This is my favourite part of Botswana to travel to, there is so much space and so few tourists you lose yourself in this desolate arid landscape – you are alone with only the baobabs and the stars for company. All these parks in the Central Kalahari – Makgadigadi Pans, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Khutse Game Reserve and Kubu Island are incredible parks with the stark scenery across the pans, stunning sunsets, good game sightings and animal interaction.
In the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, visit Pipers Pan for solitude with Deception and Passarge Valley for the game. Sundays Pan campsite is the most popular.
Pop past Tsodilo Hills when passing the Okavango Panhandle to view the 4500 rock paintings in the area as well as Gcwihaba/Drotsky’s Caves, a proposed World Heritage Site. If you want to see rhino in Botswana, stop at Khama Rhino Sanctuary and Mokolodi Game Reserve.
Nata Bird Sanctuary is a must as this is where thousands of birds arrive to nest and breed each year. The best time to visit is during the late afternoon to watch the sunset glow over the pelicans and flamingos at Sua Pan before heading to Nata Lodge to camp for the night.
