Botswana is a vast land, highly prized for its safaris and game. If what you are seeking is big expanse dappled with roaming wildlife, then this is the destination of your dreams.
Indeed, Botswana is a country that you feel is keen to conserve what makes it beautiful and utilise its assets. Astonishingly, around 17 per cent of the country is designated national park, and when Botswana's huge private concessions are also toted up, the figure swells to a proud 40 per cent. This is one of the largest percentages bestowed to wildlife worldwide, and explains why – in some parts – there are nearly as many tourists craning their necks out of jeeps as there is roving game.
Furthermore, Botswana has ensured that its spectacular Delta region has been well-developed touristically, with its impressive lagoons crammed with hovering birdlife, and elephants, giraffes and other exotic animals that happily amble through its vast grass flats. Incidentally, this is the largest inland delta in the world, which explains its wealth of wildlife. It is almost enough to make you forget that most of Botswana is given over to desert.
Botswana was also once an economic wasteland. The country gained independence in 1966, having been a British Protectorate, and at this time it was amongst the poorest nations in the world. Nature was then kind to Botswana, when once again natural assets became apparent, ready to be exploited. The government discovered diamonds and Botswana has enjoyed a growth rate that still continues to soar, especially when put into a context with much of the rest of Africa.
Despite this success story, Botswana is afflicted by controversy. There have been claims that parts of the Kalahari Desert Region have been closed at the expense of the world's last few remaining Ancient people, the Bushmen, who roam this area. The Bushmen's previously nomadic lifestyle has mostly been quashed and they now reside in settlements. There is also the HIV/AIDS pandemic to contend with – Botswana's infection rate is amongst the world's highest, with 20 per cent of the country's population being estimated to have contracted the virus.
Nevertheless, these are issues that do not seem to worry Botswana's wildlife. For them, the struggle to survive beneath a great span of star-stuffed sky carries on, regardless. Having a sundowner, unwinding in the glare of a sunset and hearing the sounds of singing birds and roaming game, it is easy to forget global troubles. Botswana is both a country to relax in and a country to have adventure in. When you are riding on the back of an elephant, game walking or sailing in a hot-air balloon, you will feel as wild as the game you are seeking.
