5 Best Sights in Botswana

Winner of several international awards, Maun’s first craft brewery ingeniously uses locally grown millet and water from the Okavango Delta in its secret recipe. Tours should be booked in advance, or you can drop by unannounced to sample their wares in the brewpub, which also serves excellent pizzas and burgers. A playground in the beer garden is ideal for families.

This New York–based company has excellent Africa-based operators and specializes in Kenya and Tanzania exclusively. Although they offer suggested itineraries, the trip is ultimately custom designed for the client and dependent on the time of the year and budget. Clients often combine Kenya and Tanzania into one trip. Africa Serendipity is flexible, as it offers prospective clients what they wish and at a price that meets their budget.

Destinations: Kenya and Tanzania and their coastal islands. Popular packages: Serengeti and/or Masai Migration, 12–14 days, from $6,100. A beach escape can be added to the end of any safari. Philanthropy: They have no direct involvement with any charities but the ground outfitters they use only employ local residents and are involved in community schemes. What They Do Best: Kenya and Tanzania. Their focus on these two countries truly makes them experts.

This luxury tour operator offers ready-made trips and tours to all parts of Southern or East Africa, or can tailor a safari to your needs. They offer some of the best destinations and accommodations in Africa (and manages 33 of its own highly regarded properties), from the Okovango Delta to remote Indian Ocean islands. Unique trips for the discerning traveler can be planned around learning, conservation, and sustainability, or "luxury in the bush," which includes more holistic activities, such as yoga safaris. They also offer active adventures such as rhino darting for conservation, walking safaris, and turtle-hatching expeditions.

Destinations: Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Popular packages: Treasures of Tanzania, 8 nights, from $6,685; Grand Botswana, 10 nights, from $9,967. Philanthropy: They have raised and committed R100 million (US$11.5 million) to implement and operate projects in six African countries. What they do best: Luxury in the bush; impeccable attention to detail, honeymoons.

Housed in a former British military building, Nhabe Museum has a few permanent displays of Ngamiland's history and artifacts, including musical instruments and hunting tools. More interesting are the rotating exhibitions featuring the work of local Botswana painters, photographers, sculptors, woodworkers, and weavers. There is also a very good café serving lunches, snacks, juices, and coffees on-site.

Nomad Tanzania owns and operates their own collection of unique camps and privately guided safaris across the most geographically diverse areas in Tanzania. They also offer an efficient ground-handling and safari-planning service throughout Tanzania and Zanzibar and use their experience and approach to recommend other camps that they feel meet their exacting standards. They have a reputation for employing excellent guides and for always going the extra mile for their guests. All of their team members have a deep love for the African bush and a desire to share their passion with others. Their website has some sample itineraries for inspiration but each trip is fully customized.

Destinations: Tanzania. Popular packages: Serengeti Safari, 8 nights, from $5,000.

Philanthropy: A micro-finance scheme allows guides to purchase their own safari vehicles, which Nomad then rents from them. They have also introduced steel water bottles for all guests so as to reduce the use of plastic. The Nomad Trust raises charitable donations for a range of community projects. What they do best: Excellent guides, camps, comprehensive itineraries and service in a specialized region.