Botswana, a landlocked arid country in southern Africa, offers you some of the best wildlife experiences on the continent. The wild and wonderful wetlands of Okavango and the vast grasslands of the dry interior combine two very different experiences within one small country. Come here for well-managed and sustainable wilderness areas, excellent elephant sightings and a top-notch safari experience.

With an area of over 550,000 square kilometers, Botswana is about the same size as France, Kenya or Texas. It has a population of 1.5 million, concentrated in the eastern part of the country. English is the official language. Agriculture provides the livelihood for more than 80% of the population, and diamond mining and tourism bring in most of the rest.

Situated in the center of southern Africa, Botswana is a landlocked country with Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe as its neighbors—you have to travel 600 kilometers to find the closest seacoast! Three quarters of the county is desert, and the most striking features of the country are its flatness and aridity. Amongst all the dry land there is the Okavango Delta, a remarkable exception to the arid landscape. Okavango is a fertile area of wetland, which gets its waters from rainfall a thousand kilometers away in central Africa.

While still a poor country, Botswana has been one of Africa`s success stories. It has been independent since 1966. Its first president, the charismatic and far-thinking Seretse Khama established the foundations of democracy and solid economic growth as well as conservation of wildlife and nature. While today more than third of the county is set aside for preservation, wildlife is also prolific outside the protected areas. Botswana is concentrating in low-volume, high-quality visitor experience.

Botswana`s sustainable tourism industry today schools and employs local people, manages large tracts of wilderness areas and monitors wildlife. Tour operators must meet rigorous standards, follow strict carrying capacity guidelines and pay large fees to communities and the government in order to be able to operate in Botswana. All these measures guarantee that your experience in Botswana does not overtax the fragile environment nor leave the local people without compensation.