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Botswana Tours & Trips
294 Botswana trips. Tours from 184 tour companies. 476 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating.
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Botswana Reviews & Ratings
Above all else FUN TIME with guide
Botswana Adventure, August 2019. Loved: the trip, adventure, guide Tshepo, driver Moses. So informative, great culture immersion, great game viewing, fun accommodati...
This was an amazing three week
This was an amazing three week journey across a beautiful part of Southern Africa. An excellent itinerary with lots of included activities. Lots of wildlife, scenery...
Appreciated efforts to be socially and environmentally
Our Botswana adventure was the best guided tour we have taken. It was our first with Intrepid and were impressed by the effort taken by our leader and driver to make...
Appreciated efforts to be socially and environmentally
Our Botswana adventure was the best guided tour we have taken. It was our first with Intrepid and were impressed by the effort taken by our leader and driver to make...
Botswana Tour Selection Trips
- The dry season has the best wildlife viewing, and is from May to September. This is when animals come to drink in the Okavango Delta’s newly flooded regions.
- The hot, rainy season (November to March, with January and February being the wettest) can make roads difficult and force some lodges to close, but also brings lush vegetation, wildflowers, baby animals, and lower prices.
- Accommodations in Botswana range from luxurious private lodges to rustic campsites, though overall they’re geared toward upscale travelers. The luxury lodges are among the most expensive in all of Africa -- and, in general, prices are higher in Botswana than elsewhere.
- Much of the best wildlife viewing in the Delta can be found in the private reserves, just outside Moremi Game Reserve, though some are accessible only by air.
- Fly-in safaris are common throughout much of the country lying south of the more highly visited northern game parks.
- Many tour operators combine Botswana safaris with visits to nearby Victoria Falls on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border.
Additional details
Where is Botswana?
Botswana is a land-locked country located in southern Africa. It is bordered by Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
What languages are spoken in Botswana?
The official languages of Botswana are English and Tswana. Although most of the population speaks Tswana as a first language, many people speak English as a second language or at least understand it. In particular, those working in the tourism industry will likely know English.
Common phrases in Tswana
While most people in Botswana do speak English, it can be polite and helpful to memorize a few basic phrases in the native tongue.
- Hallo - Hello
- O Kae? - How are you?
- Ka kopo - Please
- Ke a leboga - Thank you
- O bua Sekhowa? - Do you speak English?
Is Botswana safe?
Botswana is known as the safest African country. Tourism is well-developed in this country, and violent crime rates are very low. Mugging and bag-snatching is somewhat common, so be aware of your surroundings and don’t carry large amounts of cash.
Botswana currency
The Botswanan Pula is the official currency of Botswana. Pula means “rain” in Tswana, because rain is so scarce in Botswana and therefore valuable to locals.
The US dollar is also accepted at many restaurants and lodges, but it is helpful to carry pulas as well.
Do’s and dont’s for visiting Botswana
DO
- Visit a travel health clinic or specialist before traveling and stay up to date on vaccines.
- Follow your safari guide’s instructions, especially when interacting with wildlife.
- Ask a guide or hotel staff about areas to avoid.
- Tip at restaurants and bars. 10-20% is customary.
DON’T
- Drive at night. The roads are poorly lit, and wild animals and potholes are common.
- Approach any wild animals.
- Wear expensive jewelry or rent a luxury car, especially in the cities. Showing signs of wealth will make you a bigger target for pickpockets and thieves.
- Swim in any lakes or rivers unless allowed by a guide or park warden. Wild animals such as crocodiles lurk in these waters, and you are also at risk for waterborne diseases.
Best time to visit Botswana
The best time to visit Botswana is during the dry season (May through October), when temperatures are mild and floods are rare.
Best Big Game Viewing
The Moremi Game Reserve, a national park located on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta, offers the best big game viewing in the area, and most guided trips combine it with visits to other parts of the delta.
If it’s elephants in abundance that you seek, you’ll want to include nearby Chobe National Park on your Botswana itinerary. Chobe, which lies along the Zambezi, is elephant central in all of Africa, with great herds roaming the park. (Chobe’s Savuti channel is famous for its elephant-eating lions.)
To really get off the beaten track, head to arid southern Botswana, where the huge, uncrowded Central Kalahari Game Reserve offers a chance to view desert-adapted wildlife.
The Kalahari’s enormous Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, shimmering white as far as the eye can see, are another attraction of this region. And in the far south of the country, near the South African border, the Mashatu Game Reserve, the largest private reserve in southern Africa, showcases lions, leopards and cheetahs.
Ready to make Botswana your safari choice? Let Stride help you sort through all the possibilities, to choose the guided trip that will show you the best of Botswana.
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