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	> Botswana's National Parks

The Moremi Game Reserve has the reputation of being the most pristine & diverse bio-system in Africa. The spectrum of wildlife habitat is almost endless – riparian woodland, open floodplain, dry savannah scrub & woodland, myriads of channelled reedlands & the permanent wetlands created by the flow of the Okavango River & immense stands of Mopane forest. With the diversity of habitats comes an equally diverse array of wildlife – animals, birds, reptiles & insects. In short, the game viewing , bird & insect watching is prolific most all year round, but especially more-so outside of the dry season from July through September when the waters recede considerably.

This quilt like mosaic is a magnet to birds – both migratory & indigenous species alike. This is especially so when the fresh rains from November to March fill the channels & bring the migratory species in to breed. Not only is it a photographers haven, here too, those with the passion for fishing flock as species such as tiger fish, perch & bream are all sought after trophy fish.

Many of the Safari Camps in the Moremi Game Reserve provide both land based & water based game viewing activities. Equally, guided nature walks in the company of a professional ranger are a highlight, especially on the many islands that dot the Delta where animals frequent during the heat of the day.

Access to the Moremi Game Reserve is by far & away best in light aircraft. You can access this region by road, but it often is an arduous journey & certainly impassable during the wet season. Therefore, the short one hour or less ´flightseeing´ transfer services provided by a number of reliable charter carriers using Cessna 206 & Caravan aircraft from Maun or Kasane, make for easy access to the many bush airstrips that are located close by the Safari Camps.

For anybody visiting Botswana with the intent of game viewing, Moremi Game Reserve is an absolute ´must do´.

Chobe National Park covers some 11700sq km & incorporates two distinctly differing bio-zones : the river region & the Savute. Within the Park live the largest herds of elephant in Africa.

The river frontage runs from Kasane adjacent to the Chobe River through to Serondela & the Ngoma Bridge, Using the river as the main arterial ´road´, access to game viewing is indeed spectacular. There are also many roads within the park that are used for land based game viewing, but be aware as this is the most popular of National Parks in Botswana ( due to ease of access ) it does get crowded & the instances of many vehicles surrounding a sighting are frequent. For the purist therefore, the best option is definitely staying at a private Lodge or Safari Camp where much of the game viewing is on private concession lands.
The Savute makes up the larger central region of the National Park & incorporates what is known as the Mababe Depression. This area appears desert like in the dry season – barren, parched & wilderness which when the rains come, turns the many colours of vivid fresh new green with fresh grasses growing.

Some of the channels here have not flowed for 30 years as the river went underground, so now, cheetah, wild dog & lion hunt in areas that have in recent times past, been home to hippo & crocodile.

Savute is indeed a landscape with much to offer, with great game viewing & definitely to be recommended, especially when one is staying in a private safari camp with the comforts they cater for providing.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve was created in 1961 & comprises a huge 51800 sq kms of landmass. To put that into perspective, it could swallow The Netherlands & Belgium. The Park was created principally to allow the indigenous San bushmen to live unhindered in their nomadic lifestyle which dates back to time immemorial.

Roads – let´s prefer to denote these as tracks – are charted but there are no facilities so anybody venturing here has to be fully conversant with the requirements of survival & carry all they require along with spares, adequate water & food. Permits are essential as is carrying radio & GPS equipment & depositing a travel plan with authorities for the purposes of locating vehicles that may get into difficulties. Only those with significant experience & professional guides should consider venturing into this region – however that said, it is a desert landscape that defies description in its stark beauty.

The vast grassed plains of the Makgadikgadi are seemingly endless. It is here that the millions of litres of water that flow down from Angola months previously, goes underground or evaporates into the clear blue atmosphere. How so much water can magically disappear is a true mystery of nature.

The Pan complexes ( Sowa, Ntwetwe & Nxai ) offer scenery that is stunning in its immensity. Flat & endless from sky to horizon on 360 degrees. This was geologically a huge lake bed sometime long ago, dotted with shallow depressions which today are small islands covered with low acacia trees & palms. It is a place so remote the rest of the world has passed it by, but to the nature lover who craves open spaces, this surely is nirvana ?