We left Kharma Rhino Sanctuary and according to our UK plan we had a 4 to 6 hour journey covering 463 km to reach Boteti River Camp, despite the Kharma receptionist being adamant it was only 2 hours and 172 km, as she had been to Boteti on many occasions.

5 fairly painful hours later with temperatures topping out at 41 degrees, we pulled into Boteti (formally Tiaans Camp) with a distance covered of 480 Km. En-route we tried to make a sneaky short cut but got refused entry as our short cut took us through a diamond mining village and we did not have the right passes. Lol. Instead of achieving a short cut we added about 40 Km to our route and next time we will trust maps.me.

Animals lined the entire route up to Boteti and despite the fact Botswana is in the middle of the worst drought for years, the animals looked surprisingly healthy. On one leg stretch, two cheeky goats came right up to our camper, so we gave them some iced squash in a washing up bowl. They drank about pint of squash and licked the bowl clean too.

The Boteti River Camp should be alongside the Boteti River in the Makgadikgadi National Park, next to Khumaga village, but the river is reduced to a few deep waterholes every few kilometres. The ferry boat lies in the middle of the river and has not seen action for months. This year the drought has forced a huge zebra migration to the waterholes and the local guides informed us there were more animals in the area than ever before and the estimate was over 1000 zebras.  As soon as the rain comes they will all disperse so we are visiting at a fortunate time.

Optimum viewing times are early morning and late afternoons, the animals drink around 4pm and all leave by 5 before the sun goes down and the lions get too active.  It is always a challenge getting home after the best evening viewing. Sometimes up to 20 km away, we had drive through deep sand, unable to stop or slow down for fear of getting stuck, but also avoiding all the animals leaving the river bed who only seem to cross as we approach. 

Boteti River Camp was a fantastic stay and a place we would definitely love to return to one day.