Dr Livingstone in Botswana: Footsteps Across the Kalahari

Dr Livingstone in Botswana: Tracing the Explorer’s Footsteps Across the Kalahari.

“Dr Livingstone, I presume?” The iconic phrase, spoken by Henry Morton Stanley in 1871, is often the only detail people recall about David Livingstone. But long before he became a household name, Livingstone was criss-crossing Botswana, walking, riding, and paddling across its dry riverbeds, salt pans, and floodplains. Today, travellers can still follow parts of his trail—places where his journeys shaped the maps and mission routes of southern Africa.

From the dusty salt pans of Makgadikgadi to the waterways of the Zambezi, Botswana holds a central place in Livingstone’s early travels. For modern adventurers, exploring Botswana’s wild landscapes offers more than epic safaris—it offers the chance to walk in the footsteps of one of the world’s most famous explorers.

Why Was Dr Livingstone in Botswana?

Before he became known as the “Explorer of Africa,” David Livingstone was a missionary. Sent by the London Missionary Society in 1841, he arrived in the Cape Colony and began travelling northwards in search of mission sites beyond European settlements. It wasn’t long before his attention turned to the lands we now call Botswana.

At the time, Botswana’s interior was little known to Europeans. Livingstone’s journeys here were among the first European attempts to understand and document these regions—not as colonisers, but through religious and geographical inquiry. His aim was to promote Christianity and legitimate trade as alternatives to the slave trade—and in doing so, he mapped and recorded the vast, shifting landscapes of the Kalahari and Okavango.

Livingstone’s Base at Kolobeng and the First Crossings

Dr Livingstone in Botswana. Livingstone’s first mission station in Botswana was at Kolobeng, west of modern-day Gaborone, near the border with South Africa. Here, he worked with the Bakwena people under Kgosi Sechele I, learning Setswana and adapting his teachings to local conditions. The Kolobeng Mission, now a national monument, is one of the best places to begin retracing Livingstone’s early days in Botswana.

From Kolobeng, Livingstone made several gruelling journeys north and west, often with his wife Mary and children in tow. He crossed the Kalahari Desert in 1849, enduring drought, sandstorms, and failed waterholes. This expedition took him as far as Lake Ngami, near modern-day Maun—a pivotal moment in his career and one of the first European sightings of the lake.

Lake Ngami and the Makgadikgadi Region

Lake Ngami, fed by the Okavango River system, was a vital stop for Livingstone. Though the lake has since shrunk dramatically due to climate shifts and water use upstream, its historical significance remains enormous.

Livingstone’s notes and sketches from Lake Ngami were published in newspapers and journals back in Britain, sparking a flurry of European interest in the region. He was struck by the abundance of wildlife and the complexity of the seasonal waters—experiences that resonate with today’s visitors to the Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Pans.

It is believed he travelled near the Boteti River, which today runs intermittently between Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and Moremi. Tourists paddling or game-viewing along this waterway are quite literally tracing the same paths he took.

Canoes, Salt Pans, and Early Mapping

Livingstone was not a tourist—he was a cartographer, missionary, linguist, and medic. His paddles down the Zambezi and observations of salt pans in Botswana weren’t about scenery. He was trying to understand geography for navigation, trade, and communication.

He described the Makgadikgadi salt pans as vast, shimmering, and blindingly bright, and noted their significance for wildlife and indigenous peoples. These pans today are part of the safari circuit—offering desert camping, flamingo sightings, and stargazing experiences—yet they also stand as a vast natural landmark that Livingstone struggled to cross and document.

Chobe, the Zambezi, and the Road to Victoria Falls

In later years, Livingstone returned to Botswana’s north. Travelling through the Chobe River region, he eventually reached the Zambezi, which he followed upstream and downstream on multiple expeditions. In 1855, this route led him to the “Smoke that Thunders”—Mosi-oa-Tunya, or Victoria Falls, where Zambia and Zimbabwe now meet.

While the falls lie outside Botswana’s modern borders, many Botswana-based tours and mobile safaris offer cross-border trips to Victoria Falls, allowing visitors to complete the final stretch of Livingstone’s most iconic journey.

One such route follows the Savuti Channel to Chobe River and onward to Kazungula, where four countries meet: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This frontier crossing, now bridged, is still a symbolic passage—from the interior wilderness to Livingstone’s ultimate destination.

Where Can Tourists Follow Livingstone’s Trail Today?

Visitors to Botswana can cross Livingstone’s trail in several key areas:

1. Kolobeng Mission Ruins

Near Gaborone, these ruins mark Livingstone’s first home in Botswana. Interpretive signs tell the story of his time here with Sechele I and his early attempts at education and agriculture.

2. Lake Ngami Region (near Maun)

While the lake is now shallow and often dry, the surrounding area is rich in history and wildlife. Travellers en route to the Okavango can stop here to appreciate the journey Livingstone made across the Kalahari.

3. Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

Camping at Nxai Pan or Makgadikgadi NP evokes the same sense of isolation and scale that Livingstone described. He would have travelled along similar seasonal watercourses as those now visited on mobile safaris.

4. Boteti River Valley

Seasonal and wild, the Boteti corridor was likely part of his travels as he moved between Ngami and the Zambezi basin. Several lodges here offer walking and canoe safaris along the same ancient paths.

5. Chobe River and Zambezi Confluence

A classic safari route through Savuti and Chobe ends at Kasane, from where you can cross to Livingstone town in Zambia or continue to Victoria Falls.

A Legacy in More Than Maps

Livingstone’s time in Botswana was relatively short, but it was foundational. The friendships he built with Tswana chiefs, his translations of religious texts into Setswana, and his geographic discoveries all left a legacy that lasted well beyond his lifetime.

He wasn’t without controversy—his missionary efforts often failed, and his maps sometimes misled. But in Dr Livingstone in Botswana, is remembered more for his persistence, curiosity, and cross-cultural respect than for any imperialist ambition. Many villages and rivers still bear versions of his name.

Final Thoughts: More Than Footprints

For today’s travellers, Livingstone’s trail offers more than historical curiosity. It invites us to think deeply about how landscapes are known, remembered, and respected. From the dry salt pans to the winding rivers, Botswana’s terrain still echoes with the footsteps of one of history’s most determined explorers.

Whether you camp beside the Boteti, canoe the Zambezi, or visit the Kolobeng ruins, you’re not just on safari—you’re part of a story that spans centuries.

Check out our other Safari Botswana blogs –

• Safari Botswana – A Tourist Heaven of Wildlife, Wilderness and Wonder
• Visiting the Okavango Delta – What You Need to Know Before You Go
• Nxai Pan National Park – Salt, Stars and Safari Stories in the Sands
• Makgadikgadi Pans National Park – Zebra, Rivers and the Silence of the Salt
• Savuti – Wild Dogs, Lions and Rock Outcrops in Chobe’s Wild Heart
• Moremi Game Reserve – Flooded Forests, Wild Dogs and the Pulse of the Okavango
• Khwai Game Reserve – Wild Dogs, Community Conservation and the Spirit of the Delta
• What to Expect on a Mokoro Ride in the Okavango Delta
• Walking Safari in the Okavango Delta – What to Expect
•  Ancient Voices on Stone: Bushman Rock Art at Savuti, Chobe National Park
• Mobile Safari Camp or Self-Drive?
• Why Do Hunting Safaris Still Exist in Botswana?
• Are There African Wild Dogs in Botswana? Tracking One of Africa’s Rarest Predators
• Are There Ground Hornbills in Botswana?
• Is the Hippo the Most Dangerous Animal in Africa? It Might Just Be
• Sunset Safari on the Zambezi: An Evening Boat Ride from Kasane, Botswana