Botswana Travel Forum

Hi all

I am arriving in 10 days to botswana and Ideally i would like to get to vic falls on a bus from botswana airport! is this possible? if not any suggestions, would it may be easier getting to joburg first?

any comments greatfully received.

we are a group of 8 families driving from SA to Kasane. Can anyone give me an update on the road conditions between Nata and Kasane? Also what are the roads like in the Chobe reserve? Have the recent floods damaged the roads significantly?

My wife and I are in our mid-fifties and seasoned backpackers. We have travelled widely, but never in Africa. We have 3 weeks starting in mid-July. We want to see elephants, lions, tigers, zebras, giraffes and rhinos plus anything else lurking in the bush. We would also like to see Victoria Falls.
My question; what's the best way to do it? Should we hire a car and travel alone, taking short safaris and finding our own accomodation?? Or should we take one or two reasonably priced tours??
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Bruce and Chris

OK, here's a strange question - if any of you can answer this one I'll be truly impressed with this forum.

I'm going to Botswana this summer and have been invited to play the accordion at a benefit show that will take place while I'm in Gabarone. Trouble is, I'm going on safari first, and I can't take much luggage. My beginning and end points are different, so I can't drop off an instrument and retrieve it later. I need to rent or borrow an accordion in Gabarone. Any suggestions? A music store or musician?

Thanks in advance,

acprincess

Does anybody knows where i could find information about volunteering in Botswana? someone from there (i contacted him through a social network) proposed me some kind of volunteering but he said i still had to pay from 10 to 15 euros for accomodation and food. Is it normal that you have to pay for accomodation during volutnteer? it would be my first experience as such so i have no idea, but an advice would be of great help.


Viviana

Hi!
I'm a girl (25 years) who will travel by herself to volunteer in Gaborone for a month starting the next July.I wonder if somebody could help me suggesting to get or not to get on a bus to do this trial.Somebody told me it's cheaper to fly to Johannesburg from my country(Italy)and from there catch a bus from the rotunda.I don't know if it's safe,or if it's better just flying straight to Gaborone.
Thank you for the attention.
Viviana

I would like to Bring to the attention of the Self Driving people that the Police fines being handed out in Botswana has gone up Insanely!. I would recommend that you take extreme care to avoid buggering up your holidays due to unnecessary fines. A sample of the fine is attached.

1) Exceeding Speed Limits P3000-P5000 or 18-2Yrs in Prison
2) Drunken Driving P5000-P10 000 2 to 5 Yrs in Prison
3) Dangerous / Reckless Driving P 2000-P10 000
4) Failure TO Obey police Instructions P 1000- P5000
5) Improper Vehicle Condition P 1000- P 10 000

Oh yes and if you a foreigner be expected to be treated specially ! ( if you know what I mean.

Hi,

We will be travelling from Victoria Falls (Zambia), into Botwana, via Kazungula and the route we shall be taking will see me through the Chobe National Park and down to Maun at the foot of the Okavango. Taking all things into consideration I think we need to break this journey somewhere with an overnight stop - especially as I do not wish for us to rush through Chobe.
I have been looking at accommodation and it all appears to be SO expensive - and we are a family of 4 - so when something is priced per person we have to multiply that by 4!!!
Has anybody got any information about a sensibly priced B&B, lodge, chalet.... in the area? Bearing in mind we are aiming, the following day, to get to Maun, we need to travel much further than Kasane which currently, to me, seems the cheapest option :-s
Would be most grateful because I am starting tog et very disheartened now...
Thnaking you for any help and tips, in advance :-)

Does anybody knows if there are car rental agencies in Zambia (livingstone) where you can hire a car to go across the border into Bostwana or what other from of transport is available to cross from Vic Falls into Botswana.

We were hoping to fly to Maun from Joburg but it is over 8000 Rand rtn so we were considering the alternative of Joburg to Gabs and driving to Maun. We have 10 days in Bots and would like to spend most of it around Moremi so will need to rent out a 4x4 with camping gear. Do people think it is feasible to drive to Maun maybe with a day or two stopping off in the central Kalahari.


Cheers,
Tim.

I'm planning a tour in Botswana in september. On some maps it seems thats travelling from Maun to Kasane is possible driving NE to Shorobe and on to Kachikau. But on other maps, there seems to be no road from Kachikau to Kasane and it looks like it's necessary to head E from Maun to Nata and then N to Kasane, making it a 600 km trip. Can anyone inform me on the possibilities to get from Maun to Kasane by road?

Hi there

after spending a week with the family at Kruger Park I am tempted to drive up to Botswana on my own; in a span of 8 - 10 days I'd like to visit CKGR, Makgadikgadi, Nxai and probably Khama. I have been to Africa about a dozen times , both on guided trips and self drives but it would be my first trip to Botswana so here I pose some "rookie" questions:

in general, what will the weather be like in the three parks I mentioned, what about road conditions?

my basic idea right now is to leave Jo'burg and drive up to Ghanzi via Transkalahari Highway. I'd then like to enter CKGR fom the West but I've heard the road might be tough - true? I would concentrate on the nothern part of CKGR before continue on to Mak and Nxai via Rakops, not necessarily driving all the way up to Maun. My return to Jo'burg could be via Orapa, Palapye and Gaborone.

I am not sure if I should rent a car with camping gear or stay in pre-erected camps, huts, bandas, etc...

Any thoughts on that, suggestions, corrections would be welcome

thanks

Hi I might be spending a 5 week placement in Francistown in june/july of this year and I was wondering the best and cheapest way to get there from UK - or from Johannesburg, as it is easy to fly there from London? Also what kinda activities are there to do in the area.
Cheers :)

Hi,

We will be looking to visit the Okavango Delta and Chobe NP in Aug or Sep this year. Along with Victoria Falls.

1. Do you think these places are easy to do on your own, if we hire a car? Or is a return safari tour from the falls the way we should go?

2. Would like a canoe trip through the Delta. How long do these take, and can a guide, canoe and accomodation(if required) be booked at the entrance?

3. Likewise in Chobe - Can a boat trip and road safari be organised from the entrance?

4. Is 1 week enough to do all 3?

Thanks, and Happy New Year

B and J

I'm going to have a couple of days in Gabarone without a car. Any advice on where to stay, where to eat, and what to do? Saving money is good, but this is a big lifetime splurge, so I would pay a little more for simething that's worth it. Especially food.

I read a disturbing statement on the US State Department traveler's advisory page saying there's a lot of crime in Gabarone. Is this true? Is it as bad as, say, New York City? They said that US embassy employees aren't allowed to hike on Kgale Hill.

Thanks

I'm going to Botswana next summer and the time has come to choose a safari. I've narrowed it down to a couple of choices (although I'm still open to suggestions.) The packages are:

Option 1:
Meno a Kwena camp in the Kalahari
Delta Camp in the Okavango
Kasane Garden Lodge in Chobe

Option 2:
Deception valley lodge in the kalahari
Delta Camp and Mapula in the Okavango
Muchenje Safari Lodge in Chobe

I would appreciate any feedback you can give me about these lodges. I have no grounds for choosing one over the other.


I'm planning on a day to decompress after flying into Johannesburg. I could stay in either Johannesburg or Maun. Any advice?

I'm leaving for Africa trip in 10 days (Botswana Namibia, and South Africa for 2 months), and am finally starting to decide on the specific itineraries (I know, very late).

The one thing that made me worried when I was reading the guidebook was it looks like some of the safaris require camp-site reservations well in advance. I'm planning to pitch my own tent at each safari (and probably avoid most of the safaris where I cannot for a budget reason), and my previous impression was that you don't need well-advanced reservations for doing so.

However it looks like that's not true at least for the safaris in Botswana (Chobe and Moremi). How well in advance do you think I need to make them for those safaris? I usually don't like setting up fixed dates to go to certain places when I travel (except having rough ideas), and I'd rather not do that if I don't have to, but it seems like you don't have a choice for certain safaris.

Also are there other safaris in the above three countries, where I'd need to make reservations for camping (meaning pitching my own tent) well in advance? It doesn't look like I have to for Krugers, but I'm not sure about others.

Thank you for your advice.

Do you except Wesbank Auto feul cards.

Kia ora, travellers.
we are a couple of hardy, experienced, older travellers who will be spending two weeks in botswana in the Okavango, Chobe, Maun and on to Luangwa etc in July. We have been told it can be "very cold" at this time but are not sure what this really means. We are very limited in the luggage we can take so don't want to take heavy clothes if we don't really need them but do want to be warm enough, of course. Has anyone travelled there at this time of the year? We'd be grateful for any advice.

during may I will be on a tented safari in botswana does any one have any information about the following campsites
Okavango cc africa
Savute channel
Moremi game reserve
serondela
it will be our first trip to botswana so any tips would be welcomed

I will be travelling to botswana on an organised tented safari-what currency should i take?
will I be able to case travellers cheques-in sterling

Dear,

Has anyone here travelled with drive botswana? We are thinking of taking them for our 16-day holiday in october. We would like to be sure it's a reliable organisation...

Thanks,
Carl

I'm totally naive about travelling in Africa. I'm planning on flying to Johannesburg, then getting (somehow) to the Okavango Delta, probably Maun. I don't particularly want to drive, but I'd like to see the countryside, and I think I'll be real tired of airplanes by the time I get to Africa. Are there trains or buses? I appreciate comfort, but I don't require luxury. Will it be tough with luggage?

Thanks
acprincess

Looking for advice on lodges within Chobe / Okavengo. We are considering either going to (1) Muchenje Safari Lodge and Mapula Lodge OR to (2) Chobe Chilwero and Xakanaxa Camp. Looking for help with the difference in experiences at these lodges (i.e., animals, activities, size, location).

Also, has anyone been to Mapula Lodge? I can't seem to find many revies online for this camp.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Hi,

I will be travelling with some friends to Botswana in September. We'll be based in Gabs but moving around a bit. We have a car, but not a 4x4, so are planning to drive to various lodges and campsites and get organised trips into game reserves. Are the places I have selected to stay at good? A couple of my friends are students so I can't be too extravagant.

Day 1: Gabs ---> Francistown for a couple of hours ---> Nata lodge

Day 2: Something fun in the morning then on to Kasane (Chobe Safari Lodge)

Day 3-5: Game drives, boat trips and fishing

Day 6: Off to Maun. Is it actually possible to drive direct from Kasane to Maun? There seems to be a road indicated on the maps, but I read somewhere else that "Nata is the halfway point between Kasane and Maun", suggesting that you have to go the long way around. We'll be staying at the Audi Camp.

Day 7-8: 2 day Moroko Trip with overnight camping. How good is this? I imagine it will be incredible...

Day 9: Back to Gabs, possibly via the Pans.



Any advice / suggestions? Thanks in advance :)

hello, a friend and i are looking to spend around 8-9 days in botswana via Joberg. im on a budget and willing to to do a self drive tour. Im looking for info on feasibility of renting a car or 4X4 and driving into national parks and Vic falls. here are some questions:
*do i need 4X4
*if im going feb 1st, do i still have time to book campsites? how do u do this?
*safety driving in parks?
* are there other options for overnighting if i cant get a site???
*which areas are best to see in FEB?

I know lots of questions, however I would be greatly appreciate any help from anyone who might help me make this a great trip. Thanks Alot! Erik

Hey! Was wondering how to best go about getting from Livingstone to Kasane? We're a group of 4 and want to avoid the expensive transfer offered by our lodge in Chobe. I'm sure we can do better than US$70 each way per person! That seems absolutely outrageous for such a short distance! Thanks, James

hi all
will be going back home to kenya with my children and with Nov 2008 late.. i will be using 4x4 .. we will be passing trough Kasane,Victoria falls,Zambia,Tanzania then masai mara.. anyone would like to join me you are free that time..

I read that the polers eat almost just fish , what I would like to know is if we go into the delta with the Makorros can I take my fishing rod with me ? A friend told me that thet polers quickly catch a couple of fish for their supper.You get a poler to take yoy on bush walks and bird watching , can mine take me fishing ?

Hi there,

I'm planning a self-drive trip from Cape Town, via Namibia, through Botswana. I understand that the road conditions in South Africa and Namibia are such that a 2WD vehicle is sufficient. My question is: Will a 2WD vehicle get me safely from Windhoek to Kasane? Are there major places I won't be able to go? My vehicle rental is $600 for a one-way trip in a 2WD car and nearly $1500 for a 4WD. Is it really worth the extra $900?

Thanks,