Botswana Country Guide

Destination Facts
Capital: Gaborone
President: Ian Khama
Government: parliamentary republic
Time zone: GMT +2
Area: 600370
Population: 1.600.000

Languages:
Only 2.1% of the population speak English, the official language.Regardless of their tribal affiliations nearly all Batswana speak Setswana - around 80% of Botswana's total population.
Christian (71.6%), Badimo (6%), other (1.4%), unspecified (0.4%), none (20.6%)
Currency: Pula (P)
Country Dialing Code: 267

Weather
Although it straddles the Tropic of Capricorn, Botswana experiences extremes in temperature. Days are normally clear, warm and sunny, but nights range from cool to bitterly cold in autumn and winter which runs from March to August.With the Kalahari Desert cleaving through most of Botswana, the northern and eastern outskirts of the country offer the friendliest climates. Most of the year in these parts sees maximum temperatures range between 25° C (77° F) and 32° C (90° F) except for a slight drop during the more chilly months of May to September. Days are normally clear, warm and sunny, but nights range from cool to bitterly cold. The heat and humidity from October to April can become quite uncomfortable during this moderate rainy season.Botswana is primarily a dry country, but a summer rainy season lasts roughly from November to March. From late May to August, rain is rare anywhere in the country.

Travellers with a taste for the wild side will relish Botswana. Beyond the narrow eastern corridor where the majority of the population is concentrated, Botswana is a largely roadless wilderness of savannas, deserts, wetlands and salt pans. Skinflints and softies beware: this remains a destination for the intrepid, well-heeled travelle.

Beyond the narrow eastern corridor where the majority of the population is concentrated, Botswana is a largely roadless wilderness of savannas, deserts, wetlands and salt pans. Skinflints and softies beware: this remains a destination for the intrepid, well-heeled traveller.

Getting There
Autumn and winter (April through August) are good times to visit Botswana, as the days are generally pleasant and the wildlife never wanders far from water sources. Bear in mind, however, that this is also the time of European, North American and South African school holidays, so things can get a bit crowded. In general, June, early July and mid to late September are the least crowded times to visit. Summer isn't the best time to hit the back roads, enjoy wildlife viewing or explore the Okavango, as prolonged rains may render sandy roads uncrossable, and animals disperse when water is abundant. From December to March it is very difficult to get around Chobe and Moremi national parks due to heavy rains, and many lodges actually close.

Getting there and away
Although international flights arrive in Gaborone, courtesy of South African Airways and British Airways, it's usually cheaper to do your long-haul flying to Windhoek (Namibia) or Johannesburg (South Africa), then travel overland. You can enter overland from all of Botswana's neighbours, though you'll have to put your car tyres and your shoes through cattle-dip (to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease) before Botswana will let you in. The Trans-Namib bus runs between Ghanzi and Gobabis (Namibia) although it's not always reliable. Buses and Minibuses run between Gaborone and Johannesburg as does the luxury coach service, Intercape Mainliner. Buses to Zimbabwe include the Gaborone to Francistown, Bulawayo and Harare service and the Kasane to Victoria Falls service, although these services are prone to disruption due to flaring upheaval in Zimbabwe. The bus line between Livingstone (Zambia), Victoria Falls and Windhoek passes through Kasane. To get to Zambia otherwise, you need to catch the Kazunguka ferry over the Zambezi River.

Getting around
Air Botswana flights are scheduled regularly between Botswana's four major cities, but fares are expensive. Botswana has six major bus routes and a good train line running through Francistown, Gaborone and Lobatse, with service that's reliable and inexpensive. Overall, however, Botswana's public transport is a joke, and - though it's never entirely safe - this is one country where hitchhiking is an accepted way to get around. The practice of hitching is so institutionalised that it carries a set charge - about 0.05 per 10km (6mi). If you're hitching the back roads, (which isn't really advisable due to such light traffic) make sure you've got camping gear and enough food and water to keep you going for several days of waiting.