Visiting
Birding tours
Birding Africa, Birding Ecotours, Field Guides, Lawson's, Naturetrek, Ornitholidays, Rockjumper and Tropical Birding operate tours to Botswana.
Trip reports
There are several trip reports at Eurobirding although most of these have combined a visit to Botswana with an adjacent country.
Guides
Most guides in Botswana are associated with tour operators, based at lodges in the Okavango, Linyanti and Chobe. A few are freelance as for example, Roger Hawker in Maun e-mail birdlifetours@dynabyte.bw and Richard Randall in Maun e-mail randallr@info.bw.
Book
BirdLife Botswana (BLB) received £1,000 towards producing a Beginner's Guide for birds in Botswana from the African Bird Club Conservation Fund. Specifically the money helped pay for translation costs of the English text into Setswana. This book has now been published, edited by BLB Conservation Officer, Kabelo Senyatso and with help from many BLB volunteers, and is being made available to schools, Department of Wildlife & National Parks staff and others.
Logistics
There are international flights direct to Gabarone from Europe but Lonely Planet suggests that it may be cheaper to fly to adjacent countries and travel overland to Botswana. There are buses as well as flights from Johannesburg to 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 a service that's reliable and inexpensive.
Safety
See the following 2 websites for safety and travel information: US Travel and UK FCO.
Safety issues encountered in Botswana are no different from those met in many other African countries. Guidebooks, travel companies and the above websites provide much of the advice one needs, but some key points warrant repetition here. (1) be aware of the risk of malaria, seek current advice, sleep in a sealed tent or under a net and take prophylaxis as recommended. (2) always ensure you have sufficient water and some method of purification (even if this comprises a pot and a campfire for boiling). (3) do not under-estimate the danger of being in the sun too long. Ensure you use sun-block and drink plenty of water, and wear a hat. (4) Botswana has perhaps the highest incidence of AIDS in the world. (5) Ensure that you take a reasonably-equipped first-aid pack with you including a supply of hypodermic needles.
Last page update 23rd February 2008
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