Electricity and charging in camp.
Botswana uses 230V, 50Hz electricity, with type D, G and M sockets. Bring a universal adapter that covers all three. Phone, camera and laptop chargers marked 100–240V work without a converter.
Many camps run on solar power with battery or generator back-up. Charging points are usually in your tent or the main area, but some camps cannot run high-wattage appliances such as hairdryers, straighteners or CPAP machines without notice. If you need a medical device powered overnight, tell us when you book, so we can confirm each camp can support it.
Wi-Fi, phone signal and SIM cards.
Most camps offer Wi-Fi, often only in the main area and sometimes slow, via satellite. It is fine for messages and email, less so for video calls or uploading photographs. A few camps are deliberately offline. Many guests find that being disconnected becomes one of the pleasures of the trip.
Mobile signal is good in towns and along main roads and absent across much of the Delta and Kalahari. Local networks are Mascom, Orange and BTC; you can buy a SIM in Maun, Kasane or Gaborone with your passport, which is required to register it. Check your own provider’s roaming rates, or use an eSIM. Our duty desk can always reach you through the camp’s radio or satellite phone.
Language and greetings.
English is the official language and is widely spoken. Setswana is the national language, spoken by most Batswana. A few words go a long way:
- Dumela rra / Dumela mma: hello, to a man / to a woman
- O tsogile jang?: how are you? (literally, how did you wake up?)
- Ke a leboga: thank you
- Go siame: it’s fine, OK
- Sala sentle / Tsamaya sentle: goodbye, to the person staying / to the person leaving
Greeting properly matters in Botswana. Say hello and ask how someone is before you ask them anything, even in a shop. One person is a Motswana, the people are Batswana and the language is Setswana.
Time zone, daylight and food.
Botswana is on Central Africa Time (UTC+2) all year, with no daylight saving. Days are long in summer and shorter in winter, when the sun rises after 6.30 a.m. and sets a little before 6 p.m. Safari days follow the light: early starts, a long quiet middle of the day, and an afternoon drive into dusk.
Food in camps is generous and good, often a mix of international dishes and local favourites such as seswaa (slow-cooked shredded beef), pap and morogo (wild spinach). Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and other diets are catered for with notice, which we pass on to every camp.
Photography, culture and etiquette.
- Ask before photographing people, particularly in villages, and respect a no.
- Do not photograph military sites, police, border posts or government buildings.
- Dress modestly in towns and villages; safari clothes are fine everywhere.
- Drones need prior permission from the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana and are banned by almost every camp.
- Visits to San and village communities are best arranged through camps that work with them directly, so the community benefits. See our responsibility.
- Smoking is restricted in public places and usually only permitted in designated areas of camps.
Travelling with children.
Botswana can be a wonderful family destination, with some planning. Many camps set a minimum age, commonly between 6 and 12, and mokoro trips and walking safaris have their own age limits. Some camps welcome children of any age and offer family tents and children’s programmes, and a private vehicle means you set the pace. Malaria is an important consideration for young children; see our health guide, and our family safaris for the kind of journeys that work well.
