Beautiful Botswana - The Travel Podcast

Ncinci Motsemme is enthusiastic about all things and particularly food. She joins me from her new restaurant in the heart of Maun, Kwa ga Ncinci, to discuss different foods eaten in Botswana and their cultural meaning. We discuss foods that are readily accessible as snack foods from Tuckshops through to regional and seasonal foods and foods found predominantly at celebrations.Kwa ga Ncinci can be found on the corner of Sir Seretse Khama Road and Motshaba street in the centre of Maun across th...

I headed off on a break in June and went exploring our neighboring country Zambia. It was my first time crossing a border with Covid-19 regulations and requirements so I am sharing my experience in this bonus episode.We crossed the new Kazangula Bridge between Botswana and Zambia and I share both tips on crossing into Botswana through any border post as well as the process required to enter Zambia.I share a lot of info so have a pen and paper handy!Covid-19 PCR testing in Botswana: Diagnofirm...

Moa Monwela is a professional guide who grew up in Maun and has a shared history with the village. He joins me to discuss the history of Maun and he shares his experiences growing up here and the changes he has seen over the decades. in 2011 Moa founded Endurance travel and based himself out of one of the hotels offering experiences to people visiting Maun who are not able to get into the camps and lodges and wildlife areas for longer. He shares the activities available to people spending a n...

Dr Mike Murray-Hudson returns to attempt to predict this year's flood. Making predictions of a natural occurrence is not easy but Mike shares his expectations based on his years of experience. We discuss base floods in the Eastern Delta in the Gomoti region and the new data that are being collected there and at Divundu. He discusses the impacts of the low flood of 2019 and the peat fires that followed on the vegetation and water flow and how that impacted the 'fast flood' of 2020.Mike al...

Our summer clouds have disappeared and the stars are becoming more visible. I have asked Stephen O'Meara, author of the wonderful book Night skies of Botswana to join me for a bonus episode updating us on what to expect from the night skies in the next while.Steve also shares some info on when to look for the man in the moon and what a Supermoon really is and how to get the best view of the moon looking as large as possible.Steve's episode was the most listened to of last year and there...

Ecoexist is a project in Northern Botswana established in Eretsa village in 2013. The project was established by Dr Anna Songhurst, Dr Graham McCulloch and Dr Amanda Stronza to support communities living on the edges of wildlife areas who share their space with elephants. Graham joins me to share their work in the area and the realities of life in this area. As well as the story of how this work led them to develop and open Maun's Okavango Craft Brewery and associated brew pub. Th...

Jason Kennaugh has deep family farming roots in Ghanzi, Botswana and after moving to Maun for his kids' schooling witnessed people needing help with recovery after getting stuck and so started 4x4 Bushwarrior recovery service. In this episode he shares what he learned through his years of Kalahari driving on the farm and then what he has learned about driving in the Delta after many rescues and recoveries. There are some similarities, tyre pressure being one of them, and some differences.If y...

Grant Nel of Last Chance Safaris is a private safari guide extraordinaire and includes guiding worldwide for the Smithsonian Museum as one of his roles. In this episode he shares his immense knowledge about his town and backyard in Kasane as well as some special stories and anecdotes from the history of this corner of Botswana. He discusses the differences between Kazangula, Kasane and Lesoma valley as well as shares the history of conservation and wildlife in this area.We discuss some of the...

Kaay and Kane Motswana grew up in neighbouring villages in the Northern Okavango but only met as adults working in the tourism industry. In this episode this wonderful couple share their insights into growing up surrounded by wildlife and discuss the impact this has had on their careers and businesses. They share some advice for younger tourism professionals who may be looking to start their own businesses as well as their love and passion for Botswana and its wild spaces.They run a travel ag...

Clare Doolan is the Safari Destinations Sales and Product Manager which allows her to travel around the world educating travel agents and tour operators about Botswana and its regions. Clare joins me in this episode (recorded in September 2020 but only released now) to discuss what she loves about living in Botswana. How her time out of Botswana due to Covid has impacted her view of the country and what she enjoys most about being able to call it home. Clare is a true explorer and enjoy...

Stephen James O'Meara, astronomer and author of a new book on Botswana's stars: Nights skies of Botswana joins me to discuss what makes Botswana's skies worth seeing, what is the best time of year to visit if you are an avid star gazer and we celebrate all that makes the sky so special.Join us to be reminded to look up at the night sky wherever you are in the world and to imagine sitting quietly under the milky way appreciating this under-appreciated experience Botswana offers. Steve shares s...

Grant Reed of Letaka Safaris and African Guide Academy shares his insights after years in the Mobile Safaris sector of Botswana tourism. Grant has guided, operated and sold mobile safaris in Botswana for over 2 decades and in this episode he takes us out into the bush and shares the unique experience that is a good mobile safari. We discuss the variations of mobile safaris and what the different options mean for a traveler as well as what makes a Mobile safari unique and why it may be the per...

Koketso Mookodi of Wild Bird Trust Botswana discusses celebrating Indigenous knowledge through their work in the region. We look at her current project, the Educators expeditions, for which she has received a National Geographic grant. The Ngashi Classic and what to expect from it in 2020 and celebrating the unique cultures of this region. Koki shares some unique tips on safari'ing locally and her insights from her Mandela Washington Fellowship in New York in 2017. This is an episode about be...

James Wilson, Marketing Director of Desert and Delta Safaris, lived for many years at their lodge Chobe Game Lodge in the Chobe National Park. James joins me today to talk about the park that was literally his back yard for years. We chat about Savuti and the landscape and wildlife of this area before moving onto discussions about the Chobe Waterfront. We look at what makes it worth visiting and how to have a unique experience in this busy corner of Botswana - busy with wildlife and visitors!...

Matthew Copham of Safari Footprints joins me to discuss his passion which is photographic safaris. We discuss why Botswana makes such a great destination for photographers (and any traveler) and what he recommends a photographer looks for when planning a photographic safari to Botswana including recommendations of areas to visit. We chat photography through the seasons, when a first time visitor should try to visit to improve their odds of great interactions and what to do to maximise your op...

Bonty Botumile, Bessie Head Literary Award winner and story teller extraordinaire joins me to discuss cultural tourism in Botswana. We consider the limited cultural experiences that are available for visitors and the opportunity for product development this presents for entrepreneurs. We also discuss the challenge of representing culture in an area with many ethnic groupings and how Bonty developed her cultural tourism product. Listen in if you are interested in visiting Botswana because of i...

Dr Mike Murray-Hudson is a Senior Research Fellow at the Okavango Research Institute of the University of Botswana in Maun as well as long time resident and Okavango Delta lover. As a wetland ecologist he is an expert on the hydrology of the Okavango and joins me to discuss the impact of the drought of 2019 on the Okavango Delta and what we can expect in flood levels and seasonality going forward. We discuss the importance of these variations as well as how they impact a safari experience.Joi...

Simon Byron of Beagle Expeditions joins me to discuss broadly the safari destinations of Northern Botswana. Simon walks us through a brief discussion of the geography of the areas, discusses the differences between the regions and gives a broad understanding of what to expect in the different areas at different times of year. Join us for our conversation that gives an overview of the many different regions to visit in Botswana and offers a great introduction into what areas there are to visit...