Tautona Lodge - Botswana

Tautona Lodge is a private game reserve located 5 minutes from the town Ghanzi, Ghanzi is a town in the western part of the Republic of Botswana in Southern Africa. The lodge is situated on a private reserve in the Kalahari with an abundance of wildlife including Eland, Oryx, Giraffe, Zebra, Impala, Ostrich, and Kudu as well as an extensive variety of bird life. Tautona Lodge offers luxury but affordable accommodation to holiday makers as well as the many business people that frequently visit Ghanzi. Secluded and tranquil with Waterbuck and Eland that graze peacefully amongst the chalets.. For your enjoyment the amenities at the lodge include an excellent a la carte restaurant, sports bar, pool table, table tennis, darts, swimming pool and open air deck

1xLuxury Family Chalet

Double story thatched stone building comprises of 1 Double en-suite bedroom, 2 twin rooms sharing a bathroom. Dining area, TV lounge and kitchenette with a private veranda and an outside BBQ area.

7 X DOUBLE MINI CHALETS & 1 X TWIN MINI CHALET

Thatched stone building comprises of an en-suite bedroom with a TV and tea and coffee making facilities…

DOUBLE / TWIN CHALETS

Thatched stone building comprises of 1 x Double / Twin en-suite bedroom. TV lounge with a kitchenette.

4 X TENTED ACCOMMODATION

Luxury Tents with twin beds and en-suite bathroom and BBQ facilities situated in the campsite.

Tautona Campsite

Tautona Campsite is 5min drive from the Main lodge. The campsites are set beneath the shade of thorn trees. Guests can enjoy a true bush experience under the Kalahari sky. The campsite facilities include electricity an ablution block with a double set of "flush" toilets, showers with hot and cold running water and a communal sink for washing dishes. The Boma and Lapa is available especially for the rainy days. Guests are welcome to enjoy Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner at Tautona Lodge Ala Carte Restaurant and have sundowners at the Pub. 

History and Culture of Botswana

The history of Botswana is characterized by migrations of peoples into the country from the north and west and particularly from the east and south, as well as internal movements of groups of people. The group which eventually emerged as most numerous, and dominant, were the Batswana. Their pattern of dividing and migrating saw the formation of numerous Tswana tribes, and they eventually occupied all areas of the country.

First Inhabitants

The earliest modern inhabitants of southern Africa were the Bushman (San) and the Hottentot (Khoe) peoples. They have lived an almost unchanged lifestyle in the country since the Middle Stone Age.

The physical characteristics of the Khoe and the San are similar. Both tend to have light, almost coppery skin color, slanted, almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, thin lips and tufted, tightly curled hair. Both speak click languages, though there are major differences between them. Both hunted and collected wild foods and neither grew crops.

Approximately 60,000 years ago, the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa were of one tribe, probably of Khoe/San type. It is believed that the Bantu-speaking people were an offshoot from the Khoe/San tribe. This occurred in the tropical rain forests of equatorial Africa about 10,000 years ago. The Bantu-speaking people gradually developed darker skin pigmentation and different physical attributes because of the different environments they eventually occupied.

The origins of the Tswana tribes

In Botswana, about 1,000 years ago, large chiefdoms began to emerge in the area between Sowa Pan and the Tswapong Hills. Large settlements developed on hilltops. These people are known as the "Toutswe", after the first of their capitals, which was excavated on Toutswemogala Hill. Soon these communities were eclipsed by the Great Zimbabwe Empire, which spread its domain over much of eastern Botswana.

Around 1300 AD, peoples in present-day Transvaal began to coalesce into the linguistic and political groups they form today. This resulted in the emergence of three main groups: the Bakgalagadi, the Batswana and the Basotho, each of which had smaller divisions. Each group lived in small, loosely knit communities, spread widely over large areas of land. They spoke dialects of the same language and shared many cultural affinities.

Two central features of the history of the Batswana are 

fission and fusion. Groups of people broke off from their parent tribe and moved to new land, creating a new tribe and absorbing or subjugating the people they found there. This is how a single group of Batswana living in the Magaliesberg Mountains in northern Transvaal evolved into the numerous Tswana tribes, which exist today.

10 Botswana Tourist Destinations

Planning to visit Botwana? Here the top 10 Botwana tourism and tourist destinations you can visit.
Each place is unique in its own special way.

Okavango Delta - The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world; and the best way to explore the Delta is by a mokoro, which are wooden dugout canoes which are made by the locals.
Moremi Game Reserve – The animal viewing opportunities in this reserve are unparalleled and you are sure to see the big five when you the Moremi Game Reserve.
Makgadikgadi and Nxai pan National Park – Visit these pans to witness the annual Zebra migration, which is the second largest Zebra migration in Africa.
If you are a birding enthusiast then you are going to love the Nata bird sanctuary which is home to many of the migratory birds that visit Botswana. Even though the Nata bird sanctuary isn’t part of the Makgadikgadi and Nxai pan National Park, it’s however part of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans.
Mashatu Game Reserve – One the many activities you should try out when you visit Mashatu are the Mountain bike safaris.
Central Kalahari Game Reserve – The CKGR is the second largest wildlife reserve in the world and is home to many animals including the famous black mane Kalahari Lion. 

Chobe National Park – The Chobe is famous for its huge Elephant population. 
Khutse Game Reserve – There are many safari tour operators in Gaborone that offer safaris to Khutse.
Khama Rhino Sanctuary – If you want to see rhino’s then this sanctuary is a must visit.
Tsodilo Hills – These hills are home to some of Africa’s best rock paintings.
Mokolodi Nature Reserve – Mokolodi is ideal if you are in Gaborone for the day. This nature reserve has Rhinos, cheetah, giraffe and many other animals.

For More tips on planning a Botswana safari adventure, visit www.botswana-reservations.com or contact
Botswana Reservations at: res@botswana-reservations.com

Our Current Specials offers:

Elephant Valley Lodge
(Chobe, Botswana)

Camp Okavango
(Moremi Game Reserve)

Edo’s Camp
(Ghanzi)

Camp Moremi
(Moremi Game Reserve

 For more of our specials and bookings you can visit our Botswana website: www.botswana-reservations.com

The Astonishing Royal Tree Lodge in Botswana

Royal Tree Lodge is a private game reserve located twenty minutes from the iconic safari town of Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta. 

The spacious, thatched guest area is the heart of Royal Tree Lodge.  Large doors open onto a wide-angle teak deck shaded by Motsentsela trees, under which guests exchange stories, meals and drinks.  Inside, relax on a plush leather sofa, enjoy a drink from the bar, and page through books on the nation's explorers and history.  During dinner, enjoy delicous meals served on the deck by candlelight and awe fellow guests by tales of the day’s adventures.

Royal Tree Lodge Honeymoon Chalets
The Royal Tree Lodge honeymoon chalets are private and romantic with king size canopy beds covered in soft, white linen. The chalets are well furnished including large sunken baths, plentiful candles and an outdoor shower to make your stay a memorable experience.

Royal Tree Lodge Luxury Tents
The tented rooms are built on raised decks with exotic hard wood floors offering wonderful views of the serene African forest and complete with en-suite facilities. We welcome you to relax in an old world bath by the warmth of candlelight and enjoy the sounds of Africa.

Activities....

Birding, Game Walks, Horseback Safari, Game Drive, Scenic Flight

Local news from Smart Strategies - Conditions in Botswana

There was serious damage to some equipment in Francistown which has led to a complete power failure of certain areas. Authorities are predicting 4 days to effect repairs. Then to add to Botswana’s current woe’s the strikes in South Africa are leading to fuel and gas shortages in the country.
Below is an update on conditions at the properties in our portfolio:

Thamalakane River Lodge:
Maun has no power and there is no gas to be found. Lanterns are being used for lighting. Management are in the process of sourcing portable showers for guests and will be heating water with wood fires. They are very low on gas, they are searching further afield for supplies, if they don’t have any luck then meals will be prepared in their pizza oven and on open fires. Thank goodness the pizza’s are exceptional at Thamalakane! Staff at Thamalakane are very experienced and are confident that they will be able to keep guests happy.
Reservations are handled by our offices in Cape Town so communication is all running smoothly as usual in that department.

Dinaka Safari Lodge:
Dinaka is solar powered so it is business as usual at the camp. Reservations are being handled by our offices in Cape Town so communication is all going according to plan.

Nxamaseri Island Lodge:
The power outage is not affecting Nxamaseri. Reservations is running on a battery, so all is well there. Fuel and gas has not affected them yet, they have quite good reserves so all should be good.

Mapula Lodge:
Mapula reservations in Maun is affected, we (Smart Strategies) are able to assist with any booking enquiry as we have access to their systems and we are picking up their reservation emails until the power gets sorted out in Maun. Telephone lines are down and one entire cell network as well. Business as usual at the camp all is running smoothly.

Camp Dizhana:
The camp does not rely on the national power grid, so everything is running as usual. Reservations is run from South Africa so all is fine on that front as well.

Tuli Safari Lodge:
The power outages have not affected them and they are fine with stocks of fuel and gas.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@suthern-africa-travel.com or visit our website for more establishments www.southern-africa-travel.com