Bird watching Safaris in Botswana

Although generally Botswana is popular for wildlife viewing especially the elephants and the other members of the African Big Five (lion leopard & rhino), the country is also a great place for bird watching in Africa. There are nearly 600 bird species and over 500 seen regularly, during Bird watching Safaris in Botswana. Most of the country is a semi-desert, mainly covered by dry trees, shrubs, and grasslands, especially in destinations like the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. However, in the wetter northern areas of the famous Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Kasane Forest Reserve, and in the northeast of Chobe National Park Visitor can find richer, tropical woodlands that inhabit a number of bird species. To the far southwest are the sandy dunes that create a transition between the Kalahari and Namib-Karoo regions, especially in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Unlike some top birding destination in Africa, Botswana does not have endemic species. The nearly endemic species in the country or near-unique bird is the Short-clawed Lark, mostly found in the southeast around Gaborone and Ramatlabama. Botswana however support supports an endangered population of birds like the Wattled Crane and Slaty Egret live in the north. When Sowa Pan fills with water, it attracts large numbers of flamingos, sometimes over 200,000, which gather to breed when conditions are right.

About 80% of Botswana is covered by Kalahari sandveld, with shrubs, bushes, and patches of woodland. This habitat supports many bird species like babblers, hornbills, owls, and starlings. Drier central and southwest areas have birds such as ostriches, eagles, kestrels, and bustards.

Botswana lies under the Tropic of Capricorn, making it very hot from October to March, with temperatures reaching 35–40°C during the day. Winters, from April to August, are cooler, with warm days and cold nights. The rainy months from November to February are the best time for bird watching because many migratory birds arrive and others are breeding. With a good guide, you can see over 100 bird species a day in winter and over 200 in summer.

Where to go for Bird watching Safaris in Botswana?

Chobe National Park

The Chobe National Park is located in the northern part of Botswana, one of the prime destinations for African Safaris in the country. This National Park was the first to be established in Botswana, making it one to visit during African Safari Holiday to Botswana. This National Park is popular for hosting the largest elephant population in Africa, with over 100,000 elephants living withing its boundaries. However, beyond its incredible wildlife, the national park is also a great destination for Bird watching Safaris in Botswana/ Botswana Birding Safari/Africa Birding Tours. Chobe National Park hosts about 450 species with most of the birdlife found in the north-east. The Chobe River itself, seasonally inundated floodplains, covered with reeds; riverine woodland and further from the river, mixed broadleaved woodland provide habitat for African Finfoot, White-backed Night and Rufous-bellied Herons, Slaty Egret, Bradfield’s and Trumpeter Hornbills, Narina Trogon, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Racket-tailed Roller, Half-collared Kingfisher, Green-capped Eremomela, Angola Rock Thrush, Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah, Golden-backed Pytilia, Eastern Bearded Robin, Red-faced Cisticola, Collared Palm Thrush, Coppery and Purple-banded Sunbirds, and Pink-throated Longclaw among others.

Makgadikgadi Pans

While on Birding Safaris in Botswana/ Bird watching Safaris in Botswana, the other top destination to explore is the Makgadikgadi Pans. These pans are famous for their large flamingo breeding colonies and several other bird species.

During birding safaris here, some of the species you’ll encounter include the White Pelican, Secretary-bird, Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers, Marshal and Tawny Eagles, Red-necked Falcon, Greater, Lesser and Red-footed Kestrels, Burchell`s and Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Wattled and Crowned Cranes, Ground Hornbil, Bronze-winged courser, Red-winged and Black-winged Pratincoles, Spike-heeled, Pink-billed, Rufous-naped and Clapper Larks, Chestnut-backed Finchlark, and Capped Wheatear among other bird species.

 Bird watching Safaris in Botswana – Okavango Delta 

The Okavango Delta is one of the most popular safari destinations in Botswana, a region that is dominated by free canals, lakes, swamps, and islands. During Botswana Birding Safaris or African Birding Safaris, the Okavango Delta is a must visit for a memorable experience. This Delta encompasses a Grassland formed along the Okavango River in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari Desert.

The northwestern corner of Botswana where the delta of the Okavango is located, an area of 18,000 square kilometres, where the Kavango River spreads out into a maze of channels, lagoons and backwaters, create the largest Ramsar site in the world.

Bird life habitats here range from open grasslands and palm fringed islands with tall stands of mature woodland, to ample Papyrus and Phragmites which line the waterways and lagoons, and lush riverine forests along the riverbanks. Birding in this region will give you an opportunity to see the threatened Wattled Crane and Slaty Egret.

During birding safaris in the Okavango Delta, you’ll encounter species like the Pink-backed Pelican, Rufous-bellied and White-backed Night Herons, Pygmy Goose, African Skimmer, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Pink-throated Longclaw, Red-winged Pratincole, Chirping Cisticola, Long-toed Plover, Swamp Boubou, Bat Hawk, Western Banded Snake and Long-crested Eagles, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Narina Trogon and Brown Firefinch.

Explore Botswana with us today, book your Bird watching Safaris in Botswana/Birding Safari in Botswana with us today, and get your journey tailored. We also tailor safaris to Botswana to allow visitors to explore other regions of Africa like Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. Our Tours can be tailored to allow you to experience other top safari experiences like mountain gorilla trekking and wildebeest migration safaris.