This is a country in the Southern part of the African continent where you will never hear of political instability since it is still a monarchical state. It is relatively stable and the populace is generally hospitable. Botswana also gained for the Europeans that overstayed in South Africa for a long time. So some of them relocated to Botswana since it is very near and in the process they developed it too. Driving in Botswana is on the left meaning that you will have to keep right. The standard of driving is reasonably good and most roads in the towns and the major arteries connecting these are tarred and are usually in good condition. Botswana is very easy to drive in when on a self drive safari since the population is very sparse. They have very good infrastructures especially the road s are well tendered and relatively big enough compared to other African countries.

However, the roads outside the capital city of Gaborone are almost none existent whereby some are just mere tracks through the bush made by whatever vehicles have passed that way. They are almost never maintained, and usually require at least a high-clearance vehicle and a 4WD is essential. During the wet season some of these tracks can be virtually impassable.

Botswana has a lot of tourist attraction places that whoever visits this country can go and really enjoy his/her holiday for instance Chobe national park. If you intend to rent a vehicle to drive to Chobe you should tell the rental company where you’re heading to ensure you have the correct equipment. My advice, certainly if travelling alone would be to take a GPS device, and always let your campsite know where you’re heading and roughly when you expect to return.

This is a country where you are conc. Sure that you will highly enjoy wild game to the fullest the moment you go to any national park. Here, the game roams freely and should always be given right of way. Elephants present the biggest risk, especially at night when they may roam on unlit roads- even major routes can be affected in the North near Chobe national park

If you are camping, you will almost certainly have game in and around your campsite since most campsites have no fences. You need to take a number of precautions about moving around the camp especially when going to the loo or having a shower, especially at night. My advice is to avoid the toilet and show blocks after dark and go behind the tent if you need to. Surprising a lion or even a baboon in an enclosed toilet block in the dark is something you’d probably only do once! Animals, especially baboons, can be a nuisance in the camp as they will steal food and any other items left in an open vehicle.

There is a variety of international car hiring companies the worlds over that have branches in Botswana and these include; Hertz, Europcar, Alamo, National, Avis, Budget and also usually features on Car rental broker sites such as Argus Car rental and Web discount sites such as ebookers.com. Or Expedia.

However, there are also local car hiring companies like drivebotswana, safari drive, jenmansafaris.

All these companies can accept their cars to be taken to outside countries especially those affiliated to SADCA and such countries include; South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland & Lesotho.

Self Drive safari operators recommend doing some off road 4WD instruction but don’t insist on this.