Botswana


Savuti, Botswana
Savuti's Elephant-Eating Lions
A patch of the Kalahari Desert dries up or is irrigated depending on the region's tectonic whims. In Savuti, lions have become used to depending on themselves and prey on the largest animals in the savannah.
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Not all rivers reach the sea
Third longest river in southern Africa, the Okavango rises in the Angolan Bié plateau and runs 1600km to the southeast. It gets lost in the Kalahari Desert where it irrigates a dazzling wetland teeming with wildlife.
Chobe NP, Botswana
Chobe: A River on the Border of Life with Death
Chobe marks the divide between Botswana and three of its neighboring countries, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. But its capricious bed has a far more crucial function than this political delimitation.
savuti, botswana, elephant-eating lions
Savuti, Botswana

Savuti's Elephant-Eating Lions

A patch of the Kalahari Desert dries up or is irrigated depending on the region's tectonic whims. In Savuti, lions have become used to depending on themselves and prey on the largest animals in the savannah.
Okavango Delta, Not all rivers reach the sea, Mokoros
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Not all rivers reach the sea

Third longest river in southern Africa, the Okavango rises in the Angolan Bié plateau and runs 1600km to the southeast. It gets lost in the Kalahari Desert where it irrigates a dazzling wetland teeming with wildlife.
hippopotami, chobe national park, botswana
Chobe NP, Botswana

Chobe: A River on the Border of Life with Death

Chobe marks the divide between Botswana and three of its neighboring countries, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. But its capricious bed has a far more crucial function than this political delimitation.

Map


How to go


VISA AND OTHER PROCEDURES

Passport valid for six months is only required. Portuguese citizens do not need a visa and obtain a 30-day stay permit. See page Botswana Embassy for more information.

HEALTH CARE

Yellow fever vaccine is required for passengers from countries at risk of contagion or who have passed through those countries or their airports for more than 12 hours.

Prevention of malaria is also advised.  It is also recommended the Typhus and Hepatitis B vaccine. Before leaving, you should contact the Clinic of Tropical Medicine and Travelers, Av. da Liberdade, 129, 7th dto, tel. 21 322 5622.

For more information on traveling health, see the Health Portal of the Ministry of Health and Tropical and Traveler Medicine Clinic. Botswana-specific health and disease prevention advice also in FitForTravel.

TRIP TO BOTSWANA

Due to its distance and location, Botswana is a destination that will always require you to fly with two or even more stopovers (for example: Frankfurt + Johannesburg) and pay a hefty price for the return flight, usually a minimum €900.

Must Do's


  • Okavango Delta
  • ​Makgadikgadi Pans & Nxai National Park
  • Chobe National Park
  • Savuti
  • Tsodilo Hills
  • Central Kalahari Animal Reserve
  • Moremi Animal Reserve
  • Caprivi Strip

Explore


Botswana is not the kind of destination that travelers tend to discover on their own. The country has an expensive tourism with low volume of visitors.

The accommodation and conditions for exploration of the truly unmissable areas of the country such as the PN Chobe, Savuti, the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari is practically up to lodges more or less sophisticated, largely owned by South African owners or co-owners.

Most visitors leave their countries already with “all-inclusive” programs that group flights, transfers, stays and safaris in these lodges. 

That said, Botswana even has some of the best conditions in Africa to travel independently. It is socially stable and quite secure. Even though it has one of the most consolidated economies on the continent, prices are outside the lodges luxurious, are quite affordable.

INTERNAL FLIGHTS

the national company Air Botswana operates a limited number of flights between the country's main towns: Gaborone, Francistown, Maun and Kasane. 

In high season, these same routes and others are covered by charter flights as part of packages that already include stays and safaris. Sometimes this is the only way to reach villages and lodges isolated.

CAR RENTAL

If you prefer a more adventurous alternative, rent a car – preferably 4WD or even a jeep, especially during the rainy season – and go exploring. Remember, however, that you will always have to find a way to safely go on safaris in wildlife areas such as PN Chobe, Savuti, Kalahari or the ever-flooded and remote Okavango Delta. The ideal, in this case, is to book tours operated by companies based in Maun, Kasane and other tourist centers.

A rental car can cost from €140 per week for an economy vehicle for 5 people. Add a few more euros for insurance which, although not mandatory, is highly recommended. You rent-a-car from Botswana usually charge €20 to €30 for cleaning the car, if you return it really dirty.

OTHER

Travel by bus, combis and other forms of local transport are possible in main hubs and cities, but complementary connections and solutions will consume a great deal of time and money available to discover the country. Buses run along the main roads in the country and charge around €1,50 for each hour of travel. Remember that you should not be able to reach villages far from the main roads on these buses.

When to go


high season

April to the end of August are the best times to visit the Botswana. The days remain less hot but sunny and pleasant and the animals keep together à Water.

mid-season

September, October and November are also valid months.

Low season

Even taking into account the recent climatic instability, monsoons usually settle from December to March. In these months, rain is more frequent and can last for several days.

Money and costs


The national currency is the Pula (BWP). It is advisable to bring a Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit card that you can use at our lodges as well as Euros and/or US Dollars which you can occasionally exchange for Pulas for purchases in village markets.

ACCOMMODATION

Complete programs for Botswana with stay in lodges cost from €3.000 for 8 days of the tour.

FOOD

Normally, meals are included in circuits/programs sold by travel agencies and operators. Meals apart from these packages, in the lodges, have significant costs at a minimum of €25 per person for lunch or dinner. Restaurants in the main cities and towns serve meals that are probably not so well-prepared, but for a much cheaper price, starting at €3.

INTERNET

Outside the main towns, you will have access – via wifi or cable, but always slow – only in some of the most sophisticated lodges in the country. On the other hand, the lodges, hotels and numerous other establishments – including internet cafes – in Gaborone, Maun, Francistown, Kasane and Ghanzi guarantee access to fast, free or relatively cheap internet.