The San Bushmen in Botswana (or Kalahari Bushmen) are one of the oldest tribes and cultures in Africa. These incredible storytellers have lived off the land for thousands of years, learning how to hunt, gather food and use plants for a variety of purposes.
Unfortunately, this fascinating culture has been under threat from the modern world and the government, meaning the San people’s way of life has changed quite dramatically, and many are no longer able to live their traditional nomadic lifestyle.
A way for the San Bushmen in Botswana to keep some of their traditions is to work alongside safari lodges, teaching tourists about their ancient culture and traditions. Some have camps with traditional straw huts that tourists can sleep in too. I was lucky enough to go on one of the Kalahari bushmen walks and it was indeed a fascinating experience.
My experience of the San Bushmen walk in Botswana
I was on a tour group with GAdventures, which included the San Bushmen walk and was situated right by our camp site at Dqae Qare San Lodge. The lodge was really nice, they have basic camping, as well as lodge rooms, and even a swimming pool! We did the 1-hour bushmen walk at sunset, which was incredibly beautiful with the golden orange sun against the African landscape.
As the San people do not speak English, we had a local guide to translate their traditional ‘clicking’ language. My first impressions of the San people were just how small these people were in relation to the Westerners. Even the males were quite short, however what was also evident was just how hardy and strong they are too. The deep wrinkles of some of the older people tell a story of the tough outdoor life they have led under the hot African sun.
The tour kicked off by an elder of the tribe coming up to us one by one and repeating our names as we told her and saying a welcome hello in her language. This was pretty special, and it is nice to see how welcoming and open they are to tourists coming in their world.
Then, the San Bushmen introduced us to how they live off the land, how they use natural plants for medicinal purposes, what the best things to eat are, how they store water in ostrich eggs, how they start a fire from scratch, explaining how they can find plants in this seemingly dry and harsh landscape and extract water from them to drink.
I remember just watching them in fascination of the knowledge they have about their land. It is in stark contrast to our lives in the modern world with endless food, smartphones, laptops, international travel, etc. It is wonderful to see people still living a simple life of the land, using ancient survival techniques, and trying to keep their incredible culture alive.
Where to see the San People of Botswana
There are several lodges in Botswana where you can meet the San Bushmen. I stayed at the Dqae Qare San Lodge, which is around a 3-hour drive from Maun (or 5 hour bus) and would recommend it. We were camping, which I think is a great experience, but there are also rooms to book as well. If you are staying at the campsite then you can still use the dining area and pool too which is great.
You can also book San Bushmen walks at Ghanzi Trail Blazers lodge, Meno a Kwena, San Camp and Jack’s Camp.
Also, it is not just the bush walk on offer, you can also book things like traditional dancing, craft making and storytelling!
Read more on my experiences in Botswana here: Botswana Travel Guide
2 Comments
What an incredible experience. Botswana looks beautiful and the people seem so friendly and welcoming. I love that they are eager to teach their culture and traditions as part of a tour. Definitely a trip to remember. I’m hoping to visit the African continent next year and would love to explore tours like this
Yes it’s such a friendly country! I hope you get the chance to go next year- sounds amazng!