats, the Okavango Delta, the Linyanti and the Makgadikgadi. Each region offers quite different safari experiences and you should consider visiting all three to give a balanced experience of the country’s habitats.