Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Nature Tour Botswana'

Useful addresses

Washington

Embassy of the Republic of Botswana
1531-3 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Washington DC 20036
Tel: (202) 244-4990
Fax: (202) 244-4164

London

Botswana High Commission in the United Kingdom
6 Stratford Place
London W1N 9AE
Tel: (0171) 499 31
Fax: (0171) 495 8595
Tlx: 262897

Brussels

Embassy of Botswana
169 Avenue de Tervuren
B 1150 Brussels
Tel: (2) 735 070
Fax: (2) 735 6318
Tlx: 22849

Visa

To visit Botswana a visa is not required. However, your passport should be valid until at least 6 months after leaving Botswana again.

General

Botswana lies at the heart of southern Africa. Botswana is sparsely populated and has approximately 1.5 million inhabitants. 80 percent of the population belongs to the Tswana tribe. There are minorities of Kalanga, Mbukushu, Yei, Herero and Bushmen.

Most roads in Botswana are unpaved, but okay for driving. The most practical means of transportation are SUVs. The railway system is minimal and also public transportation is not yet well developed. The official language is English, but most people speak Setswana, a Bantu language.

Nature

In the northern part of Botswana are two wonderful nature reserves. Chobe is a gorgeous National Park with a huge elephant population. Chobe is less known than Kruger National Park in South Africa, But definitely not less beautiful. The Okavango Delta is the other nature reserve. A large swamp area, which was formed where the Okavango river flows into the Kalahari river. It's the habitat of large numbers of alligators and hippos. A large part of the delta belongs to the Moremi Nature Reserve. It's possible to make boat trips in mokoros with local guides for several days. There are over a thousand islands in the delta. They are overgrown by different types of trees and grasses. The Kalahari river covers over three quarters of Botswana in the center en south-west of the country. There are hardly any tourists. The nature reserves are hard to reach and have no accomodations.

Money

In Botswana the currency is the pula. A pula is around US$0.75. It's best to bring cash in dollars. In the big cities Visa is accepted. Traveller cheques can be exchanged in banks. Bring the receipts for the traveler cheques, some banks will ask for them. Bring your passport when you go to a bank to exchange cash. In big cities are ATMs.

If you know which places you are going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's that you can use with MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa

Climate and best time to travel

June-July is a good time to travel, because during that period it doesn't rain often and also it's not too hot. In the day time you can wear a T-shirt and shorts. In the evening it gets chilly and you need a warm sweater and wind-tight jacket. At night it can be very cold. We were very happy with our thermo sleeping bags, which can be used in extremely cold temperatures, down to -15 degrees centigrade. Others in our group had to buy extra blankets.

Camping

Camping out is an experience. Not to be allowed to leave your tent, because there are hippos and alligators on the camping site is a huge experience. But take into account that the ground is not always smooth and level. Inflatable mats are perfect, but don't forget to bring a repair kit.

Health

The hygiene situation is reasonably good. Most camp site are clean and almost all toilets have paper. Most showers have hot water and it's even possible to drink tapwater. We didn't take the risk and drank bottled water. It depends on where you are, but in general you should take malaria pills. Inoculation against tyfoid, jaunice, cholera and DTP is necessary. Contact your family doctor.

For up-to-date information on health risks, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site.

Safety and security

Traveling in some countries or regions brings risks with it. That doesn't always mean that you can't go there, but part of good preperation is to get advice about possible risks.

One of the places to find information is the CIA World Factbook, but you should also consult your own country's Foreign Department web site.

Plan your trip to Botswana online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.

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