Botswana is a beautiful and peaceful country. It boasts wide open spaces and huge areas with large numbers of wild animals. You will find the largest concentration of elephants in Africa in Botswana.

Travelling on the 15 000 sq km (9 320sq miles) network of water ways of the Okavango, provides excellent game viewing and spectacular bird watching opportunities. Some of the best wild life photographs have been taken in this area. It is the largest inland delta system in the world and covers an area just smaller than half of Switzerland.

In the north east the Makgadikgadi Pans lie in the Kalahari Basin which is a large network of salt pans and lakes that attract a spectacular variety of birdlife in the rainy season.

The Government of Botswana actively protects its wildlife heritage and promotes it as a tourist attraction to the benefit of all the people in the country and future generations.

The country is surrounded by South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe; the Kalahari Desert covers about 84% of the country and it lies at 1,100 meters above sea level. Botswana's highest point is Otse Mountain (1,491 meters) near Lobatse.

The distance between the most northern point and the most southern point is 1 110 kilometers (689.7 miles) and at its widest is 960 km (596.5 miles), and is about as large as France or slightly smaller than Texas.

The Chobe River runs along part of its northern boundary; the Nossob River at its southwestern boundary; the Molopo River at its southern boundary; and the Marico, Limpopo and Shashe Rivers at its eastern boundaries. With the exceptions of the Okavango and Chobe areas in the north, the country has little permanent surface water.

The eastern part of the country is mostly hardveld and runs along a wide strip from Ramokgwebane in the north to Ramatlabama in the south. It as a varied relief outcrops of resistant rocks all over the landscape. The hardveld toward the south east is a bit higher and enjoys a higher average rainfall than the rest of the country.

What to bring
Lightweight summer clothes made from natural fabric is the coolest and best suited to the weather, with a lightweight jacket for when it rains. In winter trousers, long-sleeved shirts and pullover jerseys are recommended with a warm jacket for the evenings. Women are allowed to wear shorts and trousers, and generally the dress is casual. There are swimming pools at most of the lodges and hotels.
Sun protection is important in summer as well as winter, with hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen at the top of the list.

Getting around in Botswana
The national airline, Air Botswana offers scheduled flights to various domestic from Gaborone, and there are a number of private charters available to game farms and parks all over the country.

The road network, connecting towns and cities is well developed and in a good condition. The routes off the main routes can be very sandy, and deeply rutted. It is advisable to travel in a 4x4 vehicle if planning to travel on these roads.

A number of passenger transport companies provide services to towns all over the country.

Botswana Railways offers a variety of passenger services for long or short journeys, and ranging from luxury to sleeper coaches, with daily services between Francistown and Gaberone and Gaberone to Lobatse.

Taxis can be identified by their number plates which have blue backgrounds and are licensed to carry up to five people at a time.

Mini-busses found all over Southern Africa operate in all the towns, each following a specific route. These taxis can be waved down along the road. They also offer services between Gaborone and South Africa.