botswana
HOW TO SELL 31
Because the destination is
regarded as distinctive, selective and very safe, there’s a strong honeymoon market for once- in-a-lifetime experiences. These include drifting through the Okavango in a mokoro canoe, where you could come face to face with hippos, elephants, water- loving lions and animals specially adapted to the watery channels such as the elusive sitatunga; going tracking with Bushmen; or setting off on a walking safari. Botswana is a destination for the
adventurous and for those looking to be pushed a little outside of their usual comfort zones. Botswana is famous for its mobile safaris – or how safaris used to be. Small groups set off in a self-contained team, staying in tents and adjusting their itinerary according to the season and the best reported wildlife sightings.
SELL WHAT The Okavango Delta – an
expansive waterland – is the biggest pull. It's such an extraordinary freak of nature – a delta in a desert.
Most people who visit the Okavango are likely also to see something of the neighbouring Moremi, a more arid, sandy environment which offers the chance to see rare African dogs. Not far away is Chobe, where the river is the focus. The star attraction here are the herds of swimming elephant. Further south, into the more arid Kalahari zone, it's more about Bushmen and the migration of huge heards of animals such as zebra and wildebeest. Then there's the Makgadikgadi pans, whose distinctive opportunities include going tracking with Bushmen, sleeping out under the stars and going quad biking. It’s a similar story in the
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a massive wildlife reserve which is shared with South Africa and Namibia, and where animals have the freedom to roam. The country’s proximity to South Africa, and good air links between the two, means that Botswana is often packaged with a South African stopover.
“Botswana is a destination for the adventurous and those looking to be pushed a little outside their comfort zones"
Tuli, a timeless region where nature, culture and big landscapes collide
to March) when large numbers of game concentrates around the pans. During the dry season, and particularly from July to October, the Kalahari is a tough place to be and the wildlife spreads out.
WHAT'S NEW? Air Botswana no longer SELL WHEN For most purposes, April
to October or November is amazing: the bush is drying out and the wildlife is making its way to shrinking waterholes. But the rainy season months (although it doesn’t actually rain that much) from November to March can also be good, particularly for bird watchers with several species of migrant birds arriving to breed. In the desert areas, rare blooming fl owers put on a beautiful show during the rain. In contrast, the Makgadikgadi and
A lioness stalks a herd of spring- bok on Magadikgadi Pans
Kalahari regions towards the south can be actually more productive during the rainy season (December
has a monopoly on routes from South Africa into Maun and Kasane – key access points for northern Botswana – with regional South African airline Airlink now fl ying scheduled services. In the Delta, Zarafa Camp in the Selinda Reserve, with just four tented suites, has just become Botswana’s fi rst Relais & Chateaux listed propert – a signifi cant honour for a remote safari camp. In the Kgalagadi Transfrontier
Park, citizen-owned Ta Shebube (
tashebube.co.bw), a luxury property on the Botswana side of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, is planning three new luxury tented camps. Rooiputs Luxury Lodge and Polentswa Tented Camp opened last year, and Union’s End will be next up. Ta Shebube is also a great recommnendation for star-gazers.
www.sellinglonghaul.com
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