Beautiful Botswana - The Travel Podcast Tessa Bell

Dr Sallie Burrough knows the Makgadikgadi from the inside out by soil samples and mud. She is Trapnell Fellow of African Environments at the University of Oxford, a Quaternary Scientist, National Geographic Explorer and leading expert on the prehistory of southern African saltpans. In this episode she shares why the pans matter academically, what makes them noteworthy and how their time scale is so vast it is hard to comprehend.The pans have been highlighted by many of my interviews and...

Ncinci Motsemme is enthusiastic about all things and particularly food. She joins me from her new restaurant in the heart of Maun, Kwa ga Ncinci, to discuss different foods eaten in Botswana and their cultural meaning. We discuss foods that are readily accessible as snack foods from Tuckshops through to regional and seasonal foods and foods found predominantly at celebrations.Kwa ga Ncinci can be found on the corner of Sir Seretse Khama Road and Motshaba street in the centre of Maun across th...

I headed off on a break in June and went exploring our neighboring country Zambia. It was my first time crossing a border with Covid-19 regulations and requirements so I am sharing my experience in this bonus episode.We crossed the new Kazangula Bridge between Botswana and Zambia and I share both tips on crossing into Botswana through any border post as well as the process required to enter Zambia.I share a lot of info so have a pen and paper handy!Covid-19 PCR testing in Botswana: Diagnofirm...

Moa Monwela is a professional guide who grew up in Maun and has a shared history with the village. He joins me to discuss the history of Maun and he shares his experiences growing up here and the changes he has seen over the decades. in 2011 Moa founded Endurance travel and based himself out of one of the hotels offering experiences to people visiting Maun who are not able to get into the camps and lodges and wildlife areas for longer. He shares the activities available to people spending a n...

Dr Mike Murray-Hudson returns to attempt to predict this year's flood. Making predictions of a natural occurrence is not easy but Mike shares his expectations based on his years of experience. We discuss base floods in the Eastern Delta in the Gomoti region and the new data that are being collected there and at Divundu. He discusses the impacts of the low flood of 2019 and the peat fires that followed on the vegetation and water flow and how that impacted the 'fast flood' of 2020.Mike al...

Our summer clouds have disappeared and the stars are becoming more visible. I have asked Stephen O'Meara, author of the wonderful book Night skies of Botswana to join me for a bonus episode updating us on what to expect from the night skies in the next while.Steve also shares some info on when to look for the man in the moon and what a Supermoon really is and how to get the best view of the moon looking as large as possible.Steve's episode was the most listened to of last year and there...