Short answer
Botswana needs no visa for UK, US and EU passports. Park fees for a foreign adult run from US$1 €1 · P20 a day at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to US$20 €18 · P270 at Chobe National Park. Go June to September for high water in the Okavango Delta and the easiest game viewing.
Parks and what they charge
All Botswana fees
Moremi Game ReserveUS$20 €18 · P270foreign adult, per person per day
Chobe National ParkUS$20 €18 · P270foreign adult, per person per day
Central Kalahari Game ReserveUS$14 €13 · P190foreign adult, per person per day
- Kgalagadi Transfrontier ParkUS$1 €1 · P20
- Khama Rhino SanctuaryUS$9 €8 · P117
- Khutse Game ReserveUS$14 €13 · P190
- Makgadikgadi Pans National ParkUS$14 €13 · P190
- Nxai Pan National ParkUS$14 €13 · P190
Conservation fee for a foreign adult, mostly per day; vehicles pay extra. Botswana citizens and SADC nationals pay less. Work out a whole trip with the fee calculator.
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Before you go to Botswana
All guides- When to goBest Time to Visit the Okavango Delta: Flood, Game and Prices by MonthGo between June and September for high water, dry cool weather and the easiest game viewing, and pay peak rates for it. The flood comes from Angola and peaks in the dry winter, not in the rains. December to March is hot, wet and close to half the price.
- Entry rulesBotswana Entry Requirements 2026: Visas and Border RulesUS, UK, German and other EU passport holders need no visa for Botswana and get up to 90 days a year, free, at the border. Bring a passport with six months left and three blank pages, and a full birth certificate for every child. Foreign cars pay roughly P200 to P400 at the border.
- EssentialsBotswana Travel Essentials: Money, Driving, MalariaBotswana uses the pula (P), about P13.40 to the US dollar. Camps take dollars and cards, towns want pula. Drive on the left, 120 km/h on the open road, and not after dark. The north is a malaria area, worst from October to May. Plugs are Type M or British Type G, 230 V. Police 999, ambulance 997.
- Gate timesChobe Gate Times, Riverfront Slots and the Ngoma Transit RoadChobe's gates open 06:00 to 18:30 from April to September and 05:30 to 19:00 from October to March. Self-drivers on the Sedudu riverfront are meant to enter between 09:00 and 14:30. The tar road from Sedudu to Ngoma is free to transit and open 24 hours.
- Self-driveSelf-Drive Botswana: Sand, Fuel, Vet Fences and CampsitesBotswana's main roads are tar and fine in a normal car. Every big park is deep sand and needs a 4x4, lowered tyres and all your fuel on board: there is none between Maun and Kasane through Moremi and Savuti. Park entry is P270 a day in Chobe and Moremi.
- Getting thereDirect Flights to South Africa from the US: Routes and FaresOnly Atlanta (Delta), Newark (United) and Washington Dulles (United, Cape Town only) have nonstops to South Africa, about 15 hours south. Namibia and Botswana need a change, usually in Johannesburg. February is the cheapest month, July and December the dearest.
- DrivingDriving in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana: UK LicenceA UK photocard licence is accepted in all four countries (12 months in South Africa and Zimbabwe, 90 days in Botswana). GOV.UK says an IDP is needed to hire a car in Namibia and Botswana, and a loop needs two: 1949 for those two, 1968 for South Africa and Zimbabwe, £5.50 each at a PayPoint shop.
- DrivingDriving in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana With a US LicenseAn English-language US driver's license with your photo on it works in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. An IDP ($20 at AAA) is not strictly required, but Namibia's own list of papers to carry includes one. Taking a rental across a border costs about $145 to $155 plus border charges.
- GuideFirst Safari: South Africa, Namibia or Botswana?For most Americans on a first safari, South Africa: nonstop flights from Atlanta, Newark and Washington Dulles, all of the Big Five in Kruger, no visa and every budget. Pick Namibia for a self-drive road trip with Etosha as the wildlife stop, and Botswana when you can pay for a fly-in camp.
- Getting thereFlights from the UK to South Africa, Namibia and BotswanaOnly Heathrow (British Airways, Virgin Atlantic) and Gatwick (Norse Atlantic) have nonstops to South Africa, 11 to 12 hours overnight. Windhoek, Maun, Kasane and Victoria Falls need a change, usually in Johannesburg. February is cheapest for Johannesburg, May for Cape Town, December dearest.
- CostsHow Much Does a Safari Cost from the UK? Prices in PoundsA couple self-driving Kruger for a fortnight pays about £4,280 all in from London, Namibia camping for 12 days about £3,860, and a fly-in week in the Okavango about £15,550. Park fees are £9 to £31 a person a day. Figures from October 2026 rate sheets, converted at about R22.20 to £1.
- CostsHow Much Does a Safari Cost? South Africa, Namibia, BotswanaA self-drive week in the parks costs a couple about US$1,800 to US$2,400 in car, fuel, beds and park fees, or US$155 to US$295 a person a night. Lodges run from about US$200 a person a night by Etosha to over US$5,000 in Botswana's top camps in high season.
- HealthMalaria on Safari: Kruger, Etosha, Okavango, Malaria-Free ParksKruger, the Okavango, Chobe and Namibia's Zambezi Region are malaria areas where the CDC advises tablets. Madikwe, Pilanesberg and the Eastern Cape are on no risk map. The UK rates Etosha high risk December to April, low May to November. Flying direct from the US, no yellow fever certificate.
- GuidePlugs, SIM Cards and eSIMs: South Africa, Namibia, BotswanaAll three countries run on 230 V with the big three round pin Type M plug, so US chargers marked 100-240V need only an adapter. Roaming costs $12 a day on Verizon and AT&T. Local SIM bundles cost about $7 to $40, need your passport, and lose signal in most parks.
- GuideSafari in the UK School Holidays: Which Break, Which ParkTake the summer holiday: late July and August are southern Africa's dry winter, with the best game and lowest malaria risk, and English schools break up after South Africa's winter holiday ends. Easter and Christmas fall in the rains and on South African breaks. October half term is underrated.
- MoneySafari Tipping in South Africa, Botswana and NamibiaOn safari, plan on roughly US$10 to US$20 a guest a day for your guide, US$5 to US$10 for a tracker or mokoro poler, and US$5 to US$18 for the staff box, given once at the end of each stay. Tip in rand in South Africa, N$ or rand in Namibia, and US dollars or pula in Botswana camps.
- MoneyUS Dollars, Cards and Cash in South Africa, Namibia, BotswanaBring a no foreign transaction fee Visa or Mastercard and a debit card for ATMs. Cards and tap to pay work almost everywhere in South Africa. Namibia needs cash for fuel and rand works there too. Botswana's camps take US dollars, but towns and fuel stations want pula. Always pay in local currency.
Districts
Towns
Driving across a border?
Opening hours for all 29 land crossings to South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, checked against the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's ports of entry list. Only a few are open 24 hours.
Botswana border postsAll 14 parks and reserves
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve
- Chobe National Park
- Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
- Khama Rhino Sanctuary
- Khutse Game Reserve
- Linyanti, Selinda and Kwando
- Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
- Mokolodi Nature Reserve
- Moremi Game Reserve
- Nata Bird Sanctuary
- Northern Tuli Game Reserve
- Nxai Pan National Park
- Okavango Delta
- Tsodilo Hills