Botswana Is Africa's Best Kept Secret

Botswana, for those of you who don’t know, is a country in Subsaharan Africa to the north of South Africa. It’s also one of the most exciting countries in the southern hemisphere - a real success story.

While many of the surrounding countries, like Zimbabwe and Mozambique, are poor, Botswana is a place that has overcome all of the obstacles in its way and is one of the wealthiest in the region. The economy here has been growing at an average rate of seven per cent a year for nearly half a century, making it a real success story.

The reasons for its unique vibe come from two things: it’s colonial history and local culture. Westerners first began arriving in Botswana en masse in the eighteenth century but saw it as little more than brush and wilderness. It was just a “route to the interior” of Africa than anywhere that they could set up a colony. After all, there were practically no natural resources to speak of. The culture, therefore, was mostly free to develop on its own. Local farming communities continued to practice their way of life, as they always had done. Their quasi-democratic structures meant that no one person or group had all the power. They made decisions collectively and were in control of their private property.

Travelling to the country today, therefore, is a very different experience from other places in the region. It is surprisingly wealthy, offering numerous Botswana tours for people who want to discover the rich heritage of the area. There’s an enormous amount that the country has to offer.

The Safari Experience
Botswana has invested heavily in keeping its natural features in good condition. The country operates a low-impact tourism policy. The idea is to preserve the environment in a pristine state so that multiple generations of tourists can enjoy everything that the landscape has to offer.


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The result is nothing short of spectacular. When you are in Botswana, you are in a genuine wilderness - something that is exceptionally hard to come by in most countries. There are no hotels or destination developments. Instead, the only accommodation is mobile tents - temporary camps that set up and then disband according to the seasons.

The best time to go on Safari is at the start of the dry season. At this time of the year, the weather is good, and the ground still lush and green. The animals are also in most abundance, especially near to water sources.

The Starry Nights
The almost complete lack of development outside of the cities makes Botswana one of the perfect places to experience the joys of a genuinely clear sky. Once you travel out of the capital, there is practically no light pollution, allowing you to see the stars as never before.

Animal Sanctuaries

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Botswana takes conservation very serious. If you head out of Gabarone to Serowe, you’ll find the Khama Rhino Sanctuary where you can see some of the rarest rhinos in the world, including the white rhino.

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