Day Trips from Botswana

A 30-minute drive south of the capital brings you to 300-ha of protected bushveld where white rhino, giraffe and cheetah roam beneath century-old aloes. Morning game drives, afternoon bush walks and a cheetah education centre make this the easiest Big-5-lite experience when time is short.

Start with sunrise on Kgale Hill’s granite domes for 360-degree city views, then descend to the nearby Game Reserve to spot zebra, wildebeest and warthog before a café brunch at the Riverwalk Mall. It’s a safe, compact taste of Botswana’s outdoors for those wondering if Botswana is safe for solo travellers.

Community-run sanctuary protecting both black and white rhino on Kalahari sandveld. A half-day open-vehicle drive often produces 20-plus rhino sightings plus giraffe, leopard tracks and 300 bird species. Profits fund local schools—your visit has impact.

The only place in Africa where you can do a morning game drive and an afternoon boat cruise on the same day. Elephants swim across to Sedibi Island, buffalo crowd the banks and sunset colours reflect off the Zambezi waters.

Cross the Kazungula border (45 min) and spend four hours exploring the world’s largest curtain of falling water from the Zimbabwean side. Lunch at the Rainforest Café and curio shopping round off a classic side-trip. Check Botswana visa requirements beforehand—most nationalities get a Univisa.

A 4×4 day safari into Moremi’s eastern tongue—Chief’s Island—delivers Big-Five sightings without the price tag of an overnight delta camp. Expect lion, leopard, wild dog and red lechwe in lily-lined channels just 100 km from Maun.

Combine culture and craft in one day: morning at Nhabe Museum in Maun learning delta history, then 2-hour transfer to D’kar for a San painting workshop, traditional dance and home-cooked seswaa stew. It answers the question what to do in Botswana besides safari.