Botswana

Getting Around By Air

Major areas of the country are linked by air. There are airports in Francistown, Ghanzi, Jwaneny, Kasane, Maun, Pont Drift and Selebi-Phikwe. Many visitors use charter companies based in Maun to fly to the various lodges in Botswana. These include Delta Air (website:www.okavango.bw/air.html), Mack Air (website: www.mackair.co.bw), Moremi Air Services (website:www.moremiair.com), Northern Air, Sefofane (website:www.sefofane.com), Wildlife Helicopters and Kalahari Air Services (website: www.kalahariair.co.bw).

Getting Around by Rail

The main Botswana Railway (BR) (website: www.botswanarailways.co.bw) line runs daily between Francistown-Gaborone-Lobatse. Trains are air conditioned. In Botswana, children under seven travel free and children aged seven to 11 pay half fare. Buy tickets at the station.

Getting Around by Road

Traffic drives on the left. Botswana has good tarmac roads on major routes; generally roads range from tarmac to either gravel or sand tracks. Visitors should be careful as many drivers ignore safety rules. Reserve fuel and at least 20l of water, plus emergency supplies, should always be carried on longer journeys, and visitors are advised to make careful enquiries before setting out. Wildlife and stray livestock may pose a hazard.

Bus: Bus and combi (minibus or van) services cover Botswana's main road routes, connecting the larger towns and villages. Long-distance journeys operate via Gaborone and/or Francistown. To travel from Gaborone to Maun, you need to change in Francistown, from where there's a daily service (journey time: 5-6 hours).

Taxi: There is a taxi service in all major towns, and it is generally safe. Prices should, however, be agreed before embarking on a journey.

Car hire: Services are available in Gaborone, Francistown, Kasane and Maun. four-wheel drive vehicles are necessary in many areas.

Regulations: Seat belts must be worn. There is a speed limit of 120kph (75mph) outside built-up areas, and about 60kph (37mph) in built-up areas.

Documentation: An International Driving Permit is not legally required, but is recommended for stays of up to six months. A European licence is valid for six months after arrival and will also usually suffice; thereafter, a Botswana driving licence must be obtained, which will be issued without a test if a valid UK licence is produced.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

Public transport within towns consists of share-taxis or minibus services operating at controlled flat fares. Exclusive use of taxis is sometimes available at a higher charge although fares should always be agreed before setting off.

Journey Times

The following chart gives approximate journey times from Gaborone (in hours and minutes) to other major cities and towns in Botswana.

Main Airports

Sir Seretse Khama International (GBE) is 15km (9 miles) northwest of Gaborone. To/from the airport: There are no regular bus services to and from the airport but several hotels run combis (minibuses or vans). Taxis are available to the city centre (journey time – 15 minutes). Facilities: Left luggage, banks, bar, snack bar, restaurant, post office, duty-free shops and car hire.

Maun International Airport (MUB) receives direct flights from Johannesburg, Harare, Cape Town and Windhoek. This gateway to the Okavango Delta is served by Air Botswana, Air Namibia and several charters. For information on charters, see the Getting Around section. To/from the airport: The city centre is less than 1km (0.6 mile) walk. Taxis and shuttles are available. Facilities: Car hire and lounge with Internet and Wi-Fi.

Other major airports that handle international flights are at Kasane, Selebi-Phikwe and Francistown.

Getting There by Water

A car ferry operates across the Zambezi River to Zambia.

Getting There by Rail

There is a thrice-weekly service with Botswana Railway (BR) between Botswana and Zimbabwe (Francistown–Bulawayo; journey time – 6 hours). The train has standard class coaches with reclining seats.

A daily train with sleepers and restaurant car runs from Francistown–Gaborone–Lobatse. At Lobatse, buses cross the South African border. Botswana has assisted in the construction of the Limpopo line from Zimbabwe to Mozambique, an act which will speed up the availability of alternative routes into Botswana.

Getting There by Road

There are reasonable roads running roughly along the same routes as the railway, linking Botswana with South Africa and Zimbabwe. There is also road access from Namibia. The Botswana Tourism Board publishes a map showing all border posts and their opening times in the Travel Information section of their website (www.botswanatourism.co.bw).

Bus: Frequent services operate between Gaborone and Johannesburg. Services are also available from Windhoek in Namibia to Maun, and between Bulawayo in Zimbabwe and Francistown. Private transfers can be booked between Victoria Falls and Kasane (for Chobe National Park).

Bus: Services are available from Namibia and Zimbabwe. Frequent services also operate between Gaborone and Johannesburg. Complicated formalities may be necessary for crossing the border to or from South Africa, where the South African Customs Union agreement is in operation.

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Mainly temperate. Summer, between October and April, can be very hot, but daytime temperatures typically hover around 30ºC (86ºF). The rainy season lasts from January to March. Winter, from May to September, brings cooler weather with an average temperature of 25ºC (77ºF); early mornings and evenings may be cold and frosty, particularly in the Kalahari. The average annual rainfall decreases westwards and southwards.

Required Clothing

Loose, natural fabrics are recommended, with wet-weather gear and warmer clothes according to the season and area visiting.

Hotels

Botswana's main urban centres - Gaborone, Francistown, Kasane and Maun - all have a number of hotels and motels which generally maintain a reasonable standard. The top-end hotels offer air conditioning, swimming pools and entertainment such as film screenings, live music and dance shows; there are also budget places with fairly basic amenities. Botswana Tourism Department (see Contact Addresses) lists accommodation options online.

Grading: Botswana operates a standard 5-star rating system for all hotels, lodges and camps.

Camping/Caravanning

There are campsites at the main national parks and game reserves. Grass fires should not be started, and all litter should be removed. The presence of dangerous animals makes it advisable to exercise extreme care. Visitors are not permitted to leave their vehicles in a national park or game reserve unless in a designated area.

Accommodation Information

The Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB)

Private Bag 00423, Gaborone, Botswana 

Tel: 395 7144.

Website: www.hatab.bw

Passports

Passports valid for at least six months required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Visas

Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days except the following:

(a) 1. nationals of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia, who do need a visa);

(b) transit passengers provided continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft and not leaving the airport.

Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the high commission/embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).

Visa Note

Nationals travelling to South Africa, before or after entering Botswana, will require two clear pages in their passport for the South African stamp.

Types of Visa and Cost

General Entry: £60 (single- or multiple-entry).

Validity

Up to 90 days from the date of issue. Extensions are available from the Department of Immigration in Botswana.

Applications to:

Consulate (or consular section at embassy or high commission); see Contact Addresses.

Working Days Required

One to three.

Health Care

The dust and heat may cause problems for some people. Visitors should use sun protection, especially due to Botswana’s high altitude. The public health system is good. All main towns have chemists, and pharmaceutical supplies are readily available. Health insurance is essential.

Note

* A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over one year of age travelling from infected areas.

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Food and Drink

Safari lodges and camps serve international-style cuisine, generally of an extremely high standard, along with local beer and imported wine and spirits. Good restaurants and bars can be found in main towns, often within hotels. Beef and goat are very popular meats. Elsewhere, food is more basic: millet and sorghum porridge are the local staples.

National specialities:

• Morama (an underground tuber).

• The Kalahari truffle.

•Mopane worms (grubs, served boiled, cooked or deep-fried).

• Beans such as cow peas, ditloo (jugo beans) and letlhodi (china beans), dried bean leaves, plus nuts like peanuts and groundnuts.

•Morogo (wild spinach) is very tasty.

National drinks:

• Palm wine (which is extremely strong) and Kgadi (made from distilled sugar or fungus).

• Traditional beer such as bojalwa, which tastes a bit like apple cider.

• Homemade ginger beer is popular.

• Bush tea (or rooibos) is a reddish caffeine-free tea that is soothing and delicious, although something of an acquired taste.

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: A discretionary 5 to 10%. In many places, a service charge is automatically added. It is customary to tip the game guide and lodge staff while on safari.

Nightlife

Most people get up early in the morning, and even in the capital, Gaborone, nightlife is not very extensive. It's limited to a few bars and restaurants, a cinema and a cultural centre which stages theatrical productions. Some bars host live music sessions at weekends. Despite its steady tourist traffic, Maun is even sleepier, with just a handful of restaurants, a small cinema and a clutch of places to grab a cold beer.

Shopping

Woodcarvings, handcrafted jewellery, textiles and attractive basketry are recommended. The Okavango Delta villages of Etsha and Shorobe are particularly famous for Ngamiland-style baskets. Modern Bushman art and ostrich-eggshell jewellery can be browsed and purchased at D'Kar, 40km (25 miles) north of Ghanzi. There also occasional exhibitions at the National Museum in Gaborone.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1800, Sat 0830-1300.

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• Experience a sundowner. Sip a cool drink and enjoy a glorious sunset at the end of a satisfying afternoon game drive.

• Go on a walking safari - not for the faint-hearted but an exhilarating experience. In the hands of an experienced guide, you'll see nature in close-up, and may, if you're lucky, get thrillingly close to wild animals.

• Climb on the back of an elephant for a safari trek to remember. As well as learning all about elephants, you may see zebras, giraffes, gazelles and other animals - with no distracting vehicle noise.

• Float along on a mokoro, a traditional Okavango Delta canoe, expertly poled by a local guide who stands in the stern. Originally made from hollowed-out wood, but now just as likely to be fibreglass, they offer an unforgettable perspective.

• Fly over the Kalahari Desert in a hot-air balloon, and experience the thrill of landing in an open floodplain. 

• Experience some of the best sport fishing in Botswana, in the Okavango Delta and Chobe river systems. You can also fish near Shashe, Bokaa or Gaborone.

•Mountain bike through the bush of the Mashatu Game Reserve in the Tuli Block, stopping to watch passing elephants.

• Take off from Maun by helicopter or light aircraft to get a bird's eye view (and take some amazing photographs) of the Okavango. 

• Experience Botswana's culture in Serowe, a village with historic royal cemetery; or visit Lobatse with its Livingstone Memorial and the Botswana High Court.

• Roar across the Makgadikgadi Plains on a quad bike, revelling in the wide-open vistas.

See Contact Addresses for fourther information.

• Spot antelopes in the Gaborone Game Reserve and the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, and giraffes striding through the Khutse Game Reserve. Be dazzled by flamingoes on the Makgadikgadi Plains.

• Search for lions and leopards stalking their prey or just lazing around in the shade in the Moremi Game Reserve.

• Steer clear of charging buffalo in Chobe National Park, and marvel at hippos, while watching out for crocodiles, along the Chobe River.

• Grimace at rare brown hyenas in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, a bi-national Peace Park created on ancient animal migration routes between Botswana and South Africa.

• Admire Botswana's remaining rhinos, carefully protected from poachers, at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary in Serowe.

• Watch baboons playing in scattered rocky kopjes in the Savute area, the northern shore of the prehistoric lake that once covered most of Botswana.

• Visit the Tsodilo Hills, considered a sacred site by the Bushmen; known to have been inhabited for at least 100,000 years, these isolated hills are decorated with thousands of rock paintings.

• Venture into the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Remote and virtually unexplored, it's a refuge both for animals and the country's few remaining Bushmen.

• Gaze at the pot pourri of rocks, millions of years old, that make up the incredible scenery of the Tuli Block. It has a patchwork of private game ranches and ruggedly beautiful countryside.

• See the Okavango Delta, an extremely beautiful region of vast grass flats, low tree-covered ridges and narrow, shallow waterways opening into lagoons which fill with water during the annual flood.

See Contact Addresses for further information.

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