06 May 2019

The Botswana component of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Area Heritage KAZA TFCA trail map has been launched .

Speaking during the launch ahead of the 2019 Elephant Summit billed for May 7, Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Mr Kitso Mokaila said the initiative was part of the strategy to get communities, key stakeholders in natural resources management, involved in conservation. 

The heritage trail map, covering  Chobe-Ngamiland and the Makgadikgadi areas, he said, showed  beautiful places which had not been fully explored because big business had not realised their true potential.

Minister Mokaila said the map would go a long way in enabling tourists to visit heritage places of interest alone as it had GPS coordinates showing small accommodation facilities in the area. 

The minister explained that in the Chobe-Ngamiland circuit, the map included places such as Gcwihaba Caves, Kgwebe Ruins, Old Kachikau Village, Savuti Rock Art, Kavimba Gateway, Matlapana Bridge, Kazungula Bridge & Bombed Pantoon, Seboba Nature & Recreational Park, Kasane Hotsprings, Lesoma Disaster Monument, Kasane Prison Baobab Postal Tree and Nata Bird Sanctuary.

 In the Makgadikgadi circuit, Minister Mokaila said the map covered tourist attractions such as Mokgalo wa ga Kgama, Makgaba Fossils, Baines’ Baobab, Chapman’s Baobab, Boteti River, Makgama Ruins, Toragaraa, Lekhubu Island, Kaitshe and the Nokabokalaka Valley.

KAZA TFCA secretariat executive director Dr Nyambe Nyambe said the heritage trail map for Botswana was an initiative undertaken as a project under the Botswana Integrated Development Plan. 

Dr Nyambe explained that across the two circuits, were two world heritage sites, namely Tsodilo Hills and the Okavango Delta, including a myriad of other offerings for Botswana and the entire KAZA TFCA. 

The map, Dr Nyambe said, documents over 60 heritage sites in the two circuits, providing geographical coordinates and synopses for some of the sites.

Among the sites, were historical sites, liberation struggle monuments, routes - both existing and proposed as well as pointers for recreational opportunities across the two circuits.

 “I believe that congratulations are in order for Botswana for prioritising this project, alongside other tourism projects, namely the restoration of the Old Matlapana Bridge, updating the national satellite  accounts and rehabilitation of Nhabe museum,” Dr Nyambe said. 

He said all the projects would help improve tourist experience, expand product range and increase time spent travelling around Botswana.

More importantly, he noted, they would contribute to the preservation of both tangible and intangible heritage and cultural resources as well as leveraging the same for tourism development. 

Dr Nyambe applauded government for actualising the project and the German government for the financial support. ENDS