Our Africa expert Rick Wende heads to Botswana and gets back to nature…
In November I was lucky enough to be sent on a familiarisation trip to Botswana hosted by Wilderness Safaris. It was a trip that I will never forget, and has proved invaluable when talking to my clients about all the different aspects of the country, weather and accommodation that this amazing country has to offer.
Botswana is one of the few remaining destinations in Africa that still provides a good sense of the adventure of safari. It’s expansive game parks and preserves, whilst offering wildlife as diverse and abundant as that found anywhere else, are still largely undeveloped and untamed. Botswana is dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers up to 70% of the land surface of the country. The Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta, is in the northwest. The Makgadikgadi Pan, a large salt pan lies in the north.
Botswana has diverse areas of wildlife habitat, including the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari Desert, grasslands and savannahs, the latter where Blue Wildebeest and many antelopes as well as other mammals and birds are found. Northern Botswana has one of the few remaining large populations of the endangered African Wild Dog.
Wilderness Safaris has no one style set in to its camps. Rather they celebrate the difference and uniqueness of each area and its wildlife so that each group of camps has its own identity, feel and character. This variety of accommodation, activities and product means that there’s something for everyone wanting to go to Africa.
Wilderness Safaris was established in 1983 by a group of individuals who had a dream; a dream to share some of the most remote wilderness areas on the African sub-continent with guests from all over the world, in a way that lightly touched the environment but left a big imprint on the soul.
Today, the scope and variety of areas that Wilderness currently manages is beyond compare.
About Richard Wende
Other articles by Richard Wende
I have pretty much spent the last 14 years travelling. In 1995 I felt it was time to explore the world and so I packed my brand new rucksack and headed off out the door. I started independently in New Zealand and Australia heading up towards Thailand and then via Cambodia to Vietnam before Laos and China, Tibet, Nepal and finally on to India. An incredible journey taking 5 years and me to sites such as Mount Everest, The home of the Dali Lama, The Killing Fields of Cambodia and the Great Wall Of China to name but a few.
This wasn’t enough I needed more. After returning home to see what reality was doing I was fortunate enough to be asked to join an Overland company where after being taught how to use a spanner and a hammer I headed back out in a large 18 tonne truck with some eager passengers ready to explore some more.
2000 – 2002 East and South Africa
I spent the next two years leading/driving expeditions through Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa (east side via coast to Cape Town). These itineraries would include activities such as tracking the Gorillas in Uganda, leading, driving and coordinating game drives through all national parks (Masai Mara, Serengeti, Chobe, etc), and handling inter-relationships between clients and the indigenous people as well as the various tribes (Masai, Samburu etc).
2002 – 2004 Europe, Turkey Middle East and Central Asia
This time it was the UK departures fast tracking through Europe via Sicily to Tunisia and on by way of Libya to Cairo where I led a ten day programme of the pyramids, Valley of the Kings, down too Abu Simbel.
UK to Cairo via Turkey
Ten days through Europe to Istanbul. Crossing from Dover to France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Greece. Before picking up main group and journeying through Turkey via Goreme and the coast heading south into Syria and Jordan, taking in all the famous land marks en-route and finally to Egypt.
UK to Kyrgyzstan via Iran
An exploratory expedition with ten days in Iran before heading north to Georgia and on through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and finishing with a tour of Kyrgyzstan before heading back to the UK with a new group.
2004 – 2005 South America
Ten months traversing throughout Venezuela and Brazil from Caracas to Rio de Janeiro and vice versa including all major land marks and activities such as camping in the Amazon rain Forest, hiking to Angel Falls, dancing in Salvador and carnival in Rio. Rio to Quito three months co-leading through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Again organizing, booking and participating in all activities such as the Inca trail, the Salt Flats of Bolivia and crossing the Altiplano.
I still have and use that rucksack!
