Botswana

Seswaa and phaletshé

There are the most popular traditional dishes in Botswana. Seswaa is prepared by cooking beef or goat meat in water until it is tender. It is then pounded with a wooden spoon until it becomes soft, no spices or vegetables are added, only a bit of salt and cooking oil. The seswaa is eaten with phaletshé(pounded maize cooked into thick porridge)

Dikgobe

Beans and maize are cooked together by boiling them in water and adding a bit of salt and cooking oil only; no spices are used in this dish. It can be eaten alone or with seswaa, beef or chicken stew.

Tswii

It is a dish eaten in the northern region of Botswana where there are rivers as it grows in rivers. It is almost like potatoes, it is mixed with fish or beef and pounded together, no spices are added only water, salt and a bit of cooking oil – for a visit to the Okavango Delta, this dish is never to be missed. It can be eaten alone or with phaletshé as the natives will have it.

Serobe

The intestines of a cow or goat are thoroughly cleaned and cut into small pieces. They are then cooked together until they become tender, only salt and a bit of cooking oil are added, no spices or vegetables. It is eaten alongside phaletshé (pounded maize cooked into thick porridge.)

Koko ya Setswana

Traditionally reared chicken, it tastes much better than a commercially reared one. When cooking it, it is boiled in water, only salt and cooking oil are added, It can be made into a stew with a bit of water left for both if it is to be eaten alongside phaletshé, or it can be fried if it is to be eaten with rice.

Budget

Due to the types of activities, one must be fully prepared financially, hence the need to really know what type of experience you wish to come and explore and where exactly to go and the type of lodging you want – guest house, bush camping or hotel. Also, some activities need to be booked well in advance.

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport is the hub for all airlines coming from the neighboring countries including Ethiopian and Kenya Airlines.

You can combine the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and Moremi Game Reserve, they are all in the northern region. Mokolodi Nature Reserve or the Kalahari Desert is in the southern region so combining it with either Chobe National Park or the Okavango Delta will not be advisable – it will be time-consuming to travel between the two unless if you are planning for a long stay.

Accommodation prices range from $15 – $205 per night for 2 people sharing in Kasane and Maun.

A typical full-day tour in the Chobe National Park, and Chobe River can cost between $150 – $250 per individual, consisting of a safari game drive in the park and a boat cruise – meals for the day and park entry fees inclusive.

For longer travels that entail visiting many destinations like Chobe, Okavango Delta, Kalahari, and others one may need to budget between $1000 – $9000 depending on the type of activities to be done in each area and the number of days to be spent – for both accommodations and activities.

Best Time to Travel

It is to be noted that traveling to Botswana has good seasons, some seasons are not good for traveling, especially if your visit entails wildlife viewing.

December to April is the rainy season and this is the worst time of year for a safari visit. The weather is not favorable for game drives or mokoro drives – rains can be continues for days like in the areas of Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta. Many of the animals move deep into the forest and some camps do close their operations, so thorough information is to be fully gathered before bookings are made. It is good for birdwatching and some scenery of newborn animals but this will still be not too often due to the migration.

May to September is the peak for a safari visit of all activities – The rains would have ceased and the animals move down to the rivers in a group with their young ones – the vegetation is all green with flowers having blossomed and it gives such a life thrilling view. The Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta, and the Moremi Game Reserve are to be visited during this season.

October and November are usually very hot especially in the Chobe and Ngamiland areas where most of the activities are, the vegetation also would have changed, trees would have dried up, you can still travel but this is to be considered.