Just so you know, Botswana is one of the most expensive places in Africa to go for safari. There are more and more lodges in Botswana to choose from and most are of very high quality. Botswana does not encourage low end tourism, catering specifically to the more affluent visitor willing to pay several hundred a night for a tent. We were lucky to have a friend from the CDC living in Gaborone. She was able to get us resident rates and joined for the trip. We stayed at Xakanaxa in luxury tents. We flew to our camp from Maun airport on the National Bird of Botswana (a small propeller plane). Maun is reported to be the busiest airport in the world based on number of flights (all small planes). Most tourists in Botswana go to the Okavango Delta to see where the Okavango River fans out onto the sands of the Kalahari Desert. This setting is unique in that you can go from forest, to plain to water in one day. In all of Africa, Botswana stands out as a success story. The government is fairly stable, the economy is bolstered not only by tourism but also mining (diamonds) and agriculture.
Before leaving, she told us about Mama Ramotswe and the “Ladies Number One Detective Agency” series by Alexander McCall Smith. Since our trip to Botswana, she has become a friend in reading. We turn to her wisdom and serenity which she shares readily over a cup of bush tea.