Road trips in Botswana

What Planet Ride offers for a tour in Botswana

To give an idea of how our Botswana road trips incorporate these great destinations and sights, take a look at our 11-day Natural Wonders of Botswana tour or the 14-day Motorbike Africa tour. Both of these, like the majority of our tours, feature a knowledgeable local guide who has lived or worked in Botswana for years. They know the people and the culture, the roads, street signs, and traffic laws, the weather, and every other critical aspect – like what that restaurant menu says! They can help with flat tires and mechanical problems. In short, they have your back for every kilometer of this Botswana adventure!

On the Natural Wonders tour, Stevie will guide you from the town of Maun to the Guma Lagoon Camp in the Okavango Delta where you’ll spend a couple of days and nights exploring, including by the traditional wooden canoe, called a Mokoro. From there, you’ll make your way along the Okavango River towards Namibia for a chance to see some of Africa’s famous big game. Henko’s tour features a lot of the same destinations but is traveled on only two wheels. Featuring BMW GS 700, GS 800 and GS 1200 motorcycles, you’ll saddle up and head out of Namibia on your way to Maun, with little more than gorgeous solitude and the occasional small village along the way. After an all-day safari through the Okavango Delta, you’ll return to Maun before departing the following day. Next up is Chobe National Park, home to elephants, hippos, and other fantastic fauna! Finally, your stint in Botswana draws to an end, as you venture on to Namibia.

Before you gear up and set off, we wanted to give you a little more info about Botswana.

Botswana’s culture is an amalgam of different tribes but primarily dominated by the Tswana people. This means there is no single language or set of beliefs, but a rich blend created by numerous different peoples. Music, dance, and the arts remain integral parts of society in Botswana. The cuisine of the country, while it shares some similarities with other Southern Africa nations, is quite distinct. Sorghum or cornmeal porridge is the staple of most Botswana meals. There are also a couple of versions of it – a thinner one eaten at breakfast, sometimes with soured milk, sugar, and tea added, and a thicker one known as bogobe, which anchors the midday meal. A few unique Setswana foods you might see during your Botswana tour (and should definitely try) include seswaa, pap, samp, vetkoek, and mopane worms. Lastly, a delicious dessert or snack that you should not miss is “fatcakes,” which are somewhat like round doughnut holes.

In addition to living it and trying it, there are some excellent museums in Botswana dedicated to preserving the culture. These include the Botswana National Museum in Gaborone, the Nabe Museum in Maun, and several others in Kanye, Molepolole, and Serowe. So, should you somehow get tired of mind-blowing wildlife and scenery, take some time to explore

You’ve maybe already gathered some of this info, but the geography of Botswana is predominantly flat, with some gently rolling elevation changes. A few geographical standouts include the Kalahari Desert, which dominates some 70% of the country’s surface area, the Okavango Delta, which is one of the world’s largest inland deltas, and the Makgadikgadi Pan, which is a large salt pan that lies in the north. A Botswana tour with Planet Ride is sure to visit at least one of these incredible destinations. Along with that flat geography comes a semi-arid climate due to the brief rainy season. More specifically, the dry season lasts from April until October or November, depending on latitude. In general, the north receives more precipitation, but the whole country has hot summers, lots of sunshine, and plenty of wind and during the dry season. Also interesting is the fact Botswana sits at a relatively high altitude and its position on the continent create a subtropical climate. Based on that, we would recommend a Botswana road trip sometime between the months of April and December. Although, we do feature a few tours with travel dates in March and January.

Botswana’s main airport (named Sir Seretse Khama, with the code GBE or FBSK) is located in the capital of Gaborone. Most arriving flights originate in Johannesburg, South Africa, but there are also common routes available from Cape Town, Harare, and Nairobi. Other travel options for getting into Botswana include bus service or car hire. Visitors from all E.U. member states, along with several other countries (including the U.S. and Canada), can stay for up to 90 days without a visa (but you will need a valid passport).

Botswana is a relatively safe country with low crime rates. If you are respectful and use common sense, you almost certainly won’t have any problems during your trip. Obviously, when traveling in the bush, you’ll need to be more alert, listen to your guide, and be a little more cautious. Beyond that, make sure you get any necessary vaccinations and medications ahead of your trip. Malaria is present in the northern part of Botswana, including Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta. Lastly, the water in urban areas is treated and generally safe to drink from the tap, but outside of the major cities, it poses a slightly higher risk to the traveler.