Botswana
Botswana is only a relatively recent addition to the must-see destinations of Africa. Desperately poor until a series of diamond discoveries in the late 1960s and ’70s, the country was catapulted into the modern world by its newfound wealth, becoming a model, mineral-rich economy. It is blessed with dramatic and diverse landscapes, extremes of environment, an abundance of wildlife, and an infrastructure that allows people to explore it, suggesting that tourism, particularly ‘high cost, low volume’ tourism, will be this country’s lifeline.
What to see
Gaborone
Vast modern metropolis and capital city, whose major attraction is the National Museum and Art Gallery, which holds historic artefacts and some San paintings.
Okavango Delta
A maze of waterways and islets that make up the world’s largest inland delta. Travel by dugout, mokoro, or speedboat to explore its channels and reed beds, looking out for the abundant animal and bird life that lives here.
Chobe National Park
A superb park and the perfect place to spot elephants in large numbers. Cruise the Chobe River for encounters with crocodiles and hippo too.
Moremi Game Reserve
One of Africa’s most pristine and exclusive wildernesses, home to a wealth of wildlife.
Nxai Pan National Park
Come for the annual migration of thousands of wildebeest and zebras as they move across the pans.
Top experiences / sites of particular interest
Makgadikgadi Pans
A flat salt bed is all that remains of a once enormous lake that covered much of central and northern Botswana. Explore it when bone dry for a surreal experience or return during the rains when it is transformed into a watery landscape full of birds and wildlife.
Kalahari
Home to the last remaining Bushmen, the Kalahari is a vast empty desert that takes up much of the country. Travel through it for a sense of space and wilderness, and also to track down ancient rock paintings and ceremonial sites such as the Tsodilo Hills.
When to go
The hottest time of the year to visit is also the wettest – the rains fall from October to April. The flooding of the Okavango Delta from December to March makes travel here at this time difficult. May to September is drier but cooler, with average temperatures around 25˚C. Visit towards the end of this period as days are more pleasant, the flora is in bloom and the wildlife is likely to be closer to the water.
Independence Day falls on 30 September and is celebrated over two days, whilst President’s Day in July also necessitates two days of partying.
Getting there / around
There is an international airport close to Gaborone (GBE) and another near Maun (MUB). There are a number of internal flights connecting major cities that represent a good way of getting about.
Train and road links are relatively sparse but those that are there, work efficiently.
Car hire is possible in the capital.
Potential itineraries
Although possible to travel independently, many less confident visitors book a tour to take them round the country. To explore the best of Botswana in a short time, stick to the northern part of the country. Over two to three weeks and beginning in Maun, you can explore the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve before heading northeast towards Chobe National Park and the Chobe River to revel in the scenic splendour and wildlife.
In a similar timescale you can escape the crowds by exploring the Kalahari. Enter Botswana from South Africa at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park then head east to the capital Gaborone before zigzagging your way northwest across the desert to finally finish at Tsodilo Hills.
Our Recommendations
Guides
There is a dearth of comprehensive guidebooks to Botswana but Lonely Planet’s guide to Botswana and Namibia or Bradt’s book on Botswana fill the void. New Holland also publish a Globetrotter's guide. Veronica Roodt Publications have specialist field guides to the Trees and Shrubs of the Okavango Delta and Common Wild Flowers of the Okavango Delta. For images and information on the Okavango, seek out Frans Lanting’s glorious Okavango, Africa’s Last Eden.
Maps
There are comprehensive country road maps for Botswana available from Reise Know-How, Map Studio.ITMB and Tracks4Africa also publishes a map of Botswana for people driving. Veronica Roodt produces a number of National Park maps covering Chobe National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Moremi Game Reserve. The Botswana Survey has a map of the Okavango Delta.
Read More
For an introduction to the region’s myths and folklore, pick upThe Girl Who Married a Lion by Alexander McCall Smith. McCall Smith is also responsible for a very successful series of gentle, unlikely detective novels set in Botswana – The Number One Ladies Detective Agency kicked off a series that now extends to more than ten titles.
Pre-Trip Practicalities
Language
English and Setswana
Currency
Pula (P) made up of 100 thebe.
Visas
UK and US citizens do not require a visa before entering the country.
Health issues
Issues Inoculations for cholera, hep A, hep B, polio, rabies, typhoid and yellow fever are recommended. Malaria is also present in parts of the country.
Safety, FO travel advice
Generally safe, warm and welcoming.
Useful Telephone Numbers
There are Botswana country representatives
In the UK at:
6 Stratford Place, London, W1C 1AY. Tel: 020 7499 0031.In the US at:
1531-33 New Hampshire Avenue,NW, Washington DC 20036. Tel: 202 244 4990.There is a Botswana tourist board at the same address as the embassy in London.
For more information visit www.botswana.uk.com.