Four weeks in Botswana (page 3 of 3)

Hi Michel, Last year we went to Namibia. This year we just booked our tickets for 3 weeks in Botswana (in July).

Could you give me 2-3 tips? Which agency did you rent your vehicle from? The price? Despite the trunk issue, were you happy with it? Did you book your campsites in advance? That’s what we did in Namibia (but we couldn’t change our itinerary or stay longer in the same place if we liked it. Too bad!) What were the minimum temperatures?

What was the cost of your trip for 2 people?

Did you enjoy Botswana?

Thanks for your replies. Christophe manuechris2@wanadoo.fr

Hi Christophe,

Regarding the rental of 4x4s with roof tents, we went through the South African company Safari 4x4 Hire based in Pretoria. They’re friendly and responsive, but I’m a bit hesitant to recommend them. While the vehicles were in good mechanical condition, the accessories were in worse shape. We had broken hard-top attachments, a roof tent in poor condition, and the air conditioning was out of service for our friends. We had the chance to help a young English couple get unstuck from the sand on the track—they had a vehicle rented from Avis South Africa. Their vehicle seemed much better equipped than ours, and they hadn’t had any mechanical issues. As for the rental price in September/October (note that prices vary by season), we paid 50,000 ZAR (2,940 €) + 7,830 ZAR (460 €) for 26 days of rental.

When it comes to accommodations inside the reserves, it’s essential to book in advance. As I mentioned in my travel journal, without a camping reservation voucher at the park entrance, you won’t be allowed in. For the towns of Maun and Kasane, I think it should be possible to book directly yourselves. For camping reservations, you *must* go through a tour operator. I wouldn’t recommend the one I used—they were terrible (overpriced services, lack of responsiveness). Be careful: there are very few campsites, so for July, you might struggle to find availability (agencies usually recommend booking a year in advance). I really encourage you to start planning as soon as possible.

In July, nighttime temperatures will be much cooler than what we experienced in September/October (13°C in the Kalahari), and I think it can drop to 5°C. The cost of our trip for four weeks was around 10,000 € for two people. Botswana is an expensive destination that caters to luxury tourism.

When asked if we liked Botswana, the answer is a big yes. Compared to Namibia, Botswana is a flat country with no real elevation. The tracks are true off-road paths, not gravel roads like in Namibia, so a 4x4 is necessary. You feel much more connected to nature than in Namibia or South Africa, mainly because the campsites are small, in the heart of nature, and not fenced (animals might visit at night).

Finally, there’s no mass tourism in the parks (except for Chobe National Park), which means when we saw big cats, we were alone. There weren’t a dozen cars clustered around like you see in other wildlife destinations.

What’s your planned itinerary?

If you have any other questions, I’m happy to help.

Hi Michel, Thanks so much for these answers. I’d love to hear about your agency to "avoid" ;) I haven’t planned my route yet… happy to use yours ;) to get a rough idea if that’s possible.

Thanks again, Christophe

Hi Christophe, The tour operator we used is Hamba Futhi Tours, based in Johannesburg. I strongly advise against using them—plus, their website is currently suspended. I’ve heard about Tawana Self Drive, an agency based in Botswana. You might want to contact them.

Regarding the route, if you’re not an experienced 4x4 driver and you’re traveling with just one vehicle, I’d strongly advise against crossing the Kalahari from south to north. You can reach the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) by road from Johannesburg, via Gaborone, Serowe, and Rakops. In Rakops, you can refuel and stock up on supplies.

At CKGR, you can spend 3 or 4 nights moving between campsites. There are about fifteen campsites in the park, but be aware—they have very few spots (5 to 10 max per site), so you’ll need to book well in advance.

After that, you can head to Khumaga, cross the Boteti River by ferry (one of my favorite spots in Botswana), and spend 2 nights at the Khumaga campsite in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. There’s a track along the river where we saw lots of animals bathing at sunset—it was truly magical, just like the Africa of our dreams.

Then, take the track north toward Nxai Pan National Park, making a detour to Baines Baobabs. Spend 1 or 2 nights camping in the park.

After that, spend 1 or 2 nights in Maun to restock and relax. From Maun, you can take a boat to Chief’s Island in the heart of the Okavango Delta—about 8 hours round trip and 400 $ per person. We didn’t do this excursion because it was too long and too expensive. It’s also possible to fly there.

From Maun, you can continue to Moremi Game Reserve and camp at Third Bridge or Xakanaka for 3 or 4 nights. From these campsites, there are plenty of tracks to explore, and you can also take boat excursions in the Okavango Delta. Personally, we took a boat ride from Third Bridge. A big advantage over Maun—where there’s heavy boat traffic—is that Third Bridge only has two boats. Total peace and quiet.

Next, head east to Kwai (a beautiful walk along the Kwai River—plan for 1 night). Then continue north via Savuti and Linyanti (there’s a lovely campsite by the Linyanti River).

After that, follow the Linyanti River to Kasane.

In Kasane, plan for at least 3 nights if you want to visit Victoria Falls. Leave your vehicle at the hotel and book a day trip (you can reserve through any hotel or travel agency in Kasane). Visit Chobe River Front.

Then return by road via Nata, Francistown, and Gaborone (I didn’t take this route).

I think three weeks is plenty of time to complete this route—it’s just a suggestion.

Happy trip planning!

Christophe In my opinion, if you want to enjoy Botswana and see wildlife, your itinerary has too many stops in the south of South Africa and southern Botswana, whereas the most beautiful reserves are in northern Botswana. By road, you can head north quickly and spend more time there.

You only have 2 nights planned in the CKGR—you could add one more. Don’t forget that the average speed on the tracks is around 20 km/h. Even if the distances on the map seem short, the average is low when you factor in all the stops to observe animals.

You’re not heading to Third Bridge or Xakanaka in the Moremi Game Reserve, where it’s easy and quick to navigate the Okavango Delta.

Since your plan isn’t detailed, I don’t know if you’re passing by the Boteti River. Double-check—it’d be a shame to miss that.

This is just my opinion, of course.

Thanks again. It’s such a pain having to book everything in advance—ugh! In Namibia, we were told the same thing, and the campsites were completely empty... I took your comments into account, thanks. But I still think the price is pretty high? I’m waiting for other quotes, including from Tawanaselfdrive. To be continued. And thanks again for taking the time to help us! Christophe

Hi Cagiva, Thanks for this detailed travel journal and all the practical tips you shared. It’s really strengthened my desire to visit Botswana. I’m planning my first trip to Southern Africa for early June. I was originally thinking of going to Botswana, but I realize the timing is a bit tight. So, I’ll head to South Africa or Namibia for this first experience instead. The logistics seem simpler and still doable for that period. One question: no issues with animals in open campgrounds? I’ve seen a few videos of elephants visiting campsites with other travelers (but no big cats, thankfully). I definitely plan to visit Botswana later, once I’ve had more time to prepare. I might reach out to you again for more tips!

Hi Henrido No problem in open campgrounds. We had visits from very peaceful elephants that brushed against the car while it was still daylight, and hippos around the tent at night. Otherwise, it's true that in South Africa you can book all accommodations online, including for Kruger Park—it's much simpler. In 2016, we saw a lot of animals in Kruger Park after staying for 6 days. Happy trip planning!

Hi Michel

I’ve finalized my itinerary. Can I send it to your personal inbox for feedback? Christophe

Hi there,

The idea of a forum is more about starting a discussion, sharing your itinerary, asking questions, and so on... and gathering everyone's opinions to have an exchange 😉

Hi MAX Yes, that’s true, but posting a route that doesn’t belong to me online for everyone to see wouldn’t be fair to the agency. It will be once it’s mine. Best regards, Christophe

Hmm, I was thinking I’d seen this license plate somewhere before. Memories from 2017 🙂



The Hilux we almost sank in the Okavango Delta... 🏴‍☠️ Unbelievable we made it out of that one 😐

98,403 km when we picked it up in July 2017. It had really racked up the miles since then...

Good evening! What a great eye for detail! !