Botswana Travel Tips & Information

Botswana is primarily known for one thing among travelers: endless unspoiled expanses, a rich wildlife diversity, and the largest free-roaming wildlife herds in both the central part of the country and the Okavango Delta. Additionally, there's plenty of sand, savanna, and often not enough water.

Moments in nature, as I will likely experience in Botswana, already make my heart race.

Botswana is a self-drive destination. With a 4x4 vehicle and rooftop tent, you can reach remote areas that are not serviced by buses. Some places in the Okavango Delta can only be accessed by airplane or mokoro (dugout canoe).

An individual trip to Botswana as a self-driver requires a good amount of preparation that I unfortunately underestimated. Without a fairly detailed plan, this trip during the peak travel season is likely not feasible.

Of course, some will now shout out, saying, 'Sure, it's possible,' but I say no. Not if you're traveling during the absolute peak season like I am, starting to plan only three months in advance, and trying to arrange a route to visit the Caprivi Strip in Namibia, Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls (Zambia, Zimbabwe), the Okavango Delta with Moremi, and the Central Kalahari in just over three weeks.

In this article, you'll find tips to consider when planning your trip to Botswana. I'll also share my fundamental mistakes that I wish I could have avoided.

Thus, you will find here my step-by-step travel planning guide for Botswana. After that, the travel tips for your trip to Botswana with everything else you need to know before your journey!

Here you can find my travel report for Namibia - Botswana with a rooftop tent!

South Africa and Namibia are gateway countries for travelers to Southern Africa. However, Botswana is different and very special. Why? Here are the facts:

Botswana is the ideal country for adventurers who want to travel with a 4x4 vehicle and rooftop tent!

'Low capacity high value' principle: Prefer fewer tourists who spend more money on accommodations. This means in plain text: Botswana is the most expensive safari country in Africa. Yet, despite being peak season, it's hardly crowded (except perhaps in Kasane and the Chobe Riverfront, which was full during my visit on the 50th anniversary of independence).

Chobe National Park: Botswana's easiest-to-reach national park is world-famous for its massive elephant herds! An evening boat cruise on the Chobe River is a must.

The famous Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe/Zambia is just an hour away from Kasane.

Okavango Delta: The incredibly large wetland area covers 6,000 to 15,000 km², depending on the season. It's the place where small lodges offer mokoro rides and bush walks in the delta. Here you will find all the animals of Southern Africa, especially elephants and hippos. Bird lovers especially benefit during the dry season.

Moremi Game Reserve: On the edge of the Okavango Delta, this area is likely Botswana's most visited national park.

Makgadikgadi Pans: The world's largest salt pans where you must spend a night under the starry sky! The crescent moon made a flashlight unnecessary. After it set, Orion stood above me, and it was utterly silent. Inexpressible.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR): The heart of the Kalahari is incredibly vast, dry, dusty, and showcases solitude. Yet, it's no less fascinating. The highlight is the drive to Deception Valley, where the thermometer often climbs above 40 degrees Celsius, and animals fight for every shaded spot.

Normally, this doesn't happen to me. However, I must first say that I and we approached the planning of our Botswana trip quite naively. Last year, friends asked me if I wanted to go on a Botswana trip. I didn't think long and agreed. The Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and Central Kalahari make any explorer's heart race.

I had also heard a lot about the Caprivi Strip in Namibia. We wanted to include that in our route.

We quickly agreed on the travel time. Since the other travel companions have steady jobs in a corporation, we definitely wanted to leave after the summer and before the fall holidays in southern Germany. I was told that late September is ideal because the off-season begins in October. So we had a problem. I relied on that and didn't think about it any further. Maybe I should have done that from the beginning.

To ensure you don't make this mistake: October is still absolute peak season, especially in the Okavango Delta. I read somewhere in a travel guide that October is the rainy season, but it remains peak season nonetheless.

The advantage of traveling in the dry season: No mud and dry tracks. However, even these are usually not easy and require the highest concentration:

Once the destination Botswana was set, I first bought travel guides for Botswana and read up in various forums. In the Namibia Forum (German), I received many useful tips and information for planning our route. Unfortunately, I also quickly received the news that I was way too late for planning the trip to Botswana.

You should plan trips to Botswana at least a year in advance. To be honest, I hadn't worried about the timing of the trip at such an early point. During my trip to South Africa, I received the same information and we still secured all our desired accommodations.

In any case, I planned my trip using these two travel guides. I highly recommend both for planning a self-drive trip:

This travel guide contains all current information on places, routes with descriptions, and information on accommodations. This guide not only helped me a lot in planning the trip but also served again during the journey to look up detailed descriptions of the routes.

Very up-to-date and detailed information on all national parks, accommodations, and valuable GPS coordinates. I memorized the route description for Savuti literally. Super guide that you can buy here.

The map is already quite tattered before the trip since I used it extensively for planning - highly recommended! The information also includes Victoria Falls and the Caprivi Strip for anyone traveling like me via Windhoek (Namibia) to Botswana.

Suggestions for routes with travel times and addresses to accommodations that cannot be quickly booked on the internet are also as detailed as in the Hupe travel guide. Check out the travel guide on Amazon here.

If you are traveling in a group in Botswana, the two guides mentioned above might be too specific regarding the road and track conditions. Therefore, I recommend buying the Botswana travel guide from Dumont. My travel partner had this guide with them.

I thought it was great and I really liked the presentation. It also includes a large removable map and many valuable pieces of information and stories for the journey. Here you can view the guide.

This guide is recommended everywhere (even in the above-mentioned travel guides). Like the Hupe guide, it contains many detailed pieces of information about road conditions and access routes.

It served as a useful addition to the Hupe travel guide for Botswana and is actually available everywhere for about 15 euros (Shell gas stations, supermarkets, ...).

In almost every guide or forum, it is recommended to buy the Shell Map of Botswana or detailed maps for Moremi, Okavango Delta & Linyanti or Chobe National Park. They are indeed available everywhere and cost about 10 euros per map.

Out of curiosity, I purchased the Shell maps for Botswana, Moremi, and Okavango Delta. They contain coordinates for GPS navigation.

My honest opinion? Don't buy.

The coordinates are much more detailed in the Hupe travel guide (see above). Instead, buy the printed map for Botswana from Tracks4Africa. It has all the tracks, unlike the Shell maps, which often only show the 'main routes.' If I travel to Botswana again (which I certainly will soon), I will purchase this map.

Additionally, I bought the map for Botswana for the Tracks4Africa app and loaded it onto my iPhone. The app contains the printed map and shows where you are. This is often very helpful since alternative tracks have developed, and signs in the parks are scarce.

Thus, navigation becomes much easier.

The route was also clear after some back and forth. Only how long we want to stay where - here we were not quite in agreement. If it were up to me, we would have stayed in Divundu in the Caprivi Strip for 1-2 nights**. Since I often travel and will surely come back to this region, I gave in.

As we wanted to avoid too much stress in the end, we decided to skip the salt pans (Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi Pan). Instead, we will stay for 2-3 days in Maun to take day trips at a slower pace in between.

**Note: Here too, I would proceed differently in the future, before someone raises the (presumably) legitimate question of 'Why are you racing through the Caprivi?'.

Our Route:

Travel from Frankfurt -Windhoek (Namibia), 1 night at Windhoek Villa Moringa.

Waterberg Plateau, Waterberg Valley Lodge, 1 night.

Rundu, Hakusembe River Lodge, campsite, 1 night.

Kongola, Namushasha River Lodge, campsite, 1 night room and 1 night campsite.

Kasane, Chobe Safari Lodge, 2 nights campsite, 1 night lodge. Day trip to Victoria Falls.

Chobe National Park, Savuti. Savuti Campsite, 2 nights.

Moremi, 3rd Bridge Campsite, 1 night.

Okavango Delta, Gunn's Camp, 2 nights.

Okavango Delta, Moremi Crossing, 2 nights.

Maun, possibly Old Bridge Backpackers, 1 night campsite, 1 night in a fixed tent.

Gweta, 1 night each at Planet Baobab and 1 night at Ntwetwe Pan.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Haina Kalahari Lodge, 3 nights.

Ghanzi, Tautona Lodge, 1 night.

Windhoek, N/a'an ku sê Charity Lodge & Wildlife Sanctuary Reservations, 1 night.

Return flight Windhoek - Frankfurt in the evening.

If you want to travel to Botswana, everyone who has already been there recommends booking a rental car either in Namibia or South Africa. The offerings in both countries are much larger, and prices are significantly lower compared to renting in Botswana.

Therefore, we looked for a 4x4 rental car with a rooftop tent. In Windhoek, there are numerous providers, including ASCO Car Hire, where we booked the rental car. The car is a 4x4 manual with camping equipment. We also booked the recommended GPS with maps from Tracks4Africa.

The car with a rooftop tent and camping equipment costs €117 per day for 2 people. The GPS costs 60 NAD per day, which is only €3.80 and is worth it. By now, the maps are also available as an app for smartphones (the Namibia and Botswana maps cost €9.99 each).

For renting a rental car (whether in Namibia, South Africa, or Botswana), you will need a national and international driver's license. This costs only €16 and is valid for three years.

Botswana has international airports in the following cities: Gaborone, Maun, Kasane, and Francistown. Additionally, almost every lodge has its own airstrip to spare tourists the long and sometimes arduous journey over many deep sand and gravel tracks.

Depending on the duration and nature of the trip, traveling via Windhoek or Johannesburg could make sense. There are daily flights from Johannesburg to Maun and the Victoria Falls.

If you want to head to the northern part of Botswana (Chobe National Park) by car, this travel route can be quite long. I recommend entering through Windhoek and the Zambezi region (formerly the Caprivi Strip).

Since we decided to fly to Windhoek, the choice for Condor came relatively quickly. Why? We can fly directly from Frankfurt to Windhoek without layovers. Additionally, Condor offers a night flight (both outbound and return) and we can start our trip the next morning:

Thus, we tracked the price development of the Frankfurt - Windhoek flight for quite a while before booking about six weeks in advance. Directly with Condor and not through other booking portals:

Although Air Namibia also flies directly to Windhoek, prices were much higher at the time of our travel. Here you can find my tips on how I search for flights and which flight search engine I use.

Most self-drivers fly to Windhoek (Namibia) or Johannesburg (South Africa) and pick up their rental cars there. Both rental cars and flight prices are significantly cheaper. You can enter Botswana through one of the many borders by car.

Fees for border crossings with unregistered cars into Botswana: 50 Pula road use fee (Road Permit), 50 Pula for liability insurance (MV Insurance), and 50 Pula road fund. That totals 150 Pula (around €13).

As of October 2017.

Wild camping is prohibited in national parks. If you cannot provide accommodations or reservation of a camping spot, you will not be allowed into the national park.

To enter the national parks, you need to organize the permits. You can now obtain them directly at the entrance of the parks, making it simple.

Tip: Take care of campsite reservations in advance. They only have a limited number of spots available. Furthermore, they have gradually been privatized since 2009. Reservations are bookable by email or phone. When I pointed out to an acquaintance that spots are simply 'shared' as soon as one is booked out, I only received another rejection. They have never done such a thing. Well. Everything is certainly easy and works on site, unfortunately not from afar.

Allegedly, camp site officials are often at the park entrance. Here you can book your spot directly (if available). I will report if that works.

I will add the reservation addresses here so you don't have to search everything painstakingly.

Note: You often have to follow up on emails since response times are not a priority in Africa. Additionally, those responsible often spend days in the bush without Internet access. Patience is required!

Opening hours of national parks vary depending on the season. During my travel time (September - October), the park gates are open between 6 AM - 7 PM.

Entry fees, unlike in other African countries, are uniform across all national parks: 120 Pula for tourists plus 50 Pula per car (for cars registered in Botswana, it's only 10 Pula) each day. That totals about €14.

A tip for Africa is to generally pack clothing in neutral subdued colors (khaki, sand, or blue). You should leave bright clothing at home. A bush walk in a pink shirt (which I don't own anyway) or a turquoise rain jacket should definitely stay at home. Especially black clothing attracts mosquitoes that carry malaria. You should also avoid black socks.

During the day, shorts and shirts (cotton or Merino) are sufficient; in the evening, long pants and long sleeves. For chilly African nights, I always pack my softshell jacket and possibly another fleece hoodie or a sweater. Yes, I'm a freeze baby. Additionally, I recommend spraying all clothes with mosquito repellent (special for clothing*).

I pack my light rain jacket from Patagonia since it hardly weighs anything (only 260 g). This jacket also provides additional protection against the cold.

For bush walks, I definitely recommend closed shoes. Flip flops are important for the showers at campsites. I generally wear flip flops or sneakers outside of the bush. I might pack my flat trekking shoes but I'm not sure yet. The bush walks are not very challenging and should easily be done in sneakers (in my estimation, comparing it to my other travels in Africa).

Additionally, I pack bags for this trip to protect my electronic items from sand and dust. A Leatherman comes along as well as a small coffee pot so I can brew coffee in the bush in the mornings. Me without coffee? Unless it can be avoided, no thanks.

My camera with equipment will probably look like this:

Sony Alpha 7R3 with kit lens, zoom lens, wide-angle, and possibly a fixed focal length (I'm still considering which one to get). At least three batteries, polarizing filter, neutral density filter, gradient filter, and tripod.

GoPro Hero6

iPhone X with various apps (notably useful: Tracks4Africa, PhotoPills, eBirds lite, Trail Wallet, Sky Guide)

MacBook 12" with external hard drive (see my camera and photography gear)

Binoculars

Headlamp (with infrared light, does not blind animals and you still see what's in a dark night)

External battery pack

Various cables to listen to music in the car, charge batteries, etc.

View my safari packing list with tips for clothing here.

For a trip to Botswana, no special vaccinations are required.

If entering from Zambia, you must present proof of a yellow fever vaccination. Since this has never been checked in other regions, I also don't believe anyone will care here. I always carry a copy of my vaccination booklet. If entering from Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, or Germany, proof of yellow fever vaccination is not required.

Whether you need Malarone or standby preparations (most doctors prescribe Malarone here too) for Botswana can be confirmed with your family doctor. Generally, there is a high malaria risk in the north compared to the south, where there is no risk.

Overview:

High malaria risk, especially during the rainy season (November - June): In the regions of Boteti, Chobe, Ngamiland, Okavango, Tutume.

Lower malaria risk (July - October) in the same regions.

Low malaria risk in the border areas to Zimbabwe in the regions of Bobirwa and Selebi-Phikwe.

No malaria risk in southern Botswana.

I generally recommend consulting a doctor for vaccination advice before your trip. They can tell you exactly which vaccinations you need and whether there is a high or low malaria risk during your travel time.

For Botswana, I definitely recommend these two books! I currently have both halfway through and want to read the rest 'live' on site:

Breakfast with Elephants - A Ranger's Life in Africa is a book by Gesa, who has reported a lot about Africa on her blog Wonderful Wild. We share one major thing: our love for the continent, its nature, animals, and people. That's why she originally took time off to train as a ranger in Botswana and South Africa. That turned into more. In this book, she writes about it! Absolutely a must-read - not just for Africa travelers.

Here is the book.

Cry of the Kalahari - Seven Years in Africa's Last Great Wilderness by Mark and Delia Owens is THE classic when it comes to the Kalahari Desert. Immediately after graduating, both traveled with all their saved money (which wasn't much) to Botswana to find the optimal spot for wilderness exploration. Unfortunately, the book is only available in English but is written in such a gripping way that I always find it hard to put down. Since I don't want to take the printed version (too much luggage), I bought the book again as an ebook for my Kindle. Another absolute must-read!

Here is the book.

In times of war, we go into the desert by Henno Martin is actually a book about Namibia. I read it last year since I thought I was going to Namibia in 2015. The book tells the story of two Germans fleeing the war into the Namib Desert. Their daily struggle for survival raises the question: is war or the desert more dangerous? The book is touching, gripping, and is recommended by Namibia fans as the 'Namibia Bible.' Here is the book*.

Telephone area code: +267

German Embassy: +267 395 3143 / 370 4900

Currency in Botswana: Pula (BWP) : 1 € is approximately 11.66 BWP

Time zone: Central Africa Time (CAT), no time difference from Germany

Public holidays: October 30 National Day (2016, Botswana celebrated its 50th anniversary while I was there). People then sometimes have up to 10 days off, and accommodations (especially around Kasane) are fully booked.

For Botswana, you need a power plug adapter to charge your electronic devices. The plugs are three-prong like in South Africa. Occasionally, you can charge your devices in accommodations without an adapter if they have multi-socket outlets for different plugs. This is rather rare.

Tip: Be sure to bring enough batteries for your camera and possibly pack an external battery (see here) to charge your phone, GoPro, or camera batteries, especially if you are like me and often stay at campsites or eco-lodges powered by solar energy.

The climate in Botswana is generally dry and warm to hot. The significant dryness of the country is due to its great distance from the oceans. Moist air masses usually rain off in the mountainous regions surrounding Botswana.

Botswana is a country that can be traveled year-round, as each season has its advantages. During the rainy season, you can expect significant restrictions and flooded roads in the Okavango Delta, while in the Kalahari, you can look forward to wonderful experiences. Therefore, three seasons are distinguished in Botswana:

October/November - April: Rainy season and low season. Especially between November and April, most of the rain falls, usually briefly but intensely. Due to strong winds and hot temperatures, a large portion of the rainwater often evaporates in the air. The rest quickly seeps into the sandy surface.

The hottest month is January, and the coolest is July. Nighttime temperatures can drop below 0 degrees Celsius. The heat in October is said to be very oppressive. I'm curious, as I will be on the ground then.

May - September/October: Winter and dry season. Daytime temperatures are a comfortable 20 - 25 °C, with sunny days and a bright blue sky. Especially in the Kalahari, temperatures can sometimes drop to freezing point.

From November onwards, the summer rainy season begins with hot temperatures and prolonged rainfall. However, the rainfall varies significantly by region. It rains the most in February in the north. In the east and southeast, there are three rainy periods. The first rain falls in early October, then again towards the end of November. From mid-December to late February, it remains hot and dry. In March and April, there are heavy rain showers again.

The best time to visit Botswana is between May and September. This is the dry season, and the wildlife must concentrate around a few existing water sources. Driving as a self-driver should be less problematic during this time as well.

In the rainy season, roads can turn into muddy tracks, which I experienced impressively in Uganda.

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