Volunteer and Travel in Botswana
Volunteer in Botswana in a country that is widely regarded as having some of the best wildlife and wilderness areas on the African continent. With 38% of its total land area devoted to national parks, reserves and wildlife management areas and with a population of only 1.9 million in a country twice the size of Arizona, Botswana is a rarity in our over-populated and over-developed world. Being a progressive democracy, Botswana is one of the most economically stable countries in Africa, with relatively good infrastructure and education and a relatively high income per capita. However, Botswana is not without its fair share of problems as it also has one of the highest HIV infection rates at 38% of the population and a high unemployment rate of around 30%.
Volunteering in Botswana offers a wealth of natural beauty and cultural diversity in a peaceful and enchanting country. You can teach and care for underprivileged children to ensure the future of Botswana remains stable.
For other volunteer opportunities in Africa please take a look at Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
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Chobe National Park
Next to the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park is probably Botswana’s next most well known conservation area. It is a diverse area, from the border at the Chobe River, to the now dry Savute Channel, and beyond to the borders of the Moremi Game Reserve / Okavango Delta. The Park is best known for its concentrations of elephant – some 120 000 individuals, along with good numbers of buffalo, antelope and predators. Birding is also excellent, with many migrants visiting from November to March.
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is one of the world’s largest inland water systems. Its headwaters start in Angola’s western highlands, with numerous tributaries joining to form the Cubango river, which then flows through Namibia (called the Kavango) and finally enters Botswana, where it is then called the Okavango. The delta environment has large numbers of animal populations that are otherwise rare, such as crocodile, red lechwe, sitatunga, elephant, wild dogs, buffalo, wattled crane as well as the other more common mammals and bird life.
The best time for game viewing in the delta is during the May-October period, as the animal life is concentrated along the flooded areas and the vegetation has dried out.
The best time for birding and vegetation is during the rainy season (Nov- April) as the migrant bird populations are returning and the plants are flowering and green.
Mokolodi Game Reserve
Mokolodi is a private reserve managed by the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation, which is dedicated to wildlife preservation and environmental education. Just 10km south west of Gaborone, the park was established in mid-1994 as a 3,000ha conservation area.
For the first few years an intensive re-stocking campaign brought many species of wildlife into the park including white rhino, cheetah, mountain reedbuck, giraffe, zebra, red hartebeest, sable, gemsbok and a team of hand reared elephants. This range of wildlife joined the indigenous game, such as kudu, impala, hyena, leopard and water buck, which were already living in the area, making the park a rich and varied ecosystem, literally just ten minutes drive from the city.
The elephant walk enables guests to spend a few hours walking through the park literally with the elephants. One of the added advantages of the elephant walk is that the other game is not threatened by a human presence, so with care you can walk remarkably close to the other game in the park.
For the more adventurous Mokolodi also offers the chance to track the endangered white rhino. With so few of these majestic creatures left, Mokolodi is one of the only places in the world where one has the chance to track these impressive animals in their own environment, and it is certainly an unforgettable experience.
