I’ve visited roughly 40 different countries in my lifetime, but none of them have touched my heart the way Botswana has. In November, I was so fortunate to visit Botswana for the second time – the first time was...
I’ve visited roughly 40 different countries in my lifetime, but none of them have touched my heart the way Botswana has.
In November, I was so fortunate to visit Botswana for the second time – the first time was in April 2021 when I visited several of the Wilderness Safaris properties. This time, I was able to visit this beautiful country again with Ker & Downey Botswana.
First, let me get this out of the way – Botswana is HOT this time of year. Really, really hot. And unless you’re prepared for temps well over 100 degrees, it’s best to skip Botswana in the October/November timeframe. Now, there are ways to help with the heat – whether that’s staying in camps with air conditioning, or just never letting go of your kikoi (see below) – but if you’re truly heat averse, it’s best to find another time to travel. (Don’t worry – we can help you find the perfect time!)
Note: A kikoi is a thin piece of colorful cloth that can be used in a number of ways – as a sarong, baby carrier, beach towel, scarf – but in the heat of Botswana it is most useful to wet it and drape it over yourself for its cooling effect. All of the rooms we stayed in have kikois for guest use during their stays.
That being said, I probably said, “I think this is the happiest I’ve ever been” about 20 times during my week in Botswana, even as temperatures regularly topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) with no air conditioning. On my first night in Maun, I stayed with a friend whose power went out and we were left without even fans to cool us off when temps were around 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
So, all that to say, when I say I ADORE Botswana, I really ADORE it – extreme temperatures and all!
Here is where I stayed during my time there:
Okuti Kanana Dinaka Shinde Footsteps ShindeAnd here are some of the highlights of each destination!
Okuti
OK, so the negative first – the camp itself is older and its rooms (or “masasas”) are located quite close together. In fact, a guide was knocking on my neighbor’s door one evening, and I thought he was knocking on mine. But the rooms are comfortable and spacious, and with its prime location in Moremi Game Reserve and its kind and caring staff, we can’t rule out this camp!
On arrival, I told our guide, Cautious, that I wanted to see a giraffe drinking – something I had missed over the course of my previous safaris! – and that turned out to be one of the first sightings we had. Coincidence or guiding skill? I’ll let you decide!
We also had some epic sightings, including three female lions with two tiny cubs who were just a couple of months old. While we watched, the male cub decided to show us how fierce he was, confidently striding closer to the vehicles and giving us his best little “rawr!” Definitely a priceless moment.
One thing to note about Okuti is that since the camp is located within the Moremi Game Reserve, there are more restrictive rules (no off-roading, no night drives) and the area can get busy. To avoid other vehicles, we had an extra-early wake up call to get a jump on everyone else who had slept in!
Kanana
Our next stop was Kanana, where I had a bit of a mixup with my room that, admittedly, colored my opinion of the camp at first. However, that was quickly sorted, and I was able to enjoy my time at this beautiful camp. Located in the southwest of the Okavango Delta, Kanana receives floodwaters in season, but game drives and mokoro excursions can be experienced year-round.
Food was a highlight at Kanana with a delicious lunch waiting for us on arrival with plenty of excellent options for those with dietary restrictions and those without. I am dairy-free, and I was SO well-cared for at all of the KDB camps, with my own special versions of every single item created just for me. Including, believe it or not, the cheese plate! Their attention to detail in this regard was spectacular throughout my trip.
Our first afternoon at Kanana, we enjoyed a mokoro ride through the Delta during which we definitely heard hippos in the not-so-distant distance (although our guides assured us we were safe) and then enjoyed a gorgeous sunset back on land. Here, as we sipped our G&Ts, we were met by a huge bull elephant who paid us very little mind as he made his way to the water right past us. And after he had passed and we were all standing around, giddily recounting the experience, another elephant (a younger male this time) appeared in the distance and also made his way toward the water. He was a bit more wary of us, but he wasn’t going to let us stand in the way of him getting to the water!
The next morning, we had a game drive and first saw a leopard lounging in a tree, then a short distance away we found 10 lions and watched as a group of buffalo got close. A young male lion tried his luck with the buffalo before getting chased off to a different area. It was such a fun interaction – and all right there for us to watch as we arrived at our surprise bush breakfast!
Dinaka
After our bush breakfast/lion and buffalo show, it was time to head off to Dinaka. This was one of the camps I was most excited to experience. Located just north of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the landscapes at Dinaka provided a stark contrast to the floodplains of the Delta.
It turns out, Dinaka was one of my favorite camps. We did have some mild rain here which cooled things off for a bit, but it was also where I saw my first ever rhino in the wild! When we first found the rhino, the dominant male – Archie – gave us a bit of a fright as he charged the vehicle! However, our guide (Spike) had prepared us as he knew that Archie was in a bit of a bad mood. Nonetheless, I still completely fumbled my camera while trying to take a video and ended up just enjoying the show.
The next morning, we got to go on an educational walk with the San Bushmen, who taught us all about the various uses of indigenous plants, about finding water in the desert, and showed us how they started a fire with some sticks and brush – faster than I could have done it with lighter fluid and matches!
There are a few special highlights at Dinaka – first, there are two excellent spots for wildlife viewing – the bunker and the hide, both with waterholes directly in front. At these two spots, we saw a parade on animals visiting, including zebras, a huge kudu with massive horns, springbok, birds, and even a male ostrich doing his mating dance, trying to catch the eye of the female.
Another highlight at Dinaka is the sleep out deck – there is room for four to sleep on this elevated platform for a night under the stars! This is a must-do activity in Botswana for sure – there’s nowhere on earth that I’ve seen quite so many stars in the night sky.
Shortly after our stay, Dinaka closed its doors for refurbishment through March 1. On reopening, in addition to other refurbishments, guests will find the camp fully changed over to solar power, meaning power will stay on 24 hours a day (during my stay, power was turned off 30 minutes after the last guest went to bed until 4am).
Shinde Footsteps
My next stop was the newly reopened Shinde Footsteps camp. The atmosphere of this little camp – only 4 tents with a maximum of 6 guests at a time – is hard to describe. The tents are simple (still with all of the amenities that you would expect), yet it feels exclusive. Comfortable and private. Relaxed but filled with activity.
Because of its small size, Shinde Footsteps is a great camp for a family or small group of friends to take over on an exclusive-use basis – your own private retreat in the Delta.
Here, we were treated to a surprise 20-minute helicopter flip over the Delta. And while the waters were low, the landscape was still stunning and the wildlife was still plentiful. In just a short flight, we saw hippos out of the water, giraffe, zebra, elephants, buffalo and more.
On our second day, we got to experience something several of the KDB camps are known for – a walking safari. We set out with our faithful guide Robbie who had been with us from the very beginning, as well as our local guide Simon, for a few hours’ walk through the bush.
While the focus of most walking safaris is on the smaller, less-noticed animals and plants, it was thrilling to hear the heartstopping roar of a lion in the distance as we walked. It was also fascinating to learn about some of the interesting plants like the fireball lily and the toothbrush plant, to see recent leopard tracks in the sand, and to get a close look at a journey of giraffes browsing their way through the trees.
Shinde
Our final stop of the trip, and perhaps the jewel in the KDB crown, was Shinde Camp. Shinde offers just about everything you could want in terms of activities – mokoro excursions, boat rides, walking safaris, game drives, fishing, and night drives.
Here we had, perhaps, the most iconic Delta experience – a motorboat ride through the channels. We learned about the types of water lilies and water chestnuts (which actually grow there!), plus we spotted hippos who didn’t want to let us pass, a small croc, and we enjoyed the stereotypical G&T while watching yet another breathtaking sunset over the papyrus. A stunning surprise dinner in the bush was the perfect way to end the evening.
As we began our final game drive the next morning, Shinde decided to show off a bit – bathing two gorgeous leopards in the perfect golden light, revealing a huge elephant walking off into the sunrise, and surprising us with two male lions resting together under a tree. It was quite a sendoff!
After our week with Robbie, our amazing guide, it was tough to say farewell to him as we headed off on the next part of our journey – in Zambia – but it is so nice to know that Robbie is the perfect guide for our guests as they visit these lovely camps in the future.
Stay tuned to hear more about the next two phases of my trip – Zambia and South Africa!
And if you’re interested in visiting any of these lovely destinations, please send me an email at kati@hillsofafrica.com or message our whole team at explore@hillsofafrica.com.
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