The Panhandle: Botswana’s Best-kept Secret
We have long loved the Panhandle and have always considered it a secret gem. It’s a wonderful ‘new’ destination for clients who would like guaranteed water activities like mokoro and boating as well as a gateway to the Tsodilo Hills.
Access
A 70-kilometre watercourse that starts at the Namibian border before spreading out into the Okavango Delta, the Panhandle offers year-round water. Value-for-money lodges and more affordable transfers are now making it extremely attractive. Access used to be a prohibitively expensive but now it’s on par with any other Delta flight, making it a serious option for more cost-conscious bookings.
Experiences
The water experience is unrivaled: guests glide silently through the channels on a mokoro, absorbing the peace, quiet and lush greenery. They can also head out on a high-speed motorboat to experience the vast space opening up in front of them.
Tigerfishing is a famous and exciting activity in the Panhandle, as is angling for bream and barbal. Birders can train their binos on the densest concentration of fish eagles in southern Africa and look out for multi-coloured narina trogons, kingfishers, African skimmers and Pel’s fishing owls.
In addition, 30-minute scenic helicopter flips here are the same prices as those over the Victoria Falls but with the doors off, giving you clearer, more expansive view and a proper opportunity to trace the channels by air.
Travellers who want more adventure can branch out on a day-trip to the Tsodilo Hills. Declared a World Heritage Site in 2001, these four large outcrops account for the highest peak in Botswana. The Tsodilo Hills have been nicknamed the ‘Louvre of the Desert’ because of the hundreds of rock paintings found here. Clients who are hikers or ramblers can stretch their legs on trails here with a local guide.
Accommodation
Upscale options are Nxamaseri Island Lodge and Setari Camp. Nxamaseri is only 37km from Shakawe while Setari is easily accessed on a 35-minute flight from Maun to the Setari Airstrip. Guma Lagoon Camp and Xaro Lodge are favourites for self-drive itineraries, offering down-to-earth accommodation in comfortable canvas chalets and Meru tents. Mopiri Camp is a good mid-range option.
For more details on how to incorporate the Panhandle in an itinerary, please ask your dedicated Safari Destinations consultant. Thank you to Helicopter Horizons for the image of Tsodilo Hills.
