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Botswana - Facts for the Traveller
Botswana covers 585,370 square kilometres, and with a population of 1.56 million people (as at July 2004) is small for a country this size. This vast, landlocked country is bordered on the south by South Africa, on the east by Zimbabwe, to the west is Namibia, and to its north lies Namibia and Zambia (for only 700 metres, the shortest international boundary in the world).
Visas: No visa is required for visits of up to 90 days for citizens of most Commonwealth countries, most European countries and the USA. Passengers must hold a return/onward ticket and sufficient funds.
Health risks: malaria
When to visit Botswana
Winter (April through August) is a good time to visit Botswana, as the days are pleasant and the wildlife generally congregates around the water sources. June, early July and mid to late September are the least crowded times to visit. Summer isn't the best time to hit the back roads, enjoy wildlife viewing or explore the Okavango, as prolonged rains may render sandy roads inaccessible, and animals tend to disperse when water is abundant.
Botswana Travel Tips
There are various methods of travelling around Botswana from shuttle/charter flights and self-drive options as well as numerous tour operators offering a range of exhilarating guided safaris, tours and expeditions. However, the infrastructure in Botswana can be poor in places and we recommend that you do your research before arriving as some of the lodges and reserves can only be reached by air.
What to Pack for Botswana
You will require comfortable, casual and semi-casual clothes for your safari to Botswana. Please note that bright colours are not suitable for game-viewing. It is best to have some warm clothing for early-morning and evening game-drives, especially in winter.
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta used to be part of the Makgadikgadi lake – an ancient lake that dried up over 10 000 years ago. The water in the Okavango Delta is fed by rain water from Angola and has no outlet. This means that the water levels within the Okavango are completely dependent on how much it rains in Angola and how much of this rain filters down Okavango River to the Delta.
The waters of the Okavango Delta are subject to seasonal flooding. The floods begin in about January and ends close to May. Because of the high temperatures in Botswana, the water in the Okavango Delta does evaporate quickly, so often some sections of the delta won’t get any rain in one year, or the next year there will be so much rain that the islands in the Okavango will disappear completely. This ever changing landscape is part of the beauty of the Okavango Delta.
Chobe National Park
The Chobe National Park used to be the home of the San Bushmen who were hunter-gathering nomads. Their diet consisted mainly of fruit, water and wild animals. It is interesting to see the Bushman paintings inside the Chobe National Park.
Chobe National Park is best known for it massive elephant population. The Chobe elephants are larger than the normal African elephant and you will see large herds of them moving around the park.
Guests to Chobe National Park can expect to enjoy game drives on 4x4 vehicles inside the Chobe and daily river cruises on the Chobe River.
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