The Savuti region provides one of the highest quantities of wildlife in Botswana, ranging from elephant, impala, zebra, the rare sable and roan antelope, wildebeest, buffalo, kudu, warthogs and much more.
The Savuti area is also well-known for its many predators also, including leopard, lion, spotted hyena and jackals and even a few cheetahs. Many National Geographic and Animal Planet documentaries have been made here, covering various predators.
The Savuti Game Reserve is located south of the Namibian / Botswana Linyanti area, and covers nearly an area of over 5,000 square kilometres, and bordering on Chobe and Moremi National Parks of Botswana. It is a prime photographic and game spotting safari destination, and is often quoted as the best wildlife photographic and game-viewing destination in Africa.
Vast areas of the Savuti used to be covered with water in the distant past. The famed Savuti Channel only started too flow again in 1982. Scientists are still trying to find an answer, why the cannel which has been dry for nearly a hundred years, started to flow again.
The best time for a safari trip in the Savuti region is in the dry winter months, and promise fantastic wildlife viewing, as the predators make use of the water holes for hunting.
November to April is the summer raining season, and wildlife migrates towards the grassy savannahs. The huge zebra migration is followed by various prides of lion. Elephants are abundance, especially around sunset at water holes.
A spectacular range of wildlife could be found here, such as leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, impala, giraffe, tsessebe, sable and roan, kudu, wildebeest and large herds of buffalo. Savuti has a good diversity of birdlife, with the large Kori bustards and Secretary birds seen around the Savuti Marsh-area.
Generally the Savuti Game Reserve region is a luxury fly-in safari destination (the reserve has various airstrips at luxury lodges) or by overland 4x4 only. A visit to Savuti should be at least four days long, to really enjoy and explore this famous wildlife area.
Gateway Africa has various overland camping safari trips that cover the Savuti, starting either from Botswana's Maun or Kasane, or Johannesburg or Victoria Falls.