A stroke of serendipity led me to meet meerkats, ride an ATV across salt pans, and sleep under the stars.
I didn't even know this tour was a possibility until an hour before I joined it. And it wound up being the most memorable experience I had in my brief journey across Botswana.
After Victoria Falls, I crossed the border from Zambia and suddenly found myself in a country that was not so backpacker-friendly. I managed to get a kombi (Botswana's version of a shared taxi) to a lodge I had found midway along the journey to Maun, the hub for exploring the country's most famous natural attraction: the Okavango Delta.
In the kombi, I messaged the lodge on WhatsApp to let them know I was coming.
"You don't have vehicle?" the woman replied, incredulous. Worried about animals as I arrived just after sundown, she sent a Jeep to collect me from the side of the road.
"I'd like to join a trip to see the salt pans, if you have one going in the next few days," I mentioned as I checked in. It is common in Africa for lodges to host group safaris and tours that you can join, and they usually always have space for one more.
But this time, my request was met with a concerned expression. It was obvious they weren't used to people just showing up, and I realized perhaps things were different in Botswana.
"No, we don't have any going."
"Really?"
"Not any that you can join. We could try to organize a private trip for you but it would be very expensive, there is a minimum of two per booking."
I sighed. I told her I'd sleep on it, hoping to reach out to some tour companies and other lodges the next day.
After breakfast the next morning, I headed to the pool to relax and start my research. Nearby a blonde woman was talking to two kids and their parents about their plans to see meerkats, and when the family left, I approached her to ask for the contact to book a tour.
"Come with us!" she said enthusiastically. "If you can get your things together, we're leaving in an hour. We'll see the meerkats and then take ATVs to the salt pans."
"You don't mind me joining?"
"I'm sure there's space for one more! Just pay at the front desk."
I thanked her, and immediately went to the front desk, sure that I'd be told there was no more space, as I had been told last night. But the second I mentioned I'd been invited to come along, there was space – and I realized I had to rush back to my tent to get it packed up in time.
This week I'm taking you along the magical experience in a photo essay. If you plan a trip to Botswana to see the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park or the Central Kalahari Game Reserve – don't skip this! (And maybe book ahead 😉.)
Photos from the Tour
First up: a safari drive through the bush to get to the edge of the salt pan. Along the way we saw a few animals, and many baobab trees.
The adventure continues with an ATV ride across the Makgadikgadi Pans of Botswana. | Click any image to view larger.
You ride ATVs mostly because you can, not because you can't go in the Jeep.
The meerkat family is called a "mob." Mobs are typically led by a dominant female. There were many babies in the mob we followed. | Click any image to view larger.
Meerkats have a complex underground network of tunnels. Most of their digging while we saw them was looking for prey, not to make new burrows. | Click any image to view larger.
One minute of meerkats in action.
At sunset, we left the meerkats and took the ATVs to camp. We slept out in open air sleeping bags on the salt pan, under the stars. | Click any image to view larger.
How to Book
If you are traveling solo, your best bet might be to book on a site like Get Your Guide. There are trips that include transfer from Kasane, near the border of Zambia, home to Chobe National Park. Here is an example of a tour you could book, which I am showing for reference only. This is not an endorsement or an affiliate link, and I recommend doing your own research before booking.
If you are traveling in a group, and you either have your own transportation, or are willing to take kombis like me to get around, I recommend contacting a lodge in Gweta, where you'll spend the night before the tour. They can organize a trip for your group departing directly from the lodge, usually at a better price per person than what you'll find on Get Your Guide.
Why Botswana Is Challenging for Solo Travel
Are you a single person looking to join an existing group trip? Good luck finding one. I was able to do this from a lodge in Kenya to go on safari in Maasai Mara, and I was able to do this from a hostel near Victoria Falls to go rafting. In Botswana, however, it seems there's a preference for "private" excursions, meaning, if you are a group of four, you will be the only four on the tour – as opposed to pairing you up with a group of two to make it more affordable for everyone.
I very much got the sense from lodge staff that Botswana considers itself more of an "elite" place to travel. I don't know if that comes from its proximity to South Africa, the reality of the geographic limitations of getting into the Okavango Delta (flight) or its popularity with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but I found many of the natural sights a challenge to visit. I could join day trips to the outer parts of the Delta from Maun, but for the real experience, I'd have to fly into a lodge in the Delta and go on private safaris from there, which most of them don't even offer, instead charging you the minimum price for two people to be able to go.
While I also found transportation to be a challenge in Namibia, there are many tour companies, including a few hostels, where you can book multi-week group tours to see the country, if you're not up for renting your own Toyota Hilux and road tripping around the remote wilderness. While Botswana is less of a risk to drive, in that there are towns with resources closer together, it also seemed like driving wouldn't be enough in the way that it is in Namibia. In Botswana, the real expeditions require tours that get you beyond where roads go.
While I was sad to miss out, it gives me something new to go back for. I'm definitely planning to return to Botswana someday, when I'm not flying solo.
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