This guest post has been contributed by Leyla McParlin a keen and aspiring travel blogger. Leyla is currently writing on behalf of Tribes travel a great adventure travel site.

Getting there

After flying from the UK to Johannesburg and then onto Botswana, the first stop on my journey through Botswana’s safari resorts is the Okavango Delta. The western area of the Delta is a vast expanse of flat flood plains dotted with small islands that have many small forests on their outskirts. The journey involved travelling in 4X4 vehicles, on foot and by boat or traditional mokoro canoe. The canoe offers a relaxing and peaceful opportunity to see the wildlife in all its glory, without the noise and disturbance that a motorboat might bring. This is where I felt truly at home with nature. Highlights of this experience included close-up views of Kingfishers, owls and pygmy geese.

Having visited the western area, it was on to the driest part of the Delta, where the sight of rhinos and wild dogs greeted me. Still travelling through the vast Delta, the final stop on this part of my tour was Victoria Falls. Here the accommodation takes the form of magnificent lodges with views of the amazing waterfalls and the Zambezi River. The sight of the waterfalls marked a superb end to this section of my Botswana safari.

North Botswana

For the next leg of my trip, I took a tour up to the Moremi Game Reserve. Located in the northern part of Botswana, this reserve is made up of swamps, islands, floodplains and forest. The varied terrain makes for a diversity of wildlife. During this part of my safari I had the pleasure of seeing spotted hyena, leopard, buffalo, zebra, elephant, ostrich, waterbuck and antelope, along with many other spectacular animals. The Moremi Game Reserve makes Botswana safari holidays an extremely memorable experience. The abundance of wildlife combined with the comforts of the traditional camps was a delight.

From the Moremi Game Reserve I travelled to the north west of the country and the Chobe National Park. Here you can see elephants in herds crossing small rivers, often catching sight of baby elephants with their mothers. The Southern Carmine Bee-eater also flocks to this area during September and October and if you visit during this period you can expect to see many of these fascinating birds. I found that the best way to travel through the Chobe National Park is by powerboat. Using a powerboat to get around means you can travel along the rivers and waterways quickly enough keep up with any animals that have been spotted.

Throughout my Botswana safari tour, I stayed in a variety of accommodation, ranging from traditional basic safari camps to luxury lodges. The main game reserves have several of these luxury lodges where you can stay in log cabins with the facilities you would normally expect from a hotel. However, they also provide overnight safari experiences in which you venture out and sleep under canvas in luxury tents. This brings you closer to the wildlife in its natural habitat.

When’s best?

Although you can go on safari in Botswana throughout the year, I found that the best time to visit and see the most wildlife is between May and November, during the dry season.