Botswana safari and beach holidays

Safari and beach is an enduringly popular holiday combination and with good reason. Begin your holiday with a Botswana safari; waking early to watch wonderful wildlife as the sun rises above the African plains and whilst animals are at their most active before the heat of the day hits. Botswana is renowned for its large numbers of elephants and watching these family units interact and work together is simply fascinating. The Okavango Delta is an absolute must and floating gently down the delta in a mokoro as you watch wildlife drink from the banks and appreciate smaller animals, is a remarkable experience. If you're looking to experience a completely different landscape, the Makigadigadi salt pans are the largest in the world and home to a remarkable zebra migration, as well as meerkats who might just climb on you as a handy lookout post! Of course, no safari would be complete without some sundowners. Watch big cats, antelope and zebras go about their business as you sip on a cool beer or g&t as the sun sinks slowly behind the horizon.

A safari is exhilarating and exciting but can also be exhausting! All those early morning ups mean many people choose to combine a safari with some time on the beach afterwards where they can just relax, sleep in and read a good book. But where should you combine landlocked Botswana with for a safari and beach break? Mozambique works wonderfully well as a combination as it is accessible from Johannesburg which you will have to fly through to return home anyway, and it has some of the most pristine beaches in the world combined with warm, tropical waters. Mauritius or Seychelles are also great island hop-aways as accessed from Johanseberg although a slightly longer flight which takes up some of your holidays. Alternatively, a clever, left-field option is to spend some post-safari time on the Zambezi River, not exactly a beach, but the perfect spot to relax and recharge, and very quick and easy to get to, and what many of those 'in the know' choose!