Things to Do in Botswana

About Botswana

The Kalahari sand sticks between your toes at Central Kalahari Game Reserve while lions roar so close you feel it in your ribcage. This is Botswana — where the Okavango Delta floods the desert every June, creating 15,000 square kilometers of watery wilderness that shouldn't exist but does. In Maun, prop planes buzz overhead like mechanical mosquitoes, carrying visitors to camps where a night under canvas costs 4,500 pula ($330) but includes the Milky Way in full surround sound. The Chobe River at Kasane turns into an elephant highway at sunset — you'll watch 500 trunk-swinging giants cross from Namibia while sipping a Windhoek lager that costs 25 pula ($1.80) from the lodge bar. Winter mornings in the delta bite cold at 5°C (41°F) despite the desert location, but by noon you're stripping layers as temperatures hit 28°C (82°F) and your mokoro (traditional canoe) glides past red lechwe antelope that have evolved to wade in water. The trade-off? You'll pay safari prices for everything — a simple chicken sandwich runs 85 pula ($6) in Moremi Game Reserve, and getting anywhere requires small planes or long drives on corrugated dirt roads. But where else do wild dogs hunt through your campsite at night and you wake to hippo grunts instead of alarm clocks?

Travel Tips

Transportation: Forget public transport — it barely exists. Charter flights between camps cost 3,200-4,800 pula ($235-350) but save 8-hour drives on bone-shaking roads. Self-drive 4WD rental runs 1,200 pula ($88) daily from Maun, but you'll need sand-driving experience for the Kalahari. The insider move: book seat rates on chartered flights between camps (about 1,800 pula/$132) instead of paying for the whole plane. Download the Tracks4Africa app before you land — GPS works offline when you hit the pans. Warning: don't attempt the Makgadikgadi salt pans without GPS and recovery gear; that white expanse eats vehicles for breakfast.

Money: Botswana's pula currently trades at 13.6 to the dollar, but safari camps quote in USD anyway. ATMs exist in Gaborone, Maun and Kasane — nowhere else. Camps add 3-5% credit card surcharges, so bring clean, new $100 bills for tips and extras. The move: pay camp bills in pula if they'll accept it — you'll save 5-7% on the exchange rate. Street vendors in Maun take dollars but give change in pula at terrible rates. Camps expect $15-20 per guide per day in tips, so budget accordingly. Pro tip: the forex booth at Maun airport gives better rates than banks, and they're open for all flight arrivals.

Cultural Respect: The San people at D'Kar village still hunt with poison arrows, but don't photograph them without asking — 50 pula ($3.70) per photo is expected. When guides say 'hello' clicks in the San language, try the tongue-click greeting back — they'll appreciate the effort even if you butcher it. At village visits, women should cover shoulders and knees; men should remove hats. Don't point with your index finger — it's how they indicate enemies. The faux pas to avoid: treating the San like tourist exhibits. Instead, buy their handicrafts at the D'kar craft shop where beadwork runs 150-600 pula ($11-44) and the money goes directly to families.

Food Safety: Botswana beef is legendary — the T-bone at the President's Lodge in Francistown costs 120 pula ($8.80) and feeds two. But that steak will be well-done unless you specify otherwise. In camps, don't refuse the traditional seswaa (shredded goat) — it's rude, and actually tastes like tender pot roast. The water's safe at lodges (they filter everything), but buy bottled water in villages at 12 pula ($0.88) per liter. Street food in Maun: try the vetkoek (fried dough) filled with mince for 8 pula ($0.60) — the oil's always hot enough to kill anything. One warning: the mopane worms sold at markets look like caterpillars because they are — chewy, nutty, and definitely an acquired texture.

When to Visit

April to September is the sweet spot — temperatures hover at 25-28°C (77-82°F) with zero rainfall and animals concentrated around water sources. This is peak safari season when camps charge 40-60% more: expect to pay 6,000-8,000 pula ($440-590) per night at luxury delta camps. October hits 38°C (100°F) but offers the best wildlife viewing as elephants swim the Chobe River in herds of 200-plus — plus shoulder-season rates drop 25%. November to March is green season: camps cost 2,500-4,000 pula ($185-295) nightly, but afternoon thunderstorms turn roads to mud and malaria risk peaks. December to February brings baby animals and bird migrations — photographers pay premium for this despite 70% humidity. March sees the zebra migration to Deception Valley, but getting there means 12-hour drives through axle-deep sand. The secret month? May: floodwaters peak in the delta, temperatures sit at 24°C (75°F), and camps still offer shoulder-season rates. Avoid August if you're budget-conscious — it's school holidays in Southern Africa, camps book solid at top prices, and you'll share sightings with 20 vehicles instead of two.