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African Safaris and Tours
Botswana Mammal List
Botswana Mammals – A Safari Checklist from Everyday Sightings to Rare Finds
Most of Botswana lies within the Kalahari, yet the country is astonishingly rich in mammals. In the north, the Okavango Delta, the Linyanti and the Chobe River draw elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and African wild dog. The drier south and west belong to desert-adapted species: gemsbok, springbok, meerkat and brown hyena.
More than 160 mammal species have been recorded in Botswana. The checklist below covers the ones you can see on safari. It runs from impala and elephant, which you'll see almost daily in the north, to aardvark and pangolin, which few visitors ever meet. Most of the small rodents, bats and shrews are left out. They're there, but rarely noticed from a game-drive vehicle or mokoro.
To find out which months suit which sightings, see when to visit Botswana. To choose where to base yourself, browse our Botswana lodges.
Where to See Botswana's Mammals
- Okavango Delta: red lechwe on the floodplains, sitatunga in the papyrus and hippo in the channels.
- Moremi Game Reserve: the eastern side of the Delta, including Chief's Island. Black and white rhino have been reintroduced here.
- Chobe National Park: elephant and buffalo herds and puku on the riverfront near Kasane, with Savuti and the Linyanti in the park's western reaches.
- Makgadikgadi Pans: zebra and wildebeest moving between the Boteti River and Ntwetwe Pan, and meerkat encounters at camps on the edge of the pans.
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve: gemsbok, springbok and wildebeest on the open pans of Deception Valley.
Botswana safari mammal checklist
Large herbivores
- African bush elephant
- African buffalo
- Hippopotamus
- Giraffe
- Plains zebra
- White rhinoceros
- Black rhinoceros
Big cats and large carnivores
- Lion
- Leopard
- Cheetah
- African wild dog
- Spotted hyena
- Brown hyena
Antelope
- Impala
- Red lechwe
- Puku
- Sitatunga
- Waterbuck
- Southern reedbuck
- Bushbuck
- Greater kudu
- Common eland
- Sable antelope
- Roan antelope
- Tsessebe
- Blue wildebeest
- Red hartebeest
- Gemsbok
- Springbok
- Steenbok
- Common duiker
- Klipspringer
- Sharpe's grysbok
Smaller carnivores
- African wildcat
- Caracal
- Serval
- Black-backed jackal
- Side-striped jackal
- Bat-eared fox
- Cape fox
- Aardwolf
- Honey badger
- Striped polecat
- African civet
- Common genet
- Rusty-spotted genet
- Banded mongoose
- Common dwarf mongoose
- Slender mongoose
- Yellow mongoose
- Marsh mongoose
- Egyptian mongoose
- White-tailed mongoose
- Meerkat
- African clawless otter
- Spotted-necked otter
Primates
- Chacma baboon
- Vervet monkey
- Southern lesser galago (bushbaby)
Pigs
- Common warthog
- Bushpig
Other mammals
- Aardvark
- Temminck's pangolin
- Cape porcupine
- Springhare
- Smith's bush squirrel
- South African ground squirrel
- Cape hare
- Rock hyrax
- Greater cane rat
Botswana Mammals – Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see rhino in Botswana?
Yes, but rhino are not a routine sighting. Both black and white rhino have been reintroduced to Botswana, including in Moremi Game Reserve. Most safaris in the north are built around elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard, so treat a rhino sighting as a bonus rather than something to plan a trip around.
Which mammals am I most likely to see on a Botswana safari?
In northern Botswana, you'll most often see elephant, buffalo, hippo, giraffe, plains zebra, impala, red lechwe, kudu, warthog, chacma baboon and vervet monkey. Lion and spotted hyena are regular sightings too. In the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi, expect gemsbok, springbok, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, ground squirrels and yellow mongoose instead.
Which mammals are Botswana specials?
Botswana's specials split between water and desert. The northern wetlands hold red lechwe on the Okavango floodplains, sitatunga in the papyrus swamps and puku along the Chobe River. The drier south and west hold gemsbok, springbok, brown hyena, meerkat and Cape fox, which belong to Kalahari country rather than the wetlands.
Is Botswana a good place to see African wild dog?
Yes. Northern Botswana holds one of the few remaining large populations of the endangered African wild dog. Packs roam huge territories, so no sighting is guaranteed, but the Okavango Delta, Moremi, Linyanti and Chobe regions all give you a realistic chance. Splitting your stay between two or three camps improves the odds.
How likely am I to see leopard and cheetah?
You have a reasonable chance of seeing leopard, which live throughout northern Botswana. They are secretive, though, so sightings come down to luck, a sharp-eyed guide and time spent searching. Cheetah prefer open grassland and floodplain edges, and turn up less often than lion. The IUCN classes all three big cats as Vulnerable.
Which rare or nocturnal mammals might I see?
You might see aardvark, Temminck's pangolin, aardwolf, honey badger, caracal, serval or Cape porcupine, but most are nocturnal or secretive and rarely seen. Night drives give you the best chance of finding them. They're offered mainly on private concessions, so choose at least one camp outside the national parks and game reserves if these mammals matter to you.
Map of Lodges in and around Botswana
Botswana Travel Topics
10 Reasons To Visit Botswana
Ten reasons, from the Okavango's flood and Chobe's elephant herds to the Makgadikgadi salt pans, Kalahari lions and San trackers, wild dogs in the Linyanti, mokoro trips, and a low-volume tourism policy that keeps vehicle numbers down.
Best Botswana Safari Lodges
Our pick of Botswana's safari lodges, region by region: Mombo and Xigera in the Delta, Chobe Game Lodge on the river, Jack's Camp on the pans and Savute Elephant Lodge, plus how to choose between them.
Botswana Chobe National Park
A practical guide to Chobe: getting there from Kasane, river cruises versus game drives, where the elephants come down to drink, the lodges we use, and how to add Victoria Falls on the way in or out.
The Perfect Okavango Delta Honeymoon Safari
Planning a honeymoon in the Okavango Delta: the camps that suit couples, from Camp Okavango to Mombo, with sunrise boat cruises, mokoro trips, and private dinners and helicopter flights where the camp offers them.
10 Reasons To Visit The Savuti
Ten reasons to put Savuti on your route: bull elephants, big lion prides, wild dogs, the Savuti Marsh, San rock art in the Gubatsa Hills, and a channel with a habit of drying up for years at a time.
5 Best Lodges In The Chobe National Park
Five lodges in and around Chobe National Park that we would happily send you to: Chobe Game Lodge with its all-female guiding team, Ngoma, Muchenje, Chobe Chilwero, and &Beyond Chobe Under Canvas, which moves camp to follow the game.
How Much Does It Cost to Go on a Safari in Botswana?
What a Botswana safari actually costs, and why: camping versus mobile versus lodge, the season you travel, flights between camps, park fees and tips, and where a few honest savings can be made.
10 Best Lodges In Okavango Delta
Ten Okavango Delta camps we rate, from Eagle Island and Xigera to Jao, Jacana and Duba Plains, with what each does best, from mokoro trips on the water to family suites and walking safaris.