In South-East District, three distinct points of interest stand out: Otse Hill, a district landmark; Lentswe la Baratani, a landmark associated with local stories; and Manyelanong Game Reserve, a protected area for a Cape vulture colony. If you are looking for accommodation in South-East, you can choose your destination based on these interests. This makes it possible to weigh whether a distinctive highland, local folklore or conservation issues provide the strongest appeal.
Otse: elevation and local stories
Otse Hill is a landmark of South-East District. Citing literature, a 2020 article gives the ranking in which Otse Hill is Botswana’s highest point above sea level, followed by Baratani Hill and Tsodilo Hill. The elevation ranking is thus attributed to literature. Lentswe la Baratani is also located in Otse and is another district landmark. Local stories about two lovers are associated with this place. For those interested in the cultural side of the destination, this offers a different point of interest alongside the elevation ranking: a local tradition associated with a named landmark.
Manyelanong Game Reserve near Otse
Manyelanong Game Reserve, covering 300 hectares, lies outside the village of Otse. It was established in June 1985 to protect the Cape vulture colony living there. Unlike the two landmarks, the focus here is on protecting the colony. The reserve therefore offers a distinct focus when choosing a destination in the region if conservation and Cape vultures are of greater interest to you than elevation or local stories. It is advisable to check current access arrangements in advance when planning your visit.
Botswana in the wider travel picture
The broader destination of Botswana also includes landscapes in the north-west of the country. The Okavango Delta is a large, gently sloping alluvial fan, also known as an inland delta. It is one of the few large inland deltas without an outlet to the sea; its water evaporates into the desert sands of the Kalahari Basin. The World Heritage property encompasses most of the delta, as well as more than two million hectares of largely undisturbed wetlands and seasonally flooded grasslands.
Habitats there include rivers and lagoons with permanent and seasonal water, permanent swamps, seasonally and occasionally flooded grasslands, riverine forests, dry deciduous woodlands and island communities. The delta is home to significant populations of cheetahs, white and black rhinos, African wild dogs and lions. Highlights of the activities include game drives and speedboat trips. The Okavango Panhandle begins at Mohembo, where the Okavango flows from Namibia into Botswana, and extends about 80 kilometres to the southeast.
The Tsodilo Hills are also in north-west Botswana, near the Namibian border. The massive quartzite rock formations rise between ancient sand dunes to the east and a dry fossil lakebed in the western Kalahari. Large rock paintings in rock shelters and caves appear to date from the Stone Age through to the 19th century, although they have not been precisely dated. Tsodilo preserves archaeological evidence, rock art and continuing traditions that document the development of human culture and the relationship between people and nature over many millennia. The Hambukushu and San communities revere Tsodilo’s waterholes and hills as a sacred cultural landscape.
For choosing a destination across the country, the difference in focus is helpful: here, South-East means Otse, its landmarks and Manyelanong Game Reserve; the Okavango and Tsodilo offer other points of interest in north-west Botswana. If you are looking for hotels, you can first decide which area best suits your interests.
Discover more destinations
Gaborone, Ramotswa, North-East District, Northwest, North-West District, Southern, Kgalagadi District, Kweneng District
For the broader travel overview: Botswana.
