Out & About SA · Botswana

Botswana Things to Do

Attractions across Botswana — mokoro trips and scenic flights over the Okavango, Chobe river cruises and game drives, the Tsodilo Hills rock art, the Makgadikgadi meerkats and quad-biking, Kubu Island, the Khama Rhino Sanctuary and Gaborone's museums and monuments. Filter by region and type.

Region

Type

Where in BotswanaAll areas

Full list

Ancient baobab trees — Kubu Island/Lekhubu. Gnarled baobabs cling to the granite island, iconic against the surrounding salt pan
Ancient stone walls — Kubu Island/Lekhubu. Semicircular dry-stone walls linked to early Iron Age and Great Zimbabwe-era cultures
Baines Baobabs — Nxai Pan National Park. Cluster of seven ancient baobabs painted by Thomas Baines in 1862, standing at Kudiakam Pan
Baines' Baobabs, Nxai Pan — Nxai Pan. Cluster of ancient baobabs immortalised by artist Thomas Baines in 1862
Big-Game Drive Safari — Chobe National Park. Game drives through a park famous for one of Africa's largest elephant populations, around 50,000 animals
Bird watching — Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Over 230 bird species have been recorded across the sanctuary's pans and woodland
Black-maned Kalahari lion viewing — Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The park is famous for its black-maned lions, gemsbok, cheetah and raptors amid red dunes
Boat Cruises & Birding — Okavango Panhandle. River trips to spot Pel's fishing owl, African skimmers and abundant waterbirds
Boat safaris — Moremi Game Reserve. Motorboat trips on the permanent lagoons such as Xakanaxa
Boteti River Game Drives — Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Dry-season wildlife concentrates along the Boteti River on the park's western boundary
Boteti River Waterfront — Rakops. Riverside village on the Boteti, a supply and launch point for safaris into the surrounding pans and reserves
Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) — Lobatse. Historic abattoir and end point of Kalahari cattle treks; tours can be arranged in advance
Botswana National Museum & Art Gallery — Gaborone. National collections of natural history, ethnography and Botswana art
Cape Vulture Colony — Goo-Moremi Gorge. The gorge cliffs host one of Botswana's important breeding colonies of endangered Cape vultures
Catfish Run Fishing — Lake Ngami. Local fishermen harvest huge sharptooth catfish when the lake fills, a striking seasonal spectacle
Central Kalahari & Makgadikgadi Safaris — Rakops. Rakops is a gateway for game drives into the Central Kalahari (Matswere Gate) and Makgadikgadi Pans
Central Kalahari game drive — Central Kalahari. Safari across one of the world's largest reserves, home to black-maned lions
Chief's Island — Moremi Game Reserve. The reserve's largest island and prime big-game viewing area
Chobe National Park game drive — Chobe. Riverfront game drive famed for the world's largest concentrations of elephant
Chobe River Sunset Boat Cruise — Chobe Riverfront. Late-afternoon river cruises to watch elephants, hippos and buffalo drink along the floodplain
Chobe River sunset cruise — Kasane. Boat cruise past drinking elephants, hippos and abundant birdlife on the Chobe River
Deception Valley — Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Famous ancient fossil river valley, made famous by the book 'Cry of the Kalahari' and known for black-maned lions
Deception Valley wildlife viewing — Deception Valley. Fossil river valley made famous by the book 'Cry of the Kalahari'
Domboshaba Ruins — Francistown. Iron Age stone-walled ruins and national monument north of Francistown, tied to Kalanga heritage
Elephant Sands Waterhole — Nata. Bush camp north of Nata where elephants come to drink at a floodlit waterhole
Environmental Education Centre — Khama Rhino Sanctuary. On-site centre interpreting rhino conservation and the Kalahari ecosystem
First Christian Church — Kanye. Historic 1884 church, later rebuilt, featuring murals by local artist Speedo Gaotlhalelwe
Flamingo & Pelican Viewing — Nata Bird Sanctuary. After good rains the Sowa Pan hosts tens of thousands of flamingos and many pelicans
FNB World of Golf at Bluetree — Gaborone. Botswana's leading standalone floodlit golf driving range and golf academy (Excel Golf Academy), with a restaurant…
Gaborone Game Reserve — Gaborone. Compact urban reserve with antelope, warthog and rich birdlife
Game drives — Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Guided drives to see white rhino, giraffe, zebra and other game near Gaborone
Game Drives & Walking Safaris — Okavango Delta. Guided drives and bush walks from water-based and land camps across the delta
Game drives and night drives — Khwai. The community concession allows night drives and off-road tracking not permitted inside Moremi
Gantsi Craft — Ghanzi. Non-profit craft shop selling San ostrich-eggshell jewellery, baskets and textiles at fair prices
Gcwihaba Caves exploration — Gcwihaba. Guided descent into remote limestone caverns with stalactites and bat colonies
Ghanzi Bushman cultural experience — Ghanzi. San-led bush walks, trance dancing and storytelling near Ghanzi
Ghanzi Trailblazers cultural village — Ghanzi. Community experience of Naro San dance, tracking and traditional crafts
Gobabis Hill Rock Paintings — Savuti. Ancient San rock art panels painted on a granite hill within the Savuti area
Goo-Moremi Gorge — Tswapong Hills. Sacred gorge near Palapye with permanent waterfalls, pools and hiking trails through the hills
Goo-Moremi Sacred Gorge — Goo-Moremi Gorge. A protected heritage site with ancestral and spiritual significance to the local community
Granite rock island — Kubu Island/Lekhubu. A rocky outcrop rising from the flat white expanse of Sowa Pan in the Makgadikgadi
Green's Baobab — Gweta. Historic giant baobab south of Gweta carved with 19th-century explorers' inscriptions
Guided bush walk in the Delta — Okavango. Walking safari on foot with an armed guide tracking big game across Delta islands
Guided bush walks — Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Walking trails through the reserve for close-up wildlife and bird viewing
Guided Game Drive Safari — Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Game drives across vast open plains to see lion, cheetah, oryx, springbok and brown hyena
Guided game drives — Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Drives reveal giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, gemsbok and other plains game alongside the rhino
Guided nature walks — Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Escorted walks and rhino-tracking bring visitors closer to the bush
Guided Walking Safaris — Linyanti/Kwando. On-foot bush walks with armed guides through the riverine and mopane wilderness
Guma Lagoon — Okavango Panhandle. Large lagoon at the delta's northwest, a base for fishing, boating and birding
Gumare Basket Weaving — Gumare. Gumare is a renowned centre of traditional Okavango palm-fibre basket weaving in the Delta panhandle
Helicopter photographic safari over the Delta — Okavango. Doors-off helicopter flights for aerial photography and remote fly-in picnics
Horse riding across the salt pans — Makgadikgadi. Ride horseback over the shimmering white salt flats of the Makgadikgadi
Horseback safaris — Mashatu Game Reserve. Guided riding safaris across the open Tuli plains among big game
Jwaneng Diamond Mine — Jwaneng. The world's richest diamond mine by value, a vast open pit visible from public vantage points
Kalahari game viewing — Khutse Game Reserve. Gemsbok, springbok, wildebeest, lion, cheetah and brown hyena roam the arid grasslands
Kalahari Rest — Kang. Kalahari lodge and rest camp near Kang offering nature drives and Bushman-guided walks
Kang Ultra Stop — Kang. Well-known Trans-Kalahari Highway rest stop with fuel, restaurant, shop and accommodation
Kasane and Sedudu gateway — Kasane. Riverside town and gateway to Chobe near the four-country meeting point
Kazungula Bridge — Kasane. Road-rail bridge over the Zambezi near the quadripoint where four countries nearly meet
Kazungula four-countries viewpoint — Kasane. Point where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe nearly meet on the Zambezi
Kgale Hill — Gaborone. The 'Sleeping Giant', a popular hill hike of about two hours with views over the city and dam
Kgale Hill hike — Gaborone. Popular climb overlooking Gaborone with resident baboons and sweeping views
Kgosi Bathoen II Statue — Kanye. Statue honouring the Bangwaketse chief who reigned from 1928 to 1969
Kgosi Sechele I Museum — Molepolole. Museum in a historic sandstone building documenting Bakwena history and culture
Kgwakgwe Caves — Kanye. Rock-shelter caves in the Kgwakgwe Hills, a popular local walking spot
Kgwakgwe Hill — Kanye. Prominent hill overlooking Kanye with panoramic views over the town and surrounds
Khama III Memorial Museum — Serowe. Museum in a former colonial trading store honouring the Bamangwato royal dynasty and writer Bessie Head
Khama III Memorial Museum, Serowe — Serowe. Museum on the Khama royal dynasty and Bangwato history
Khama Rhino Sanctuary — Serowe. Community sanctuary protecting white and black rhino in Kalahari sandveld
Khoe Rock Paintings — Lobatse. Faded wildebeest rock art on the Mafikeng road, likely painted by Khoe herders 1000-1700 AD
Khutse and Moreswe pans — Khutse Game Reserve. Fossil pans that draw wildlife and offer classic wide Kalahari vistas
Khwai community wildlife safari — Khwai. Day and night game drives on community land bordering Moremi, known for predators
Khwai village cultural visit — Khwai. Visits to the Khwai community offer insight into local Bushman and Batawana life
Kobokwe (Livingstone's) Cave, Molepolole — Molepolole. Cave linked to missionary David Livingstone at the Kalahari's eastern edge
Kobokwe Cave — Molepolole. Cave steeped in local legend and associated with David Livingstone and Chief Sechele
Kolobeng Mission ruins — Molepolole. National monument marking David Livingstone's 1847 mission station and family graves
Kubu Island (Lekhubu) — Makgadikgadi. Baobab-crowned granite island rising from Sowa Pan, a national monument
Kuru Art Centre, D'Kar — Ghanzi. Studio at D'Kar where San artists produce acclaimed contemporary paintings and prints
Kuru Art Project, D'Kar — D'Kar. San artists' studio producing internationally acclaimed prints and paintings
Kwando & Linyanti Game Drives — Linyanti/Kwando. Private concessions renowned for big game, wild dogs, lions, leopards and cheetah on day and night drives
Kwando River Boating & Mokoro — Linyanti/Kwando. Water-based safaris on the perennial Kwando River when levels allow
Lake Ngami — Lake Ngami. Historic seasonal lake south of the Okavango Delta, made famous by David Livingstone in 1849
Lake Ngami Birdwatching — Lake Ngami. One of Botswana's premier birding spots, drawing tens of thousands of pelicans, flamingos and waterfowl in flood years
Leopard Rock — Savuti. Rocky outcrop rising above the marsh, a classic spot for leopard and predator sightings
Lepokole Hills — Bobonong. Rocky hills about 15 km north of town with San rock paintings, caves and Stone Age sites, a western extension of…
Letlhakane Diamond Mine — Letlhakane. One of Debswana's historic diamond mines; guided mine tours can be arranged through Debswana
Linyanti Marshes — Chobe National Park. Riverine woodland and lagoons in the northwest with large lion prides, wild dogs and rare antelope
Linyanti wetlands safari — Linyanti. Remote wildlife area of lagoons and riverine forest along the Namibian border
Lobatse High Court — Lobatse. Seat of Botswana's High Court, making Lobatse the country's legal capital
Mabuasehube Pans — Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Cluster of dune-fringed pans on the Botswana side that draw large predators to their waterholes
Mabuasehube-Nossob 4x4 Wilderness Trail — Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Remote self-drive 4x4 trail linking the Botswana pans to the Nossob riverbed
Makgadikgadi quad-bike expedition — Makgadikgadi. Quad-bike across the vast salt pans to a sleep-out under the desert stars
Manyana rock paintings — Molepolole. Ancient San paintings and mission-era sites near Manyana village
Mashatu game drives — Mashatu Game Reserve. Twice-daily 4x4 drives in the 'Land of the Giants', known for large elephant herds and big cats
Mashatu Game Reserve — Bobonong. Large private reserve in the nearby Tuli Block, roughly an hour's drive away, known for elephants and big cats
Mashatu Game Reserve safari — Mashatu. Big-game drives in the Northern Tuli, the 'Land of Giants'
Mashatu Photographic Hides — Northern Tuli Game Reserve/Tuli Block. Underground and waterhole hides offering eye-level wildlife photography
Matebole elephant hide — Mashatu Game Reserve. Sunken photographic hide giving eye-level views of elephants and other game at a waterhole
Matsieng Footprints — Mochudi. National monument of ancient rock engravings and legendary ancestral footprints near Mochudi
Meerkat Encounter — Gweta. Guided walks to habituated meerkat colonies on the edge of the Makgadikgadi pans
Meerkat Encounters — Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Guided visits to habituated meerkat colonies near the eastern edge of the pans
Meerkat experience on the pans — Makgadikgadi. Sit among habituated wild meerkats at sunrise on the edge of the pans
Mmamagwa Ruins & Rock Art — Northern Tuli Game Reserve/Tuli Block. Hilltop site with Mapungubwe-era ruins and ancient San rock engravings
Mmamagwa ruins & rock engravings — Mashatu Game Reserve. Hilltop archaeological site linked to the Mapungubwe civilisation with ancient engravings
Mokolodi Education Centre — Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Environmental education centre hosting school groups from across Botswana
Mokolodi Nature Reserve — Gaborone. Reserve near the capital offering rhino tracking and cheetah and giraffe encounters
Mokoro dugout excursions — Khwai. Traditional poled canoe trips explore the Khwai River channels and floodplains
Mokoro excursions — Maun. Traditional dugout-canoe trips into the Delta launched from Maun and the Boro River
Mokoro trip in the Okavango Delta — Okavango. Glide through the Delta's reed-lined channels in a traditional dugout canoe poled by a local guide
Mokoro trips — Moremi Game Reserve. Dugout-canoe excursions through the Delta channels, notably from Mboma Island
Moremi Game Reserve — Okavango Delta. The delta's flagship reserve, prime territory for lion, leopard, elephant and wild dog
Moremi Game Reserve game drive — Moremi. Guided 4x4 safari through one of Africa's richest wildlife reserves at the Delta's heart
Moremi Gorge Guided Hike — Goo-Moremi Gorge. Guided hike through the Tswapong Hills to permanent springs and waterfalls deep in the gorge
Mountain Biking & Horseback Safaris — Northern Tuli Game Reserve/Tuli Block. Guided rides among elephants and rocky outcrops across the open reserve
Mountain-bike safaris — Mashatu Game Reserve. Guided cycling safaris through the reserve's varied terrain
Nata Bird Sanctuary — Nata. Community-run reserve on the Sowa Pan fringe, famous for flamingos and pelicans after the rains
Nata Bird Sanctuary flamingos — Nata. Community sanctuary on Sua Pan hosting flamingos and pelicans in the wet season
Nata Lodge Village & Culture Tour — Nata. Guided visit to a local village, kgotla and traditional homesteads near Nata
National Monument and sacred site — Kubu Island/Lekhubu. A registered national monument regarded as a sacred place by local Bakalanga people
Nhabe Museum — Maun. Local museum of Ngamiland history, art and culture housed in a former colonial building
Nhabe Museum, Maun — Maun. Small museum of Ngamiland art, history and culture in the Delta's gateway town
Ntsweng and the Main Kgotla — Kanye. Historic Bangwaketse capital with the colonial-era chief's residence (1892) and tribal offices
Ntsweng heritage site — Molepolole. Ruins of the old Bakwena capital with stone house foundations and royal burial cairns
Nxai Pan Game Drives — Nxai Pan National Park. Drives across the fossil pan for lion, giraffe, springbok and bat-eared fox
Nxai Pan zebra migration — Nxai Pan. Seasonal zebra migration onto the grassy fossil pan during the green season
Nxamaseri Channels — Okavango Panhandle. Papyrus-lined waterways renowned for fly-fishing and quiet boat exploration
Nyangabgwe Hill — Francistown. Hill overlooking Francistown offering panoramic views over the city
Okavango Panhandle Mokoro Trips — Sepopa. Sepopa (Sepupa) is a departure point for dugout mokoro and boat trips into the northern Okavango Delta
Okavango Panhandle tiger fishing — Shakawe. Catch-and-release tigerfish and bream angling from lodges along the deep permanent channels of the upper Okavango
Old Palapye (Phalatswe) — Palapye. Ruins of the Bamangwato capital under Khama III (1889-1902), including an 1892 stone church, about 20 km east of town
Orapa Game Park — Letlhakane. Fenced game park near neighbouring Orapa with rhino, giraffe and antelope, visited by permit through the mine
Pandamatenga Commercial Farms — Pandamatenga. Botswana's largest rain-fed commercial farming block, growing sorghum and maize and flooding into vast shallow lakes in…
Panhandle Fishing & Boat Safaris — Sepopa. The deep permanent channels here are known for tigerfish and bream angling and birding by boat
Panhandle mokoro & birding trips — Shakawe. Guided boat and mokoro excursions through papyrus channels rich in African skimmers, kingfishers and fish eagles
Phuthadikobo Museum — Mochudi. Hilltop museum in the old Bakgatla national school with photographs and records of Bakgatla history
Phuthadikobo Museum, Mochudi — Mochudi. Bakgatla heritage museum on a hilltop above the village of Mochudi
Planet Baobab — Gweta. Landmark lodge set among giant baobabs, a base for meerkat visits, quad-biking and salt-pan excursions
Planet Baobab, Gweta — Gweta. Quirky baobab-themed lodge and playful base for pan and wildlife excursions
Quad Biking on the Salt Pans — Gweta. Dry-season quad-bike excursions out across the Makgadikgadi salt pans
Reptile park — Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Enclosures of snakes including black mambas, cobras and puff adders
Rhino tracking — Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Guided tracking of the reserve's white rhino on foot or by vehicle
Riverfront Game Drive — Chobe Riverfront. Drives through the Serondela section, the most visited and wildlife-rich part of Chobe
Royal Cemetery, Thathaganyana Hill — Serowe. Hilltop burial ground of the Khama royal family overlooking Serowe, a national heritage site
Salt Pan Sunset & Sunrise Excursions — Nata. Open-vehicle drives onto the pans at dawn and dusk for wide horizons and photography
Salt pan sunsets and stargazing — Kubu Island/Lekhubu. The pan's flat horizon delivers dramatic sunsets and exceptional night skies
San Bushman Cultural Experience — Ghanzi. Guided bush walks and traditional dance evenings with local San communities
San Bushman Cultural Walk — Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Bush walks with San guides sharing traditional tracking, plant knowledge and survival skills
San Museum, D'Kar — Ghanzi. Museum about 40 km away presenting San history, hunting traditions and the Naro language
Sanctuary Game Drive — Nata Bird Sanctuary. Self-drive or guided loops passing zebra, wildebeest, ostrich and birdlife
Savuti Marsh — Chobe National Park. Relic inland-lake marsh in the west renowned for predators and seasonal zebra migration
Savuti Marsh game viewing — Savuti. Predator-rich marsh renowned for lion prides that hunt elephant
Savuti Predator Game Drives — Savuti. Guided drives across the marsh famed for large lion prides, spotted hyena and elephant-hunting lions
Scenic & Helicopter Flights — Okavango Delta. Low-level flights over the waterways revealing the delta's shapes and wildlife from above
Scenic flight over the Okavango Delta — Maun. Fixed-wing or helicopter flight revealing the Delta's channels, islands and wildlife from above
Scenic flights over the Okavango Delta — Maun. Light-aircraft and helicopter flights from Maun airport over the Delta's channels and islands
Sedudu Island — Chobe Riverfront. Grassy river island in the Chobe famed for large concentrations of game on its floodplain
Seoke Stone Wall Settlement — Lobatse. Bangwaketse stone-walled ruins dating to around 1770, visited by permission
Shoshong Village & Hills — Mahalapye. Historic former capital of the Bangwato near Mahalapye, set against the Shoshong Hills
Sleep-out Under the Stars — Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Overnight bedrolls on the open pans, a signature Makgadikgadi experience
Solomon's Wall — Northern Tuli Game Reserve/Tuli Block. Thirty-metre basalt cliffs that once dammed the Motloutse River, a striking geological landmark
Solomon's Wall, Tuli — Tuli. Natural dark dolerite dyke rising above the Motloutse River
Sowa (Sua) Pan — Nata. Vast glittering salt pan on the eastern edge of the Makgadikgadi complex, reached from Nata
Sowa Pan Viewpoint — Nata Bird Sanctuary. Raised lookout over the shimmering salt pan and its waterbird colonies
Supa Ngwao Museum — Francistown. Local museum in historic colonial buildings covering the history and heritage of the Tati region
Third Bridge — Moremi Game Reserve. Iconic log-pole bridge and campsite deep in the reserve
Three Dikgosi Monument — Gaborone. Bronze statues of chiefs Khama III, Sebele I and Bathoen I who secured Botswana's future
Tiger fishing on the Chobe/Zambezi — Kasane. Kasane is a popular base for catch-and-release tigerfish angling
Tiger fishing on the Okavango Panhandle — Shakawe. Catch-and-release fishing for fierce tigerfish on the papyrus-lined upper Okavango
Tigerfish Fishing — Okavango Panhandle. The deep permanent channels are Botswana's premier waters for fighting tigerfish
Tigerfishing on the Chobe — Chobe Riverfront. Catch-and-release angling for tigerfish and bream on the Chobe River
Traditional painted homesteads — Mochudi. Decorated Bakgatla courtyards (lolwapa) with distinctive patterned walls throughout the village
Tsabong Eco-tourism Camel Park — Tsabong. Community camel park offering camel rides and multi-day camel treks into the surrounding Kalahari dunes
Tsodilo hiking trails — Tsodilo Hills. Guided walking trails (Rhino, Cliff, Lion and Divuyu) leading to painted shelters and hilltop viewpoints
Tsodilo Hills — Okavango Panhandle. UNESCO World Heritage quartzite hills with over 4,500 ancient rock paintings, near Shakawe
Tsodilo Hills rock art — Tsodilo. UNESCO World Heritage site with thousands of San rock paintings, the 'Louvre of the Desert'
Tsodilo rock paintings — Tsodilo Hills. UNESCO World Heritage site with over 4,500 ancient San rock paintings across the Male, Female and Child hills
Tsodilo site museum — Tsodilo Hills. Small museum near the campsite interpreting the hills' archaeology and San heritage
Walking safaris — Khwai. Guided bush walks are a highlight of the Khwai concession's flexible activity rules
White and black rhino viewing — Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Community trust sanctuary protecting white and black rhino in Kalahari sandveld near Serowe
Wilderness camping — Khutse Game Reserve. Remote unfenced campsites make Khutse a favourite for self-drive desert trips from Gaborone
Wilderness camping and stargazing — Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Unfenced remote campsites offer some of Southern Africa's darkest night skies
Zebra & Wildebeest Migration — Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Seasonal migration of thousands of zebra and wildebeest, one of Africa's largest, roughly December to March
Zebra & Wildlife Concentrations — Nxai Pan National Park. Rainy-season gatherings of zebra, oryx, elephant and predators around the pan grasslands
Zu/'hoasi Bushman walk — Makgadikgadi. Guided bush walk with San hosts sharing survival skills and traditions