Botswana Info
Joined: 23 Feb 2007
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Home Country: botswana
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 Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 3:47 am Post subject: BOTSWANA TOURISM GUIDE / TOURISM IN BOTSWANA |
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BOTSWANA TOURISM GUIDE
GENERAL
Botswana is one of the finest tourist destinations on the African continent. The Okavango, which originates in the uplands of Angola to the north-west, flows into and then spreads over the sandy spaces of the Kalahari to form an immense and wondrous inland delta of lagoon and labyrinthine channel, palm-fringed island and fertile floodplain. A number of safari lodges and camps have been established in and around this watery wilderness. This wilderness and the nearby game-rich Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park reserves, offer the visitors the best of several worlds, appealing variously to the game-viewer and bird-watcher, the hunter and the sporting fisherman, the explorer of hidden places and the lover of Africa in its loveliest and least spoilt state.
From the calcrete floors and ancient baobabs of the Makgadikgadi Pans to the savannah grasslands of Chobe National Park and the mophane woodland of the Tuli Block, there is a wide variety of wildlife in Botswana.
However it is in the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve that visitors will find unforgettable beauty. In the lush indigenous forests of the delta and its islands, and along the floodplains spawned by this great marriage of water and sand, more than 400 species of birds flourish.
On the mainland and among the islands in the delta, lions, elephants, hyenas, wild dog, buffalo, hippo and crocodiles congregate with a teeming variety of antelope and other smaller animals - warthog, mongoose, spotted genets, monkeys, bushbabies and tree squirrels.
Interspersed throughout Botswana are rich collections of historical and cultural heritage. Unique San rock art, geological wonders, and traditional art are additional attractions located in various parts of the country.
Experience of a tourist is further enhanced by the friendly, hospitable and warm-hearted people of Botswana.
Botswana offers a truly unique African experience untouched by the more destructive pressures of encroaching civilisation, presenting a wonderful wilderness for the enjoyment of all who seek to reach just that little bit further into Africa for a holiday of a lifetime.
GABORONE
Often described as Africa's fastest growing city, Botswana's capital Gaborone is a vibrant and colourful city, which lies in the flat valley between Kgale and Oodi hills, on the Notwane River in the south eastern corner of Botswana, 15km from the South African border post at Tlokweng.
The city is named after Kgosi (Chief) Gaborone who led the Batlokwa tribe into the area in the 1880s. They settled in Tlokweng, the first urban area you reach when driving into the city from the South African border post 10km to the east. In the early 1890s a colonial fort was built in an area now known as The Village near Tlokweng, and its ruins can still be seen near the Village Cinema.
There are numerous busy shopping malls offering full range of imported and locally produced goods, excellent restaurants, top international quality hotels, sports clubs and various night clubs. New buildings and suburbs sprout like mushrooms wherever there's a block of land to fit them, resulting in a mix of low-cost housing, blocks of flats, shopping centres and industrial complexes.
Visitors to Gaborone now have an excellent choice of 'craft' shops to choose from. Botswana Craft, which specializes in crafts from Botswana, has several outlets in the city. The Camphill charity shop stocks good handmade wooden furniture and various other craft items such as local pottery and weavings. At Oodi weavers, 5km north of Phakalane, visitors can tour the weaving factory and shop, while in Broadhurst the Craft Workshop houses a range of very upmarket craft outlets which is becoming exceptionally popular with Gaborone's cappuccino drinking set.
For day trippers from Gaborone, just 5 or 6km north of Mochudi on the Francistown road lies 'Matsieng Footprints', one of Botswana's few 'Creation' archeological sites.
The Main Mall (The Mall)
The Main Mall is the starting point for your journey around Gaborone. This area was planned in 1963, in a preparation for the Independence and was to be the town centre, located between the Railway Station and the Army Garrison. Today it is the heart of Gaborone with shops, banks, business offices, as well as walkway with people selling crafts and other goods. At the eastern end of The Mall is the Civic Centre that also houses a public reference library. Opposite the Civic Centre is the Pula Arch, a landmark that commemorates the Independence of Botswana.
The National Assembly
The National Assembly is at the top of the Main Mall where it is surrounded by the other tall government buildings. At the centre of this government enclave is a paved square with a War Memorial in memory of the 300 Batswana who died fighting with the Allies against Fascism in the Second World War, 1939 to 1945. There is also a statue of Sir Seretse Khama, Botswana's first President.
Kgale Hill
Kgale Hill dominates Gaborone on the western edge of the city. It offers a pleasant climb with breathtaking views of the Dam and city. Visitors can choose one of three well-defined routes up the hill: the steep Rusty's Route up the rocky face; the longer Transfeldt Trail up the back; and the undulating walk across the saddle to Cross Kopje. Each takes less than an hour. There is a resident troop of baboons living on Kgale and a pair of black eagles consistently nests in the craggy cliff-face just below the peak. There have also been reports of early morning sightings of leopard.
St. Claire Lion Park
While lions are the major attraction, the St Claire Lion Park has a great deal more to offer. Set in open woodland 14km from Gaborone on the Lobatse road, a variety of outdoor activities are offered for the family, making it a favourite haunt of the "Gaborone 4x4 Club" and a relaxing spot for weekend picnics and getaways. An entrance fee is charged, and facilities include a restaurant, bar, extensive children's playground, horse trails, motorbike rides, a vulture restaurant (where Otse's Cape vultures are fed), three dams, game viewing, picnic sites and the camping grounds. The park is open every day, but the bar and restaurant are closed on Mondays.
Other attractions include National Museum and Art Gallery, Gaborone Game Reserve, Mokolodi Game Reserve, Gaborone Dam and Thamaga Pottery.
PARKS AND RESERVES
Over 17% of Botswana's land area has been set-aside as national parks and game reserves. From the lush green of the Okavango Delta in the north to the red desert dunes in the south, great areas of wilderness have been carefully preserved to offer visitors an opportunity to experience nature at its very best; to feel a sense of solitude; to see an incredible variety of wildlife species and to enjoy the prolific birdlife.
Within the national parks and game reserves, areas have been set aside in which visitors may camp. Many of these areas have only the most basic of facilities or are completely undeveloped, whilst other areas have formal ablution blocks. Although the national road networks between main centres are tarred and in first class condition, many of the access tracks that lead to the parks and reserves, and many of the tracks within the protected areas, are rough and sandy, requiring the use of a 4x4 vehicle.
Access to the parks and reserves has been limited in order to ensure that visitors have an enjoyable experience and can feel the wilderness atmosphere. Because of this, advance bookings for campsites are essential.
Okavango Delta
This extensive inland river delta is one of the most pleasurable sites on the continent for safari. Travel is typically by small boats or even dugout canoe, providing a level of tranquility that is difficult to attain in a landrover. Okavango is home to elephant, zebra, giraffe, and other large game species, but the park's true strength is in its abundance of birds, plant life, and sheer poetic beauty. Hippos and crocodiles are quite common in Okavango, as one might expect. The fishing is also excellent, particularly in the northwestern section.
Moremi Wildlife Reserve
Located in the northeastern portion of the Okavango Delta, Moremi combines the attractions of the delta with more solid terrain. The result is an outstanding reserve that includes a wide variety of ecosystems and a commensurate diversity of wildlife.
Chobe National Park
Chobe is Botswana's best big game park. Located conveniently to Victoria Falls, it covers an area of over 4000 sq. miles (10,000 sq. km) and is positively packed with creatures. Chobe is especially well-known for its immense elephant population (over 70,000), and it is not uncommon to encounter herds in excess of a hundred. The park's north and northwest border is marked by the Chobe River, and the river's popularity as a water source has made game viewing by boat a particular attraction.
Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pans
The Kalahari, one of the longest unbroken stretches of sand in the world, reaches across the center of Botswana, north into Zaire, and south to the Orange River in South Africa. On its northern edge are the enormous complexes of the Makgadikgadi Pans and the relatively small but no less interesting Nxai Pans, characterized by ancient baobabs and large camelthorn trees. Game migrates between the two throughout the year: In the dry season (Apr-Nov), Makgadikgadi is best; during the rains (Nov-Mar), the animals -- which include springbok, gemsbok (oryx), red hartebeest, blackbacked jackal, and, occasionally, cheetah and lion -- move northward to Nxai.
The Makgadikgadi Pans are a vast (12,000-sq.-km/4,680-sq.-mile) game-filled expanse of flat, seasonally inundated land. When the pans fill with water after the rains, they host countless migratory birds, most notably huge flocks of flamingos. This is the place to go to experience space at its purest: The horizons seem endless. At night, above the pie-crust surface of the pans, the stars shine with a vibrancy unequalled anywhere else in the world. |
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