Although Botswana has no endemic bird species, northern Botswana offers an amazing variety of birds that are not found widely across southern Africa. Here  are some of the special species you are likely to encounted on a dedicated birding safari. 

Pel's Fishing Owl — A ginger-toned giant that hunts fish by moonlight from a papyrus perch. One of the most wanted owls on the continent.

Slaty Egret — Fewer than 5,000 left worldwide, almost all of them right here in the Okavango system.

Schalow's Turaco — Copper-jade plumage that flashes crimson in flight. Found only along a handful of river systems on the entire planet.

Rock Pratincole — Nests exclusively on exposed rock in fast river rapids. The Chobe is one of the very few places on Earth to find it.

Bradfield's Hornbill — A true regional endemic, restricted to the mopane belt of Botswana, Namibia, Angola and Zimbabwe.

Racket-tailed Roller — A woodland showpiece trailing two elongated tail rackets, found nowhere in South Africa.

Early morning

• Wakeup call before sunrise. Some camps will offer coffee & tea brought to your room

• A light breakfast before heading out on your activity 

Mid morning

• You return to camp sometime in the mid morning

• Usually a well-portioned brunch is served

• If you are staying in camp, you can use this down time after brunch to walk around the camp - often there is an amazing variety of birdlife and bird parties moving around camp - or you can use this time to rest!

• If you are moving camps, you would then pack up and head to the airstrip for your flight to your next camp

Mid afternoon 

• Teatime is another important time of the day to get refreshed and ready for the afternoon activity

• Often you will stop for a Sundowner drink while out of camp

Evening

• Returning (often) after dark, you'll have a short time to freshen up before dinner

While the above is a typical day, if you have a private vehicle booked, you will find that the camp is very flexible about mealtimes and activity time.

You may also find that you are abe to request that they remove the roof of the vehicle for better birding!

You will need to bring the following items on a birding safari:

• Binoculars - one pair person - at least 8 x 42 or 10 x 42

• Camera and lenses

• You may want to bring a spotting scope

• Field ID Guide - this could be an app or a book

See more details in our Pre-departure Guide and Packing Protocol