11 Best Hotels in Botswana

From the moment you arrive at this remote, independently owned, Kalahari oasis it's clear that The Lodge represents a welcome break from the safari mold. A giant, elongated pool flanked by lily-white sun-umbrellas dominates the entrance in a scene reminiscent of a boutique hotel. Swinging daybeds hang from square wooden beams in the enticing, thatched main area, where fantastically tasty meals are served to the accompaniment of mellow piped music, with a view out to the pool and pumped waterhole beyond. During dinner, you may even spot a honey badger or elephant drinking amid the myriad lanterns. The extravagant stone and timber pool suites with oversized plunge pools are a menagerie of retro decor and ethnic culture, with a smattering of trendy appliances (Smeg kettles, Sony stereos) thrown into the mix. It's an eclectic combination that somehow works, but the real treat lies on the roof where a daybed beneath a thatched cover offers stupendous views over the Kalahari. The wood-paneled tented suites—really thatch stilted chalets—offer a more conventional option and there is also a 2-bedroom family villa. Activities reflect the leisure retreat ambience. Instead of a game drive, take a bike ride to the tennis court where staff will act as ball boys or a little farther afield to the petanque court, sipping gin and tonics between throws—keep an eye out for gemsbok or an elusive brown hyena along the way. Alternatively, join the bushmen for an illuminating walk and evening trance dance (spiritual nocturnal dance), go horse riding, spend a night fly-camping under the stars or simply work out in the gym. Everything is solar-powered, a trust invests in fantastic local projects with neighboring communities and they offer a package which includes a Delta property as well. 

Spend the extra on a pool suite—you won't regret it.

Set beside one of the four tributaries of the Monachira river (hence the name), there’s an informal camaraderie to this waterside solar camp, built in 2024, that will be familiar to guests from the other Kwando camps. Elevated wooden walkways lead from the thatched main area to each of the rooms, set in an arc alongside the banks of a small permanent lagoon, guaranteeing water views throughout. Spacious canvas-and-wood en suite rooms with cream curtains, are sensitively decorated in neutral tones, each benefitting from a pair of armchairs, desk, woven rug, tea and coffee station and a private deck with picture-postcard views. Behind your carved wooden headboard are his-and-hers basins and, both inside and outside showers. If you come in summer, a secluded pool, set back from the main area is a great afternoon spot. When weather allows, communal dining can take place alfresco, or at the base of the split-level L-shaped main area, where scrumptious buffet meals are served. On the opposite side, a raised bar and lounge become a natural hub for pre-dinner drinks and safari tales, with sepia wildlife prints and a brass leopard statue sparking hopes for the next day’s sightings. After dinner, descend to the sand firepit protruding out into the water and listen to the crackle of flames, accompanied by a chorus of glockenspiel reed frogs and the occasional baritone hippo. Game drives meander through a rich tapestry of mopane woodlands and open floodplains punctuated by picturesque forested islands. A tracker perched up front gives you a great chance of spotting some of the many predators that roam the concession (they are all here) and you won’t have to share sightings with vehicles from any other camps. If you’ve seen all the big game already, then get out on foot and immerse yourself in the wilderness—it’s a completely different experience—or sit back in a mokoro and savor the tranquility.

The only permanent lodge located inside Chobe National Park, this grand old dame—Liz Taylor and Richard Burton got married for the second time here in the '70s—is a cut above the larger Kasane hotels and still maintains a lodge feel despite its size. Terracotta tiles, Rhodesian teak furniture, tribal artifacts with a Moroccan twist, and vibrant cushions create a distinctive pan-African ambiance. The solid Moorish-style buildings—with their graceful high arches and barrel-vaulted ceilings—insulate the not-so-intrepid traveler from too-close encounters of the animal kind: baboon mothers have been known to teach their young how to turn a doorknob! The gorgeous gardens are a riot of color, attracting lots of small fauna; the extensive boardwalk above has a variety of decks and alcoves for alfresco group dinners or intimate celebrations. There's a well-stocked curio shop with great clothes and wildlife books. Daily activities consist of game drives and river cruises, run by Botswana’s only all-female guiding team.

Perched on the banks of a tributary of the fast-flowing Kwando River, this delightful camp boasts water views from every angle. Canvas and thatch chalets with claw-foot bathtubs, indoor and outdoor showers, and a lower-level lounge area with floor-to-ceiling views nestle on grassy slopes under the shade of giant jackalberry trees that are hundreds of years old. After a night spent next to one of these mighty trees, a major source of natural energy, people say you wake up rejuvenated, your body buzzing with new life. From the thatch dining and bar area, you can watch herds of elephants only yards away as they come to drink and bathe, or hippos snoozing in the sun. You might also spot a malachite kingfisher darting like a bejeweled mini-jet over the water. Go for a morning or evening game drive, track game on foot, drift along the river in a double-decker boat, or go fishing for tiger fish and bream. Terrestrial wildlife, particularly predators, is plentiful while keen birders will tick off hundreds of species in the wet summer months.

Looking out over the endless floodplains of the Kwando river, Lebala is aptly named (it means wide, open spaces) and benefits from the same fantastic wildlife arena as its sister camp, Kwando Lagoon Camp. The elevated timber and canvas tents, which were refurbished and relocated in 2025, are now generously spaced along the edge of two small tree islands, ensuring privacy and serenity. An additional pool, bar, dining and lounge area caters for the furthest three rooms, making it feel like having your own intimate, exclusive camp. After a long day in the bush, soak off the dust in your freestanding tub or indulge in the double outside shower, then wander through sliding mesh doors to your private teak deck and savor the nocturnal ambience. Marvel at the stunning endless vistas from the raised hide before embarking on a game drive; you are guaranteed to see loads of wildlife, with predator tracking a specialty, and guided walks are also possible.

Spun from the same cloth as the properties in the Kwando concession, this 100% solar camp is a rare year-round land and water camp, located in a prolific wildlife area. Spacious canvas-and-wood pole tents have lined ceilings, a cotton-white canopied bed with solar a/c, and a separate lounge area furnished with a sofa, armchairs, and rug in neutral earthy tones. Luxuriate in your claw-foot bath or venture outside to revel in the outdoor rain shower. On the back wall dark-wood shutters aid ventilation in summer, while in front, wood and mesh sliding doors lead to a deck with lagoon views. Rooms are well spaced out on either side of the main area, ensuring complete privacy, and each side of camp has its own pool, complete with a drinks fridge. Buffet lunches and plated dinners tend to be taken communally unless specifically requested; the dining area is separated from the leather-sofa-filled lounge by a small bar. If the camp’s public areas appear to prioritize functionality over aesthetic embellishments, it is probably a reflection of Kwara’s primary focus, which is firmly on safari activities. Wildlife viewing can be spectacular with lions, leopards, cheetahs, and wild dogs all frequently seen, as well as hordes of plains game, and having a dedicated tracker and guide further enhance your potential sightings on both day and night game drives, which come equipped with complimentary binoculars. For birders, the cacophonous Gcodikwe and Gxobega heronries—both accessible by boat—come alive from September through February when hundreds of storks, herons, egrets, and pelicans arrive to breed. For a change of pace, float along crystal clear channels in a mokoro after which you might arrive at an impromptu gin bar, where you can choose from multiple flavors of gins, tonics, and even ice.

Perched on high wooden stilts amid a forest canopy on a small island surrounded by enormous open plains, this intimate, unpretentious camp exudes an authentic safari atmosphere. The public areas overlooking the floodplains are built around huge sausage, marula, and sycamore fig trees, with a giant jackalberry dominating the bar. Each spacious canvas-roofed room is set like a child's building block in the middle of a large wooden walkway built high into the trees. Glass sliding doors provide easy access to your deck with commanding views while inside, white linen ceilings, natural wood floors, coir mats, cow-hide ottomans, and L-shaped sofas create a warm, homey atmosphere. Rooms are also equipped with tea, coffee, biscuits, and both indoor and designer outdoor showers. After an afternoon game drive or mokoro trip, end your day with a sundowner (cocktail) by the lagoon illuminated by flickering lanterns, with entertainment by the best in local talent—snorting hippos, whooping hyenas, and singing nightjars. 

Ask for the honeymoon suite when you book—it is the only one with a romantic stone bath on the deck.

Situated in the thriving Savuti region famed for its elephants, this lodge, the most luxurious in the area, is 100% solar-powered, offers à la carte meals, and features a ground-level hide to gawp at drinking pachyderms. Air-conditioned tented rooms are elegantly furnished with a natural wood desk, leather and cane chairs and plush sofa. Choose between an indoor or outdoor shower, and for cold winter mornings and evenings, the air-conditioning unit even features a built-in heater function. Beyond the wood and glass sliding doors lies your private viewing deck, with comfortable chairs and a canopied day-bed, overlooking the mostly-dry Savuti Channel, where pumped waterholes are a magnet for thirsty elephants in the dry season. You can even gaze at the ubiquitous pachyderms while being massaged in the dedicated spa. As the camp is in Chobe National Park, night drives and walking are against regulations, but you'll still see plenty of animals and birds during the day; Savute is particularly well known for its predator populations. If you are here during full moon, the sight of masses of great, gray, elephantine shapes gleaming in the moonlight is truly unforgettable.

This intimate friendly camp has only six thatched chalets, which are raised on stilts above the seasonal Savuti Channel. Several bridges allow you to traverse both sides of the river in search of the resident predators during day and night game drives and for a change of scenery you can go boating on Zibadianja lagoon throughout the year to spot hippos and miraculous African jacana birds that appear to walk on water. The elevated thatched main area (including a bar, pool, and viewing decks) has armchairs and wicker furniture with khaki and umber tones matching the environment outside. Comfortable en suite rooms with canvas walls, snug armchairs, and writing desks continue the natural earth color scheme. For something a bit more adventurous, escape from camp to your own private fire-side dinner, just a short drive away, before spending the night on a sleep-out deck with just a mosquito net separating you from a giant dome of sparkling stars.

Ker & Downey's oldest camp, located in one of the Okavango’s most beautiful concessions, boasts enticing views over a carpet of emerald papyrus and golden reeds, bordering an expansive shimmering lagoon. Rebuilt in 2020, curved wooden walkways connect the split-level elevated main area, where multiple open-fronted dining and lounge areas are furnished with azure and sky-blue cushions mirroring the water below. A smattering of African artifacts and an antique gramophone complete the classic safari ambience. Your spacious tent, with white-lined, billowing ceiling and linen curtains is furnished with a plush cobalt rug, aquamarine divan, writing desk, yoga mat, and indoor and outdoor showers, while outside a comfy daybed lies waiting on your deck. As one of the few authentic land and water camps (boating and mokoros are available year-round), you will never get bored: hundreds of bird species vie with an impressive range of mammals, including all the major predators. Alternatively, relax in camp and let the game come to you—grazing tsessebe antelope and impala frequent the floodplain outside the rooms, occasionally joined by a wandering elephant.

Named after the famous adventurer who uttered the immortal lines, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume”, Sanctuary Baines' Camp’s friendly sister camp is built in a traditional East African style on an island of jackalberry, fever berry, and sausage trees. An assortment of leather sofas, wooden chests, and antique maps create a classic safari explorer theme in the expansive main lounge, spilling into a lively circular bar overlooking an emerald floodplain­, which is waterlogged during the peak flood months. Below this a hidden cushion-filled bench offers ringside seats to gaze at the wildlife wandering across the open plain. Spacious tented rooms with private decks and glass doors are furnished in neutral tones with monochrome wildlife prints, slate-gray armchairs, a kettle, minibar, and indoor shower. Crisp linen curtains flank the oversized mesh windows, which together with the cream-colored ceiling adds a light and homely air. Take a dip in the pool while watching giraffe stroll across the savanna before your afternoon game-drive, walk, or mokoro. The private concession is located on the edge of Moremi Game Reserve, resulting in dependable game-viewing and a fantastic variety of wildlife including several nearby spotted hyena dens.