The checklist as a PDF
Entry, health, money, transport and safety, laid out for print, with their sources and verification date.
The Viafro verdict
For whom, and for which trip.
An editorial bearing, with no percentage and no rating: our criteria are written down, and every “good to know” links to its source.
- For which trip
- Gaborone · Delta de l'Okavango · Réserve de chasse de Moremi · Parc national de Chobe
- Best season
- May to October
- Length
- Allow at least 8 days for these 4 essentials, one stop every two or three days. (Viafro’s rule of thumb)
Best time to visit
Twelve months, in colour.
Hover or tap a month: its reading and its source appear. Bars measure rain, the figure is the capital’s mean maximum.
Possible
November
Start of the green season; the Makgadikgadi pans fill, flamingos.
- Mean maximum
- 32 °C
- Rain
- 68 mm
- Station
- Gaborone
Source: Rough Guides
Before you go
The essentials, tab by tab.
Entry, health, safety, money and facts: dated official extracts, never paraphrased.
Visa, passport, customs
GOV.UK advice, written for British passport holders. French travellers: see France Diplomatie (https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/information-par-pays/botswana/conseils-aux-voyageurs-entree-sejour).
- To enter Botswana, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least 3 blank pages. Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
- You can visit Botswana for up to 90 days without a visa. If you want to work, study or volunteer in Botswana, see the requirements for business, study and employment visas.
- To enter Botswana, you must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country listed as a transmission risk. For more details about health entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s Botswana guide.
Vaccines, malaria, water
This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor or an international vaccination centre before you travel.
- At least 8 weeks before your trip: malaria, which is reported in April 2025 to have spread to areas where it is not usually present
- The State of Public Health Emergency is now over. Despite this, medicine and medical supply shortages remain widespread across public health facilities nationwide. Private healthcare remains largely unaffected.
Per the ministries
Viafro gives no safety rating: here are the zones and advice published by the French ministry (in French) and the official extracts, with their dates.
No particular vigilance zone is listed on the official page (in French) (updated on 15 Sept 2026) · see the page.
- Attacks on tourists are rare, but violent crime is increasing particularly in the major towns of Gaborone, Francistown and Maun. Criminals have also carried out hold-ups and robberies of restaurants during peak hours.
- There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals, including from groups and individuals who view the UK and British nationals as targets. Stay aware of your surroundings at all times.
What the country’s law provides
Photography, alcohol, drugs, relationships: the rules published by the ministries, quoted as they stand, without comment.
- Drug taking and trafficking are illegal. If you’re convicted of a drug-related offence, you can get a fine of up to 500,000 pulas (about £30,000) or a prison sentence of up to 25 years, or both. Prison conditions are generally poor.
Currency
Botswana pulaViafro publishes no price or budget range without a source: amounts will come from our own expenses recorded on the ground, dated and itemised.
- There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of Botswana. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.
Express card
Structured data from Wikidata and the CIA World Factbook, re-checked at every site update.
- Population · 2025
- 2,562,122
- Time zone
- +1 h from Paris
- Plugs and voltage
- Type D and G plugs · 230 V
- Driving side
- Driving on the left
- Calling code
- +267
- Languages
- English
- Area
- 581,737 km²
- Highest point
- Otse Hill, 1,491 m
- Main religions
- Christian 79.1%, Badimo 4.1%, other 1.4%, none 15.2%, unspecified 0.3%
Getting there and around
Airports, roads and transport.
- GBESir Seretse Khama International AirportGaborone470,972 passengers · official site
- MUBMaun AirportMaun271,414 passengers · official site
- BBKKasane AirportKasane107,078 passengers · official site
- FRWFrancistown AirportFrancistown37,486 passengers · official site
Direct flights from Paris are to be checked on the airport’s or airline’s website.
On the road
- You can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in Botswana. If you still have a paper driving licence, you may need to update it to a photocard licence or get the 1949 version of the international driving permit (IDP) as well. You can drive with a UK driving licence for up to 90 days.
Destinations
The essentials.
Gaborone
Gaborone (UK: GAB-ə-ROH-nee, HAB-, US: GAH-bə-ROH-nee, -nay, Tswana: [χabʊˈrʊnɛ]) is the capital and largest city of Botswana.
Delta de l'Okavango
The Okavango Delta or Okavango Grassland is a vast inland delta in Botswana formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an elevation of 930–1,000 m (3,050–3,280 ft) in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari Desert.
Réserve de chasse de Moremi
Moremi Game Reserve is a protected area in Botswana.
Parc national de Chobe
Chobe National Park is Botswana's first national park, and also its most biologically diverse.
Delta de l’Okavango
Joachim HuberMust-try food
Six dishes, and where to taste them.
Seswaa
Seswaa or loswao is a traditional meat dish of Botswana, made of beef or goat meat. It is prepared using cuts or tough cuts such as legs, neck and back. Sometimes, the whole animal is used. The dish is normally prepared for ceremonies such as funerals, weddin
Ugali
Ugali, also known as posho, nsima, papa, pap, bogobe, sadza, isitshwala, akume, amawe, ewokple, akple, and other names, is a type of corn meal made from maize or corn or mahindi flour in several African countries: Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
Bogobe jwa lerotse
Bogobe jwa lerotse is a type of porridge eaten in Botswana and also a national dish of Botswana, characterized by a delicate flavor imparted by the lerotse melon, a variety of citron melon. Lerotse are visually reminiscent of a typical watermelon and distingui
Delele
Delele is a Zimbabwean, Zambian, north-eastern Botswana and Northern South African dish made from a local plant of the same name, and often eaten with sadza or phaletšhe or Vhuswa. The English word for delele is okra. Okra is also referred to as "derere". It i
Vetkoek
Vetkoek is a traditional South African fried dough bread. It is similar to the Caribbean Johnny cake, the Dutch oliebol, and the Mexican sopaipillas. It is also known by the Xhosa, Zulu, and Setswana name igwinya and legwinya respectively.
Serobe
Le serobe est un mets traditionnel du Botswana composé de poumons et d'intestins de vache, de mouton ou de chèvre cuits jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient tendres. La viande est coupée en petits morceaux et cuits deux fois jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient propres à la consommat (summary in French)
Culture and etiquette
Customs, dress, useful words.
- Hellohello
- Thank youthank you
- Pleaseplease
- Entries checked on Wiktionary.
- Religions: Christian 79.1%, Badimo 4.1%, other 1.4%, none 15.2%, unspecified 0.3%.
- Languages: Setswana 77.3%, Sekalanga 7.4%, Shekgalagadi 3.4%, English (official) 2.8%, Zezuru/Shona 2%, Sesarwa 1.7%, Sembukushu 1.6%, Ndebele 1%, other 2.8% (2011 est.).
Festivals and events
The big dates.
- National holiday
Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966) ; independence: 30 September 1966 (from the UK).
Fixed dates and moveable events, each with its source; moveable dates change every year and are to be checked on an official calendar.
Did you know?
Three things to remember.
The country’s highest point, Otse Hill, reaches 1,491 m.
2,562,122 inhabitants in 2025 on 581,737 km², about 4 per km².
Independence on 30 September 1966 (from the UK).
Gallery
See it before you go.
Real photographs: free images under a verified licence and Viafro images. Never a generated image. Credits in the footer.
Share your trip with #viafro: the best images will join this gallery, with your credit.
Live, work, invest
A few key figures.
Sourced data (World Bank). No investment advice.
GDP per capita (current US$)7.8World Bank · 2025GDP growth-0.7 %World Bank · 2025Inflation (consumer prices)2.7 %World Bank · 2025Unemployment (ILO estimate)24.5 %World Bank · 2025International tourist arrivals1.8 ,000World Bank · 2018
World Bank data (World Development Indicators), consulted on 28 Oct 2026. Tourist arrivals are the latest year published.
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Sources and verification dates · 21 sources, checked on 28 Oct 2026
Travel advice · GOV.UK (FCDO)Entry, visa, safety: the official page, kept up to date by the ministry. Travel health · US CDCVaccines and precautions from a reference medical source. World Heritage · UNESCOThe country’s inscribed sites and tentative list. WikidataCapital and currency, verified structured data.
- Wikidata · Botswana (Q963)
- World Bank · World Development Indicators
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Botswana · Foreign travel advice · Entry requirements (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Botswana · Foreign travel advice · Health (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Botswana · Foreign travel advice · Safety and security (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- Rough Guides · Botswana Travel Guide · When to visit
- Wiktionary · Checked entries (English)
- Wikipedia · Seswaa
- Wikipedia · Ugali
- Wikipedia · Bogobe jwa lerotse
- Wikipedia · Delele
- Wikipedia · Vetkoek
- Wikipedia · Serobe
- Wikipedia · Gaborone
- Wikipedia · Delta de l'Okavango
- Wikipedia · Réserve de chasse de Moremi
- Wikipedia · Parc national de Chobe
- CIA World Factbook · Botswana (public domain) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- France Diplomatie · Botswana · Travel advice · Security (zones, in French) (page updated on 15 Sept 2026)
- Wikidata · Airports of the country (IATA code, traffic) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia (climate normals) · Gaborone · monthly normals ({{cite web) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
Information checked on 28 Oct 2026. Check the official source before you travel. Viafro gives no safety rating and publishes no price without a source.
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