Botswana Safari Map
Botswana covers around 581,000 square kilometres with roughly 38 percent set aside for wildlife, and the country divides into three practical zones for a safari: the wet north, the desert centre and south, and the settled east. Almost everything a first-time visitor wants sits in the north, reached through Maun or Kasane. Knowing how the map fits together is what stops an itinerary wasting days on transfers.
How Botswana Is Laid Out
Start with the shape of the country, because everything else follows from it.
Botswana is landlocked, bordered by Namibia to the west and north, Zambia at a single short point in the far north, Zimbabwe to the northeast and South Africa to the south and east. It is high, flat and dry, sitting mostly around a thousand metres above sea level.
Roughly 70 percent is Kalahari sandveld. The exception is the north, where the Okavango arrives from Angola and the Chobe and Linyanti systems run along the border, creating the wetlands that hold the wildlife.
The population sits overwhelmingly in the east, along the corridor from Gaborone through Palapye and Serowe to Francistown, which is where the tar roads, the railway and most of the towns are.
That leaves the centre and west almost empty, which is why a map of Botswana looks so blank and why distances are so unforgiving.
The single most useful thing to grasp from a Botswana map is that the two places you most want to see, the Okavango Delta and Chobe, sit hundreds of kilometres apart with almost no tar road between them. That is why safaris here are flown rather than driven.
The Northern Safari Circuit
This is where the overwhelming majority of safari itineraries operate, and the pieces sit in a rough arc.
At the western end is Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta. Northeast of Maun the Delta spreads across the Kalahari, with the Panhandle running up toward the Namibian border in the far northwest.
Moremi Game Reserve occupies the eastern third of the Delta, with the Khwai area on its northern boundary.
North of Khwai lie the private concessions: Linyanti, Selinda and Kwando, running along the Kwando and Linyanti river systems on the Namibian border.
Chobe National Park occupies the far northeastern corner, with Savuti inland at its western end and the riverfront at Kasane.
Kasane sits where four countries nearly meet, minutes from the Zimbabwe and Zambia borders, with Victoria Falls around 80 kilometres away.
The circuit runs west to east across the north, which is why flying into one end and out of the other saves a day.
The Desert Circuit
South and east of the Delta lies the second zone, and it works on a different calendar.
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park sits southeast of Maun, bounded by the Boteti River to the west and reaching Ntwetwe Pan in the east.
Nxai Pan National Park lies immediately north across the Maun to Nata road, with Baines’ Baobabs at its southern edge.
The wider salt pan complex extends further east toward Sua Pan and Nata, with Kubu Island on Sua’s southwestern edge.
Southwest of all of it is the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, an enormous block in the middle of the country, with Khutse adjoining it to the south and reachable from Gaborone.
In the far southwest sits the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, shared with South Africa, including the Mabuasehube section.
The desert peaks between December and April, opposite to the north, which is the single most useful thing a map cannot show you.
North, reached via Maun or Kasane. Okavango Delta, Moremi, Khwai, Linyanti, Selinda, Kwando, Savuti and Chobe. Peaks May to October. Mostly fly-in.
Desert, reached via Maun or Gaborone. Makgadikgadi, Nxai Pan, the salt pans, Central Kalahari, Khutse and Kgalagadi. Peaks December to April. Fly-in or serious self-drive.
East, reached via Gaborone or Francistown. Tuli Block, the historic sites, Lepokole Hills, Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Malaria free. Rarely on safari itineraries and reached by road.
Driving Distances Across Botswana
Distances are the thing maps underplay, so here are the numbers that matter.
Maun to Kasane runs around 614 kilometres and takes close to seven hours on the tar route via Nata. There is no fuel on the bush routes between them.
Gaborone to Maun is a full day’s drive. Gaborone to Francistown is roughly four to six hours by road on the A1.
Maun to the Central Kalahari’s Matswere Gate runs around 210 kilometres via Rakops, and the tracks beyond that add hours.
Kubu Island lies roughly 90 to 95 kilometres of sandy track off the A3, taking about four hours.
Inside the parks, allow 20 to 25 kilometres per hour on game-viewing tracks and 30 to 40 on transfers. Deep sand halves whatever a map suggests.
Tsodilo Hills and Gcwihaba in the far northwest are a long day from Maun and in practice a separate trip.
Flying Distances and the Charter Network
The charter network is the real map of a Botswana safari, and it looks nothing like the road map.
Light aircraft connect Maun and Kasane to dozens of bush airstrips across the Delta, Linyanti, Savuti, the Kalahari and the pans. Inter-camp hops run from five minutes for neighbouring camps to around twenty minutes typically, with Delta crossings closer to thirty.
Maun to Kasane by air takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half depending on stops, against seven hours by road.
Kasane to Victoria Falls is around twenty minutes in the air against a couple of hours by road including the border.
Most charters are shared, so a flight may make several stops before reaching your camp.
Luggage is capped at roughly 20kg per person in a soft bag including camera gear, which is the constraint that catches most people out.
When looking at any Botswana map, check whether a place is reachable by road at all. The inner Okavango, most private concessions and the deep Kalahari are fly-in only, while Chobe riverfront, Moremi’s gates, Khwai and the pans take vehicles.
Reading a Botswana Map Before You Book
A few practical habits turn a map from decoration into a planning tool.
Look at what is adjacent. Camps in the same concession or on the same river system link by a short hop, while crossing the country costs a long flight and half a day.
Check which side of a boundary a camp sits on. National parks prohibit off-road driving, night drives and walking, while concessions permit all three, and the line between Moremi and Khwai is a few hundred metres on the ground and a completely different set of activities.
Note the water. Permanent inner Delta, seasonal floodplain and dry ground look identical on most maps and determine whether you get a mokoro or a game drive.
Watch the veterinary fences, which appear on detailed maps and matter for self-drivers, since control points involve inspections and disinfectant mats.
Finally, map your international arrival and departure airports before choosing camps, since an open-jaw routing through Kasane and Maun frequently saves a whole day.
Where the Borders Matter
Botswana’s neighbours shape its safari map more than most countries.
The far northeast corner is the busiest, with Kazungula linking Botswana to Zambia by bridge and to Zimbabwe by road, and Victoria Falls within easy reach. Many itineraries hinge on this point.
Ngoma Bridge connects the Chobe area to Namibia’s Zambezi Region, formerly the Caprivi, which is the route toward Etosha.
Mohembo in the far northwest is where the Okavango River enters Botswana and where travellers cross toward Namibia’s Kavango.
The southern border with South Africa carries the most crossings, with Tlokweng and Pioneer Gate serving Gaborone and Martin’s Drift the main route from Johannesburg.
Pont Drift in the Tuli Block is the most characterful, crossed on foot by cable car when the Limpopo is flowing.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Botswana Safari Map
How far apart are the Okavango Delta and Chobe?
Maun and Kasane, the gateways to each, sit around 614 kilometres apart by road, taking close to seven hours on the tar route via Nata with no fuel available on the bush routes between them. By light aircraft the same trip takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half depending on stops. That gap is the main reason Botswana safaris are flown rather than driven, and why most itineraries treat the two as separate legs.
Which parts of Botswana can you reach by road?
The Chobe riverfront from Kasane, Moremi’s South and North Gates, the Khwai community area, Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan, the Central Kalahari, Khutse and the eastern circuit including the Tuli Block. What you cannot drive to is the inner Okavango Delta, where parts are surrounded by water with no road, and the private concessions in Linyanti, Selinda and Kwando, which restrict access to fly-in guests of their camps.
What are the main safari areas in Botswana?
In the north, the Okavango Delta with Moremi Game Reserve, the Khwai area, the Linyanti, Selinda and Kwando concessions, Savuti and Chobe National Park. In the centre and south, Makgadikgadi Pans and Nxai Pan National Parks, the wider salt pan complex, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Khutse and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. In the east, the Tuli Block. Most first visits stay entirely in the north.
How long does it take to drive across Botswana?
Gaborone to Maun is a full day. Gaborone to Francistown runs roughly four to six hours on the A1. Maun to Kasane takes close to seven hours over 614 kilometres. Inside the parks, allow 20 to 25 kilometres per hour on game-viewing tracks and 30 to 40 on transfers, since deep sand roughly halves whatever a map suggests. Tsodilo and Gcwihaba in the far northwest are a long day from Maun.
Which airport should I fly into for a Botswana safari?
Maun for the Okavango Delta, Moremi and the Kalahari, since it is the hub for light aircraft charters. Kasane for Chobe, Linyanti and Victoria Falls, and it needs no internal charter at all. Gaborone serves the capital, the south and the eastern circuit but sits a very long way from the northern parks. Flying into one and out of the other frequently saves a day and can be ticketed on a single booking.
How much of Botswana is protected for wildlife?
Around 38 percent of the country’s territory is set aside for wildlife across national parks, game reserves, forest reserves and wildlife management areas, which is among the highest proportions anywhere. Botswana covers roughly 581,000 square kilometres in total, with about 70 percent of it Kalahari sandveld. That combination of enormous protected area and very low population density is what produces the empty feeling a map of the country conveys.
Booking Your Botswana Trip
The safari companies and tour operators listed on this website put trips like this together for a living and know which camps, guides and routes actually deliver. We are an independent guide to Botswana; we do not book or sell tours ourselves.
When you are ready, arrange your safari, tour or holiday with one of the recognised operators listed here. Tell them your dates and what matters most, and a real person, not a form, will handle the itinerary, park bookings and logistics for you.