Botswana’s most famous wildlife reserves are found in the Okavango Delta. Covering an area of 15,000 km², with swirls of green and blue and islands of baobab trees, it is one of the world’s few inland deltas and thus a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Botswana uses the pula (BWP), with ATMs available in cities. While cash is preferred at small establishments, US dollars and credit cards are accepted at most hotels and safari camps.

Botswana is sub-tropical: hot and humid during the months of November to March, dry from April until October, and with a cool period from May to August. There is great variation in temperature between the seasons, day and night, with maximum temperatures of approximately 35°C and minimums of 6°C.

Visitors usually fly into Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone, with flights from around Africa. There is also an airport in Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta, in the north.

Gaborone is where most adventures begin and end. Tranquil and laidback, you can discover real, modern-day Botswanan culture here, far from the tourist crowds. From there, head north to the Kalahari Desert, home to the world’s most famous hunter gatherers, the San, as well as lions, cheetahs, giraffes and zebras. Further north still is the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park of the delta, with the greatest concentration of elephants in all of Africa.

Tsodilo in the very north of Botswana is a place of great cultural and spiritual significance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has one of the world’s most significant collections of rock art, with over 4,500 paintings dating back tens of thousands of years.

Botswanan food is hearty, with meat a staple – not just the usual beef and goat, but also ostrich and oryx. These can be enjoyed on the braai or in a stew, accompanied by maize pap or stampa. The national dish, seswaa, is delicious beef traditionally cooked all day in a cast iron pot until it melts in the mouth.

Botswana celebrates its culture proudly, past and present. In Gaborone, the annual Maitisong Festival involves days of contemporary music, dance, theatre and poetry by local artists. Those in search of more traditional experiences, meanwhile, will enjoy the Domboshaba Festival of the Kalanga, the Guu Tjilenje Festival of the Bakalanga, and the Kuru Festival of the San, each colourful and full of joy.

Minor Hotels’ Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino is your gateway to Botswana. Located right in the middle of the city, within walking distance of its best malls and restaurants, you can mingle here with the country’s elite over poolside cocktails or a game of squash.