Botswana to benefit from Kaza

Land rover experience tour

The 13th edition of the Land Rover Experience Tour (LET) 2019, which kicked off on 31st October reached Botswana on Monday.

The expedition team (47 in number) arrived at Elephant Sands where the Botswana Tourism Organisation hosted a “Welcome to Botswana” dinner for them before they proceeded to Shakawe, Kasane and eventually Johannesburg.

The tour, is a partnership between the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) Secretariat and Land Rover Germany, with support from KAZA’s five partner States of Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Angola and Zimbabwe.

Though established to demonstrate the extreme durability of Land Rover vehicles through challenging off-road adventures, the tour leader Dag Rogge said the experience is also beneficial to the KAZA States as the world gets to know more about the five countries through a collection of professionally taken photographs.

“Land Rover Germany will also produce a short film from this off-road adventure which will be shared with the rest of the world,” he said.

Rogge further said the experience which since 2000 has stood for breath-taking imagery and the discovery of foreign cultures will help position KAZA as a leading nature, cultural heritage, adventure and ‘off-the-beaten track’ tourism destination in Africa.

“The experience will further develop cross border tourism offerings through the main expedition and subsequent leisure tours. Perhaps to demonstrate the extent and reach of visibility harnessed from KAZA as a direct result of the expedition, a promotional video published on YouTube by Land Rover Germany in advance of the expedition in November 2018 has been viewed over 3.3 million times.

Welcoming the team at Elephant Sands on Monday evening BTO Acting Chief Executive Officer Tafa Tafa said the KAZA Land Rover Experience Tour will open many opportunities for the nation.

Tafa said the crew has been travelling roads less travelled in the country, which will in turn give the terrains the much needed attention.

He said this will further open up new activities and routes for people to come and enjoy.

He welcomed the initiative and commended Land Rover for organising such an expedition.

“We hope to get feedback from all of you about your experiences here, which we’ll then use to sell Botswana as an adventure country,” he said.

Tafa further told the team that they should count themselves amongst the luckiest since they drove into the country and saw clearly what the country has to offer.

“Most people fly in and out of the country, but you drove in and you got to see the country’s changing landscapes and the wildlife,” he said.

The tour is generally expected to increase the profile of the KAZA TFCA and its tourism offerings.

It is further expected to raise awareness on transboundary destinations and products in the region, showcase identified nature, biodiversity and community development initiatives and show KAZA as a premier tourism destination for regional and international markets.

This expedition is further expected to foster expansion of the Land Rover Adventure Travel Programme.

Currently, Land Rover Germany offers exclusive trips to Namibia and Botswana.