Gateway to the Natural Wonders of Botswana- Mokolodi Backpackers

Mokolodi Backpackers is your gateway to the natural wonders of Botswana. Set in a beautiful leafy garden on the doorstep of the spectacular Mokolodi Wildlife Reserve, we are Gaborone’s best choice for good value, comfort and a warm welcome.

Accommodation:

Choose from a variety of lodgings that include four person dorms, private twin units, twin chalets and luxury rondavels – all serviced daily including towels, bedding and sharing deluxe ablutions blocks or private facilities.

Camping is available in shady spots in the garden.

Activities:

There’s plenty to keep you entertained at the backpackers and in the surrounding area.

If you just want to relax at the backpackers then they have a swimming pool, dart board, pool table, PC with internet and plenty of braai places.

Or you can sit on your veranda in the shady garden, catch up on Facebook and read a good book!

Botswana’s bustling capital city, Gaborone, contains a number of cultural attractions including a fascinating National Museum, a lively street market and a wide range of restaurants, shopping and nightlife.

Mokolodi Game Reserve is a perfect introduction to Botswana’s rich and varied wildlife.

Arrange visits including game drives, rhino tracking, cheetah encounters and sundowners overlooking the beautiful scenery. It’s a 15-20 minute walk from the backpackers.

For more information please contact us via email at info@botswana-reservations.com

The Beautiful Nata Lodge in Botswana

An oasis set among the Mokolwane palms on the edge of the pans. It is ideally situated close to the entrance to the Nata Sanctuary and is just off the main road, 10 km from Nata village. This is the junction to the Okavango, Chobe and Francistown areas.

Accommodation:

All chalets have custom designed ceiling fans and in room safes. Of the 20 chalets, 8 chalets are set on a raised platform that overlooks the old Didibakwe river and are built on the northern boundary of the lodge under the dappled shade of the Ilala Palm trees.

Of these 8 chalets there are 2 Luxury Chalets on offer. These boast majestic outdoor showers and ball and claw feature baths.

12 A-framed stoned thatch chalets are set on the southern boundary of the lodge. These unique chalets have semi open bathrooms and stoned verandas.

10 luxury safari tents are built on raised wooden platforms which are nestled under the lodges many Marula trees. These unique tents feature en suite bathrooms and all amenities offered in any of the the lodge’s chalets.

Fun Activities to do:

Game drive

Bird viewing

Trips to the Makgidikgadi Salt Pans

Quad bike adventures

For more information and for your booking request please contact us via email at info@botswana-reservations.com
Visit our web page at www.botswana-reservations.com

Botswana Tours and Safaris

Self Drive Tours
Choose one of our set itineraries for your Namibia Tour or ask us to tailor make your Namibia self drive tour to travel at your own set pace and interest. Namibia Reservations uses reliable car rental companies.

Namibia and Botswana Camping Safari

Short description:

2 Persons - Campsite Kalahari Bush Breaks near Gobabis for 1 Night,

Tautona Lodge Campsite in Ghanzi/Botswana for 1 Night,

Audi Camp campsite in Maun for 2 Nights,

Nata Lodge Campsite for 1 Night inclusive 1 Game Drive into the Pan for 3hrs,

Chobe Safari Lodge Campsite in Kasane for 2 Nights inclusive 1 Boat Cruise and 1 Day Trip to the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe,

Nunda Camp near Bagani for 1 Night,

Roy’s Rest Camp in Grootfontein for 1 night,

Namutoni Campsite in the Etosha National Park for 1 Night,

Ugab Terrace Lodge for 1 Night,

Alte Brücke campsite for 2 Nights including 1 Sunsail Catamaran Dolphin & Seal Cruise,

Car Rental - Toyota Hi-Lux D/C 4x4 with camping equipment for 2 Persons (Standard Cover)

Tour Length: 14 Days/ 13 Nights
Validity Period: 01.11.2013 - 31.10.2014

Collecting your vehicle at the International Airport you make your way towards Gobabis. Overnight at Kalahari Bush Breaks.

Next morning travel towards the Ghanzi area in Botswana, overnight at the Tautona Lodge at their campsite. Enjoy the sounds of the night while sitting around the campfire.

From Tautona your journey takes you to the Nata Lodge. Here you will have the chance to go on a 3 hour Game Drive in the Pan enjoying the photographic opportunities.

From Nata Lodge you will travel onwards to Chobe Safari Lodge. Enjoy a Boat Cruise on the river. The next day you will go on a day trip to the mighty Victoria Falls. At the end of the day reminisce of all that you have seen and experienced.

Today you will travel back to Namibia and overnight at the Nunda Camp, visit the rapids and enjoy the birdlife of the area.

Early morning wake-up and continue towards Grootfontein. Relax at Roy’s Rest Camp spending time with the tame wildlife and enjoying the surrounds.

The Etosha National Park is next on your list , here is an abundance of wildlife that you will be able to see from close-up. 

Traveling through the Etosha National Park enjoy the animals alongside the road. Continue onwards to Ugab Terrace Lodge. Relax at the fire.

Next day you will continue onwards towards Swakopmund enjoy the ever-changing scenery. You will stay 2 nights in the coastal town giving you time to see the German architectural houses and the history of Swakopmund. You will have the chance to go on a Boat Cruise and see the seals and maybe even a dolphin.

After 2 days your travel ends when you go back to Windhoek.
For more information please contact us via email at info@botswana-reservations.com

Beautiful Motswiri Lodge - Botswana

Motswiri Private Safari Lodge lies hidden in the bush, an exclusive lodge offering guests a bush experience which is impossible to replicate in larger concerns. The lodge offers some of the best views in Madikwe as well as the feeling of tranquility given by the mature trees (mostly leadwoods) under which the main building and 5 luxury bush villas nestle. An intimate homely setting offering complete privacy.

This lodge only accommodates 10 people in 5 luxury bush villas set around a swimming pool.

The exquisitely appointed main lodge offers separate lounge, dining and lounge bar facilities – each with its own roaring fireplace in winter.

Dining also takes place in the outside boma on balmy summer nights.

The interiors have been skilfully designed so that there is a blend between open space and the bush by utilising the retractable doors and windows.

Motswiri offers the option of individual bookings or exclusive use of the whole lodge, making it ideal for corporates, celebrations and family groups.
For more information and for your booking request please contact us at:

info@botswana-reservations.com 

The Beautiful Khwai River Lodge - Botswana

Sink into time-honoured indulgence as you overlook the vibrant floodplains and dramatic big game of the Moremi Wildlife Reserve.

Moremi Reserve is situated at the heart of the Okavango Delta and was the first wildlife area to be set aside by tribal people rather than colonial powers.

Although the only statutorily protected part of the Okavango Delta, it is surrounded by a carefully controlled buffer zone. This allows free movement of animals according to seasonal migration. Extending north and east to join Chobe National Park, it is a wildlife haven that stretches all the way to Kasane.

Accommodation

Belmond Khwai River Lodge is home to luxury tents seated on raised wooden platforms with traditional African thatch roof. Private decks with easy chairs and hammocks provide panoramic views.

Inside you’ll find a netted four-poster bed, an elegant bathroom, a stocked mini bar and discreet air conditioning.

Tucked away from the main tent, our private suite offers a more secluded, romantic experience. The large deck includes a heated splash pool with full views of the reserve. An open-air bathroom, complete with double showers and copper-framed Victorian bath, brings you closer to nature.

The Stunning Pom Pom Camp in Botswana

In the heart of the Okavango Delta within the MATSEBE concession area, Pom Pom camp is another jewel in Botswana’s crown! Here hippo grunt and frolic in front of camp’s permanent lagoon that is surrounded by miles of reeds. In a clear water oasis “mokoro” offer you a wonderful means of viewing wildlife as you glide between palm fringed islands.

An 18 – bedded safari camp, built and designed in the style of safari camps

9 large walk-in tents, all with en suite showers, flush toilets and although roofless, the bathrooms are
enclosed for privacy, security and importantly offer you a truly unique bush adventure

The main building is attractively designed and constructed of thatch and canvas and comprises lounge, dining, bar and pool areas, as well as a gift shop and the boma area. The swimming pool is situated close to the main lodge and the bar, making a perfect location to enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the heat of the day.

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.