Botswana vs Tanzania Which Safari Destination is Right for You?

Choosing Between Two Titans of Safari

It’s not every day you find yourself choosing between two of Africa’s most iconic safari destinations. If you’re reading this, congratulations — your wild dilemma involves deciding between Tanzania’s thunderous Great Migration and Botswana’s spellbinding water world. Life’s tough when you’re spoilt for choice! It would be a lie to say we weren’t jealous, but alas, we’re here to help – this is what we do!

Choosing between the two is a hard decision to make when considering all the various factors involved, especially if you’re a first-time safari goer. The good news is, we’re here to hold your hand in all the decision-making. In the end, your final choice should be what’s best for you and what you want to get out of a safari (with a bit of Hidden Africa bias, of course).

So, let’s get into what sets Botswana and Tanzania apart!

It’s an oasis in the middle of the desert vs the endless rolling plains of savanna grassland. Here’s where these two safari destinations differ geographically, each with its own iconic landmarks. 

Tanzania:

The icons. The drama. The “I’ve-seen-this-on-Netflix” kind of safari. We like to focus on the Northern circuit here. 

Serengeti National Park

• Translating to “Endless plains” is the Maasai language; the Serengeti is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture open plains stretching to forever, peppered with acacia silhouettes, and enough wildlife to leave you in disbelief. This is the stage for the Great Migration. 

Ngorongoro Crater

• An ancient caldera amongst the plains, it’s as wild as it sounds. Formed when a volcano erupted a few million years ago, this 600-metre-deep marvel is a wildlife-packed bowl of wonder. The Crater is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (there are many more to come). 

Lake Manyara

• Sitting at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara is known for its flocks of flamingos and tree-climbing lions. Photographers, get your cameras ready!

Tarangire National Park

• Known as the land of the giants, Tarangire is home to prehistoric baobabs and enormous herds of elephants and buffalo. 

Mount Kilimanjaro

• Kili is a dormant volcano and an African Icon! It’s Africa’s tallest peak at 5,895m, and the world’s tallest free-standing mountain. Known for its diverse ecosystems, the terrain ranges from rainforests at the base to arctic conditions at the summit.

Botswana:

The unexpected. The untamed. The “wait, how is this real?” safari.

Okavango Delta

• A miracle in slow motion. The world’s largest inland delta floods the desert each year in a feat visible from space. Unsurprisingly, the Okavango Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world. 

Kalahari Desert

• The Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest, most remotely situated reserve in Southern Africa, and the second largest wildlife reserve in the world. Home to black-maned lions, it’s remote, raw, and real. This is where you’ll discover the true meaning of silence. 

Chobe National Park 

• Home to the Savuti channel and marsh (known for its elephant hunting pride of lions), as well as the Linyanti River and swamps. 

Makgadikgadi Pans

• The otherworldly Makgadikgadi Pans are the largest inland salt pans in the world. Remnants of an ancient lake, the pans are interspersed with sandy desert and occasional vegetation. The three main pans are: Nxai in the north (home to the iconic Baines Baobabs), Ntwetwe Pan (the largest), and Sua Pan (known for Kubu island). Makgadikgadi pans are a main site for the zebra migration!

The Big 5 & Beyond

Tanzania and Botswana aren’t just rich in landscapes that make your brain short-circuit. These landscapes are magnets for life, in every shape and form! So, how do Tanzania and Botswana compare when it comes to wildlife?

Tanzania:

The Great Migration

The migration is, without a doubt, Tanzania’s headliner, and rightfully so. Each year, nearly three million wildebeest, zebra, and antelope thunder across the Serengeti in the largest unaltered land migration on Earth. Trailing behind? A sharp-toothed entourage of lions, leopards and other opportunists hoping for a bite of the action. The migration famously culminates at the Mara River crossings – a high-stakes game of leapfrog into crocodile-infested waters. Usually taking place between July and August, it’s as thrilling and chaotic as nature gets!

We won’t lie… the rest of the world wants to see the river crossings just as much as you do. Which means it draws a crowd. But there are smart, Hidden Africa ways to do the migration. With careful timing and a few well-placed secrets, you can avoid the crowds and still catch the magic. After all, it can be seen at different points year-round!

More than the Migration

But the Serengeti isn’t the only place vying for your camera roll. The Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire are all wildlife magnets in their own right.

The Ngorongoro Crater is basically a natural wildlife sanctuary. With reliable water year-round, and its’ practically inescapable circumference… these animals are going nowhere. Which means you’re in for sightings galore. And there’s something pretty surreal about ticking off the Big 5 inside an ancient volcanic caldera, isn’t there? Wake up on the mist-veiled rim, then descend into a scene of meandering rhinos, lounging lions and flamingos flocking to Lake Magadi. 

The animals you didn’t come to see

Tsetse Flies. Why they exist, we don’t know – but they make themselves hard not to mention. This is your fair warning that these buggers do exist, and it’s important to follow dressing guidelines. No Navy! Trust us – been there, done that (just ask Sean). And their equally detested cousins – mozzies (mosquitoes). Spray up and cover up to deter them. And we recommend speaking to your Doctor about any malaria concerns.

Botswana: 

The Delta 

Botswana is the kind of place that makes you pause and ask how one country can hold this much wild, and its magic lies in its unrivalled intimacy. The Okavango Delta’s watery maze hosts some of the highest concentrations of wildlife on the continent. You might track wild dogs on foot, watch elephants and hippos slosh through glassy channels from a mokoro, or spy on lions as they stretch and yawn in golden light without another vehicle in sight. 

In an incredible twist of nature, the Delta floods during the dry season. Rains that fall in the highlands of Angola slowly drift south and arrive just in time to turn the parched plains into a watery wonderland. Between May and October, wildlife flocks to this oasis, drawn in from miles away, and the game viewing becomes nothing short of extraordinary. But don’t sleep on the green season. When the Botswanan rains return, so do the zebra, wildebeest, and lechwe to calve, followed by a sharp-eyed cast of predators. The landscape becomes impossibly lush, and the birdlife explodes, turning every branch and watering hole into a photographer’s dream.

The Desert

Head further south, and the desert reveals a different kind of drama. You might meet a habituated meerkat colony in the Makgadikgadi Pans (who won’t so much as bat an eyelid at your presence), or catch flamingos in their thousands as the Sua pan fills with rainwater. It’s wild, remote, and real. Just the way we like it.

And of course, Botswana has its own migration. Each year, up to 25,000 zebra migrate through the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan National Parks in one of Africa’s best-kept secrets. It is the longest land mammal migration on the continent, and well worth the journey to witness. 

The animals you didn’t come to see

Tsetse flies aren’t a problem in Bots. But unfortunately, there are still mozzies! Again – spray up and cover up! And reach out to your doctor or travel guide about any malaria concerns.

 

It makes all the difference.  

Here’s the deal: National Parks are open to the public, run by the government, and come with strict opening and closing hours, no night drives, and rules around off-roading. Private concessions, by contrast, are managed by private operators and only accessible to guests staying within them. This means fewer vehicles, no overcrowded sightings, and more freedom for things like walking safaris, night drives, and sundowners that feel wonderfully remote. The catch? Exclusivity comes at a price. But, in our humble opinion, it’s worth every cent.

Of course, you can’t skip the National Parks — they’re home to some of Africa’s most iconic landscapes and migrations. But if you have the chance to pair your time in the parks with a stay in a private concession, you get the best of both worlds: the drama of the big-name destinations, and the solitude of the lesser-trodden ones.

It’s worth noting that the availability of private concessions differs by country. In Botswana, private concessions are the norm, especially in regions like the Okavango Delta, where most camps are tucked deep in private reserves. This is what makes Botswana feel so remote. In Tanzania, while national parks dominate the safari map, there are still some concessions that offer that same sense of exclusivity.

Botswana:

Botswana takes a quieter, more considered approach to safari. As one of the most sparsely populated countries on Earth, there are simply just fewer people, and fewer tourists, which means more space!  With nearly 40% of the country protected for conservation, and a firm “low volume, high value” tourism model, most safaris unfold in private concessions with just a handful of guests. What you get is smaller camps, fewer vehicles, and a wild that feels wonderfully empty in the best way possible. Botswana is also the undisputed king of mobile camps — stylish, low-impact, and often the only sign of human life for miles. 

Tanzania:

Tanzania, on the other hand, delivers the classic, cinematic safari. With over 30% of its land protected, including big-hitters like the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, the scale is massive, and so is the buzz. National parks rule here, meaning more infrastructure, more vehicles, and more people. But that comes with options. From budget-friendly lodges to the crème de la crème of safari camps, there’s something for everyone. And if you’re craving solitude, mobile camps are your secret weapon — especially if you’re here to experience the Great Migration! 

Something to keep in mind if you’re in a larger group: Tanzania is better suited to larger group travel. Botswana leans into smaller, more intimate experiences. Different strokes for different folks! 

Overlanding or Island Hopping (our kind of crossroads)

Tanzania and Botswana take wildly different approaches when it comes to getting around. And it may sway your decision. 

Tanzania

For those who believe the journey is the destination, on the Northern Circuit, overlanding in a 4×4 is practically a rite of passage. Picture this: bumping along dusty tracks with warthogs playing chicken, roof popped, and many “is that a lion?” moments. We recommend the slow road from Arusha to Tarangire to Ngorongoro, then take to the skies to finish the circuit with a bird’s eye view. You’ve got the best of both worlds.

Botswana 

Botswana, on the other hand, skips the slow lane entirely. Here, it’s all about the bush plane. Think of it as island hopping. With very few roads and camps scattered across the waterways of the Delta, flying is the only way to connect the dots, and it’s half the fun. You’ll be soaring over herds of elephants and the glittering floodplains. Not your average commute.

The Best Time to Safari in Tanzania and Botswana 

Botswana: 

Botswana’s dry season (May to October) is arguably the best time to be anywhere in Africa. The game congregates around water sources, and the Delta is in full flood, a watery Eden teeming with life. However, the wet season can be equally as fruitful. When the crowds flee, the birds flock, with the Delta’s channels becoming a bird’s paradise, and equally so for avid birders (binoculars and bird books in tow). And don’t forget the photographers – the impossibly green delta is an absolute dream for the camera lens. 

Tanzania:

Tanzania’s dry season and migration peaks (June-October) are when wildlife viewing is at its peak. This stretch includes the famous Mara River crossings (usually falling over July and August). Calving season is between December and February (green season) to see wobbly-legged babies (a big cat buffet). It’s a lush and vibrant time to visit, with dramatic predator-prey action and fewer tourists than peak migration months. Timing is everything in Tanzania. Planning your trip around the Great Migration requires precision (and alot of luck), as the herds don’t exactly stick to a timetable. 

Only Here Moments

Tanzania:

Sure, Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Crater deserve their place on the postcard, but Tanzania’s magic doesn’t end there. Get a bird’s-eye view from a hot air balloon. Visit a Maasai village where cows nonchalantly graze alongside zebra and buffalo. Step into a traditional hut (or duck, they’re not built for tall visitors), and learn about the incredibly beautiful tradition of Maasai beadwork. Feel like stretching the legs? Couple your safari with a trek in the Mahale Mountains National Park to track chimpanzees on foot. Or, end off your safari with a beach trip to Zanzibar. 

Botswana:

Botswana lets the imagination run wild, offering truly off-the-beaten-path experiences.  From desert dinners with meerkats, silent mokoro rides through lily-laced channels, and the surreal isolation of sleeping under a million stars on a salt pan. Add in quad biking through salt pans. Let’s not forget the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of the native San Tribes. Learn from the last San hunters. About their way of life and the incredible connection and history they have with the land.

Start by thinking about your non-negotiables and the stuff that really matters to you. What makes you tick? Do you want to be in on all the action, or are you craving something quieter and more off-script? It’s less about right or wrong and more about what kind of wild you want. Overlanding or island-hopping? Cinematic or soul-soothing? Big stage or wildly remote? 

Either way, you don’t have to figure it out alone. We’re here to help make it all happen! And you can rest assured that whatever you choose, we’ll make sure that it’s the furthest thing from ordinary.