Botswana is a popular game viewing safari destination, but aside from the abundant game and excellent sightings of Elephant, Giraffe, Lion and other African Wildlife, Botswana is also considered a top bird watching destination with thousands of bird watchers 'flocking' there each year to enjoy a birding safari.
Getting to the Best Birding Spots in Botswana
Some of the top areas for bird watching in Botswana include: the Okavango Delta, the Chobe River National Park with the Chobe River Front, Moremi Game Reserve, the Caprivi Strip and lastly the Kalahari Desert and Makgadikgadi Salt Pans.
Different habitats = Different species. The allure of Botswana for birders is especially strong as each of these areas offer unique landscapes and environments and subsequently, completely different species of birds are found there. It is therefore not surprising that a bird-watching safari is usually a mobile safari that takes in a number of different locations allowing birders to explore a variety of different settings and bird species.
See our selected Guided Mobile Camping Safaris
Rise and Shine with the Birds
Morning is when the bird life is the most active. Waking up in the early morning to a chorus of bird song, you can spend some time watching Greater and Lesser Flamingo or Lesser Jacana in the waters around Lake Ngami, a relatively unknown birding spot that is home to flocks and flocks of birds.
Another day or two of your tour package may be spent on the Okavango panhandle getting up-close and personal with your surroundings as you explore the water in a mokoro, or wander along on foot. The areas landscape is mostly floodplains, riverine forest and perpetual water providing an excellent habitat for water birds and waders.
The Panhandle is known as one of the best locations to view Narina Trogon and Pel's Fishing Owl as well as Western Banded Snake-Eagle and African Skimmer.
Species of birds are you likely to Spot
Keep Your Eyes Open for
- African Finfoot
- African Golden Oriole
- African Hobby
- African Mourning Dove
- African Pygmy Goose (world's smallest duck)
- African Secretary Bird
- African Skimmer*
- African Spoonbill
- Black-faced Babbler
- Bradfield's Hornbill
- Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah*
- Brown Firefinch
- Carmine Bee-eater*
- Chirping Cisticola
- Collared Palm-Thrush
- Copper Sunbird
- Coppery-tailed Coucal
- Giant Kingfisher
- Goliath Heron
- Greater Painted Snipe
- Greater Swamp Warbler
- Hamerkop
- Kori Bustard (world's heaviest flying bird)
- Lappet-faced Vulture
- Lesser Jacana
- Livingstone's Turaco
- Long-toed Lapwing
- Miombo Rock-Thrush
- Northern Grey-headed Sparrow
- Paradise Flycatcher
- Pel's Fishing Owl
- Pennant-winged Nightjar*
- Pink-backed Pelican
- Racket-tailed roller
- Red-headed Quelea*
- Rock Pratincole*
- Rosy-throated Longclaw
- Slaty Egret
- Southern Ground Hornbill
- Striped Crake*
- Swamp Boubou
- Three-banded Courser
- Wattled Crane (endangered)
- Western Banded Snake-Eagle
- White-backed Night-Heron
- Yellow-billed and Saddle-billed Storks
* African migrant birds. The seasonal visitors.
Led by Knowledgeable, Experienced Guides
Your birding safari would not be complete without the aid of your extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide who not only is an ace at spotting some of the rarer species and pointing them out to you, but will most probably be as excited about the sighting and keen to tell you all about the bird you have just seen.
A number of the birding safaris venture outside of Botswana's borders and into Namibia and even across to Zamibia to ensure that a wide variety of birds will be sighted. Along the way visitors are also likely to see wonderful sightings of other African wildlife including Elephant, Leopard, Cheetah and Kudu.
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