The Republic of Botswana may be one of the world’s most sparsely populated countries, but it also happens to be one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Over the years, it has transformed into a middle-income country with a competitive banking system and a growing mineral industry that accounts for about 40 per cent of its GDP.
The Kalahari Desert covers about 70 per cent of this flat, landlocked country. But this semi-desert supports more wildlife than a true desert — it offers huge tracts of grasslands for grazing after rains. In addition to its vast desert ecosystem, Botswana has deltas, rivers, grasslands, and savannahs, making it a stronghold for a significant amount of diverse wildlife. One of the few remaining endangered African wild dog populations and the biggest population of African elephants on the planet both find sanctuary in Botswana. The famous Chobe National Park features four ecosystems with the most abundant wildlife concentration in all of Africa.
Mammals found in Botswana include
Aardwolf
African bush elephant
African golden cat
African striped weasel
Banded mongoose
Bat-eared fox
Black footed cat
Blue duicker
Bongo Antelope
Brown hyena
Burchell’s zebra
Bushbuck
African buffalo
Cape fox
Cape hyrax
Cape wild dog
Caracal
South African Cheetah
Common duicker
Common eland
Gemsbok
Giant sable antelope
Angolan giraffe
Greater kudu
Ground pangolin
Heartbeest
Hippopotamus
Impala
Kirks dik-dik
Klipspringer
Lechwe
African leopard
Lions
Mountain Zebra
Oribi
Roan antelope
Sable antelope
Serval cat
Sharpe’s grysbok
Sitatunga
Southern reedbuck
South-central black rhinoceros
Spotted Hyena
Springbok antelope
Steenbok
Topi
Common warthog
Waterbucks
Wildebeest
Yellow-backed Duicker
Yellow mongoose
Marsh mongoose
Meerkat
Best time to see wildlife in Botswana
The best time to visit them is from May to September, during the Dry season and winter, resulting in more moderate temperatures. In addition, the Okavango is flooded from June to October. Wildlife viewing is good year-round, but this can differ for some parks.
