CHOBE NATIONAL PARK
Chobe National Park, located in northern Botswana, is named after the Chobe River. The Chobe River is a tributary of the Zambezi River and forms the boundary between Botswana and Namibia. The river begins in the highlands of Angola and flows southeast through the Caprivi Strip of Namibia and into Botswana. Upon entering Botswana it's called the Kwando River, then the Linyanti, and finally the Chobe as it approached the Zambezi.
MAKGADIKGADI & NXAI PANS
The Makgadikgadi Pans and Nxai Pan are places of seemingly endless sky and land. Home to salt flats the size of Portugal it is a surreal, harsh, yet abundant ecosystem. Pans are shallow depressions in the earth that hold seasonal water. During the rainy season when the pans are full countless flamingos and other birds come here to breed. Despite the lack of water for most of the year the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pans contain a number of diverse habitats including riverine woodland, scrubland, grassland and salt pans.
VICTORIA FALLS & RIVERS
Victoria Falls is formed by the Zambezi River as it cascades over a chasm 300 feet deep and over a mile wide. The river forms the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Geologists believe that Victoria Falls was originally formed as a result of millions of years of erosion, volcanic activity and tectonic forces. During the Jurassic period, basalt was laid down on the plateau around the region by volcanic activity. Uneven cooling of the basalt led to the formation of massive fissures.
MOREMI GAME RESERVE
The Moremi Game Reserve extends from Chobe's southwest corner into the Okavango Delta. At some 1200 square miles, the reserve protects a great variety of habitats in the Okavango and surrounding areas. Since there are no fences separating Moremi, Chobe, and the Okavango game is free to wander throughout this vast territory. Taken together these areas are essentially one contiguous area designated for wildlife conservation.
OKAVANGO DELTA
The Okavango Delta is a vast swampland covering over 9,000 square miles of northwestern Botswana. Abundant populations of bird (herons, storks, cranes, pelicans) and animals (elephants, hippos, crocodiles, antelopes) can be found here, along with a high diversity of plants (fan palms, date palms, papyrus, mopane). Moremi Game Reserve is on the eastern edge of the delta, with Chobe National Park stretching off to the northeast.
KALAHARI DESERT
The Kalahari Desert is one of the most enchanting places on the planet. This large land feature covers much of western Botswana, portions of eastern Namibia, and a small part of north-central South Africa. Contrary to popular belief, the Kalahari is not a desert, rather because it receives 10 inches of rain in some areas it is classify as a semi-arid sandy grassland. True desert receives less than 10 inches of ran per year. Much of the Kalahari is well vastly vegetated.
ESTOSHA NATIONAL PARK
Etosha National Park is a vast, 8600 sq mile reserve located in northern Namibia. It is one of Namibia’s largest parks. Situated on the north-west edge of the Kalahari, Etosha Pan supports hundreds of species of birds and mammals along with desert specialists and rarities. It is a land of endless horizons and shimmering mirages that form on the white expanse of the pan.