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Botswana Travel Tips


Getting There

In Botswana, Gaborone and Maun are serviced by daily Air Botswana flights from Johannesburg. Kasane is serviced by scheduled flights between Maun and Gaborone, although most Travellers opt for a more flexible private air charter service. Access from Victoria Falls is via Kasane where charters or road transfers can be arranged. Road entry from South Africa via a selection of border crossings is possible in the south of Botswana, as well as from Zimbabwe in the east. The busiest crossing is at Kazungula, close to Victoria Falls. The Kazungula ferry operates river crossings into Zambia just outside Kasane.  Namibia can be accessed from the Caprivi in the north or via the western side of Botswana at Ghanzi in the Kalahari.
 

Weather

Botswana has warm to very hot summers (October to April) and cold to very cold winters (May to August). Warm clothes and a windproof jacket are highly recommended on a winter safari, especially on game drives. Although showers are sparse, the rainy season extends from October to April.
 

Average temperatures are:
 

 
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Deg C

min
18
17
16
12
7
6
6
9
14
15
19
19

Deg C

max
32
32
30
29
26
23
24
27
33
35
33
33

Deg F

min
67
66
64
56
46
44
44
50
60
62
70
70

Deg F

max
96
96
90
90
84
78
80
86
98
102
98
98

Language

In Botswana, Travel is made easy as English is the official language, while Setswana is the national tongue. English is widely spoken in Botswana.
 

Currency

Pula is Botswana’s most precious commodity… no it’s not money, nor diamonds. Pula is the Setswana name for rain! The Botswana Pula is the currency of Botswana, and bank notes are issued in Pula. The coins are known as Thebe.
 

Download the American Express Foreign Exchange outlets in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana PDF
 

Electricity

In Botswana, all electrical appliances run on 220 volts. 

Plug point outlets are designed to fit round 3pin, 15 amp plugs.
 

Local Time

Throughout the year Standard Time in Botswana is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2), one hour ahead of Central European Winter Time, and seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Winter Time in the USA.
 

Photo Tips

On safari in Botswana, a minimum zoom lens of 200 millimetres is recommended for African wildlife photography. Bear in mind that large lenses and elaborate equipment is cumbersome on safari, particularly walking trails.

Be mindful of your maximum permitted luggage on a fly-in safari. Often the 12kg luggage limit includes safari attire, hand luggage and safari equipment!
 

On safari in the more remote areas, camera chargers, adapters, spare camera film, and batteries are essential.

Don’t forget your photographer ethics! It is considered rude to photograph local people without their consent and it easily offends the local Botswana people if you do.

Do not film any military installations, Botswana airports or border crossings.