Lonely Planet - Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2016

Matsuyama, Japan

Sean Pavone SHUTTERSTOCK

Botswana is a unique destination: an unusual combination of desert and delta that draws an immense concentration of wildlife

Population: 2 million

Foreign visitors per year: 2.1 million

Capital: Gaborone

Languages: Setswana, Kalanga, English

Major industry: diamonds, copper, nickel

Unit of currency: pula (P)

Cost index: mid-range camp per night P6048 (US$600), flight transfers P1512-2016 (US$150-200), bottle of beer P25 (US$2.5), litre of petrol P10 (US$0.99)

Catch a glimpse of the Mighty Leopard in Botswanas Chobe National Park

Mint Images/ Art Wolfe GETTY IMAGES

In 2016 Botswana will celebrate its 50th year of independence. So what, you may say. Whats there to shout about? Well, quite a lot really. Not least the longest continuous multi-party democracy on the continent, a progressive social outlook (Botswana was one of the first countries to offer free anti-retroviral drugs to its citizens in 2002), minimal corruption, a healthy and enlightened tourism industry and a fast-growing economy since independence. The countrys journey from abject poverty in 1966 to become one of Africas most stable and thriving societies is hugely inspiring and, no doubt, deserves a proverbial pat on the back.

But thats not all. Botswana is a unique destination: an unusual combination of desert and delta that draws an immense concentration of wildlife. It is wild, pristine and expansive. Seventeen percent of the country is dedicated to national parks, many of them spreading into the vast Transfrontier parks of Kavango-Zambezi and Kgalagadi. This dedication to conserving some of the worlds last remaining wildernesses was finally recognised in 2014 when the jewel in Botswanas conservation crown, the Okavango Delta, became Unescos 1000th World Heritage Site.

Despite this embarrassment of accolades, Botswana remains off the radar for most people. The impression is: its too expensive, its too difficult to get to, it doesnt cater for families. But were here to tell you thats all nonsense. Go now! Go by plane, car or mokoro (canoe). Go in the green season or the dry season its all great. Go to Vumbura Plains Camp or Jao Camp with tons of cash for the trip of a lifetime or go on a budget to community projects like Tsabong Camel Park and Moremi Gorge. Go as a honeymooning couple to gaze over the dreamy Zibandianja Lagoon in Linyanti or as an adventure junkie to ride horseback through Mashatu Game Reserve. Go as a wildlife enthusiast and track elephants in the mini-Serengeti of Savuti or meerkats on the Makgadikgadi Pans. Go alone to take your guiding qualifications at Okavango Guiding School or with the kids to experience Ker & Downeys award-winning family safari (Safari Awards 2015). Whatever you do and whenever you go, you wont regret it. Trust us on this one.

Whats hot

Community projects, eco-accreditation, family travel, Botswana Innovation Hub

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Whats not

Mass tourism, hunting (banned in 2014), drink driving, illegal logging

Botswana is so full of life-changing experiences it would be easier to list the things that arent remarkable. Here is a real wilderness that puts you in touch with palpable primitive thrills and fears, whether its being poled by an African gondolier in a mokoro past pods of sunbathing hippos in the Okavango Delta; or feeling the spirit of the first men in the thousand-year-old rock art in the Tsodilo Hills; or in the eerie beauty of Kubu Islands ancient baobabs backlit by incandescent constellations in a vast night sky.

So called car park pimping. Thanks to a 30% tax on alcohol and new licensing hours enforcing club closures at 2am, Gaborones club scene has moved outdoors and hijacked suburban car parks. Here the party continues around makeshift DJ decks with experienced clubbers equipped with personal cool boxes and camping chairs.

Festivals & events

The annual Toyota 1000 Desert Race held in June on Jwanengs unforgiving terrain is southern Africas premier off-road rally. Winners here are guaranteed a place in the prestigious Dakar Rally.

The trans-frontier Tour de Tuli is a hardcore mountain bike race held in August. It traverses unmanicured elephant trails between Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

If you want to connect with Batswana culture, head to the Maun International Arts Festival held in the small town of Maun in October. This week-long culturefest showcases local poetry, storytelling, painting, jazz and folklore.