Safari Travel

I am often asked to recommend my favorite safari. My first choice, by far, is Botswana. If the goal is an intimate, quiet safari, free from crowds, and being up close and personal with the “Big Five” (Africa’s most formidable and iconic wildlife heavyweights), Botswana checks all the boxes.

Fifty percent of the country is set aside for wildlife protection and conservation. Botswana purposefully limits visitor numbers, so you don’t get a dozen buses surrounding one lion like you do in East Africa. The parks are one of the last strongholds for African wild dogs and are home to the world's largest concentration of elephants. Part of your safari will be on the waters of the Okavango Delta, viewing hippos in their environment.

Most important are top-tier guides due to rigorous certification standards which result in high tracking skill and environmental knowledge. I focus on this aspect, and we have used the same guide every time we have safaried there, a local tracker named Nando. His skill was used in the National Geographic docuseries “Pole to Pole with Will Smith.” Smith opined on his time in Botswana as one of the most transformative parts of his 100-day journey, describing the quiet vastness as “a place that forced him to strip away modern distractions and connect with his authentic self.” Besides getting you up close to hyenas, lions, and leopards, Nando’s ability to get you near their cubs is extraordinary. The skill to identify the whole suite of birds impresses the most ardent birder.

Nando’s team features “Luxury Tented Safaris” that utilize high-end canvas suites with full amenities. The benefit is that you stay within the park. You are immediately encountering wildlife every morning vs. the commute from an out-of-park lodge. It also allows for night safaris and the clearest view of the constellations you will ever experience. Since wildlife see human activity as just a part of the environment, it is often a thrill to have animals just stroll through the campsite.

It is a distinct advantage to book with locals vs. a middleman. You save at least 40% of the cost, it ensures a customized VIP experience, and your money stays in the country to help the local people and animal conservation programs. Since sending funds to an unknown person in a foreign country can be intimidating, having a safe and reliable recommendation removes that worry.