Preparing for Botswana

• Water-and-land safari in the Okavango Delta, mixing mokoro, boat and vehicle activity
• Elephant-focused travel along the Chobe riverfront, often with river cruising
• Private concessions where night drives and walking are typically permitted
• Desert and salt-pan travel in the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan for a very different landscape

Okavango Delta

A seasonal inland delta of channels and islands; camps differ sharply between water-based and land-based activity.

Chobe National Park

Large elephant populations and river-front game viewing near Kasane.

Moremi Game Reserve

The protected core of the Delta, strong for general game viewing.

Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan

Vast salt pans, seasonal zebra movement and desert-adapted wildlife.

Linyanti and Savuti

Remote concessions with a wilder, lower-density feel.

Kasane and Maun

The two practical gateways for flights into camps.

• Delta flood levels peak months after the rain that caused them, so water levels and wildlife viewing do not track the calendar in an obvious way.
• The drier winter months often concentrate wildlife near permanent water; green-season months bring birdlife, newborn animals and dramatic skies.
• Camps vary in what is possible at any given time — mokoro, boating, driving and walking are all season- and site-dependent.
• Nothing about wildlife movement or water levels can be promised; your planner will explain the trade-offs for your dates.

Entry conditions, including any visa requirement and passport validity, depend on your nationality and routing, and travel with children can involve additional documentation. Verify with the Government of Botswana before booking.

Requirements change. Always verify current entry, health and fee information with official government and travel-health sources before you book or travel.

• Government of Botswana — visitor visa applications
• U.S. Department of State — Botswana

Ask a travel-health professional about routine vaccinations, malaria prevention for the areas and season you are visiting, and any yellow fever documentation linked to your routing. Personal medical advice should come from a clinician.

• CDC Travelers' Health — destination pages
• World Health Organization travel advice

Berngo Safaris provides general planning context only and does not give medical advice.

Each link is owned by the authority named beside it and opens in a new tab.

• Government of Botswana — Visa ApplicationsVisa and entry information ↗ (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCDC Traveler View — Botswana ↗ (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Department of StateCountry information — Botswana ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Last link review: August 7, 2026. Requirements depend on nationality, routing and current policy. Verify directly with the issuing authority before booking or travel. Berngo Safaris provides planning links, not legal, immigration or medical advice.

Avoid unofficial visa agents. Beware of unofficial visa agents and copycat visa websites. Several look almost identical to government portals and charge inflated fees. Apply only through the official government domains linked here, and never share passport or payment details with a site you reached through an advertisement.

• Winter days are mild and mornings genuinely cold on open game-drive vehicles.
• Summer is hot, with afternoon storms possible in the green season.
• Dust, strong sun and cool boat rides can all happen in one day.

What to pack for

• Soft-sided bag only — light aircraft do not take hard suitcases
• Neutral layers, a warm jacket and a beanie for winter morning drives
• Sun protection, a brimmed hat and sunglasses for open water and pans
• Binoculars, and a dust-proof bag for camera equipment

• Maun (MUB) and Kasane (BBK) are the usual hubs, with light-aircraft transfers into camps.
• Light-aircraft baggage limits are strict and include hand luggage; your planner will confirm the current allowance and bag shape.
• Camp-to-camp flying is a normal part of a Botswana route and shapes both cost and pacing.

• Follow guide instructions closely on water, near elephants and on walking activities.
• Ask before photographing people in villages and towns.
• Choose operators with clear conservation and community commitments, and never buy wildlife products.

Bring these to your planning conversation — they change the itinerary more than most travellers expect.

• Can each traveller manage steps into light aircraft, boats and mokoro?
• Are weight, mobility or balance considerations relevant to activity choices?
• Do you need a camp with ground-floor or vehicle-accessible rooms?
• Would fewer camp changes reduce fatigue for your group?

These pairings share flight routings or complement each other in pace. Each links to its own preparation guide.

• Botswana & Zimbabwe

  Victoria Falls sits within easy reach of Kasane, making a natural start or finish.

• Botswana & Namibia

  Desert landscapes and the Zambezi Region pair well with the Delta.

• Botswana & Zambia

  Livingstone and the Lower Zambezi combine well with Chobe.

• Botswana & South Africa

  Johannesburg or Cape Town as the international gateway and city bookend.

Why is Botswana often more expensive?

Low-density concessions, small camps and light-aircraft access shape the cost structure. We do not publish prices here; a planner will quote against your dates and choices.

Do I have to fly between camps?

Not always, but many Delta camps are practically reached only by air. Mobile and road-based routes exist and change the character of the trip.

What luggage can I bring?

A soft bag within the operator's stated weight limit. Because limits vary, confirm the exact allowance for your booking before packing.