The following information is intended as a guide only and in no way should it be used as a substitute for professional medical advice relative to a travellers individual needs and vaccination history. No guarantee is made as to its accuracy or thoroughness. For further information, please contact The Travel Doctor on (+64) 9 373 3531. Vaccination against Hepatitis A is recommended for travellers to Botswana. Vaccination against Hepatitis B, Rabies (particularly if working with animals) and Typhoid (particularly when travelling to areas with poor sanitation and hygiene) should be considered by frequent or long stay travellers to Botswana. Care with food and beverage selection is recommended. There is a medium risk of Malaria in Botswana and Dengue Fever also occurs, thus insect avoidance measures and anti malarial medication may be necessary depending on your itinerary. Please consult a medical practitioner or contact The Travel Doctor for your specific risk to these preventable diseases and the appropriate avoidance measures. New Zealanders travelling to Botswana should ensure that they have adequate travel insurance to cover the length of their stay. Medications that are legal in New Zealand may be illegal in other countries. 

Electrical Socket: British socket and South African socket Voltage: 220-240 volts (same as New Zealand) Modem Plug: Great Britain Source: Korjo Travel Products. Please view the Korjo adapter guide at www.korjo.com.au for further information on this matter.

The Travel Corporation has partnered with the company Sherpa to provide travellers with the latest government and health restrictions. Simply enter the country you want to travel to for information on safety regulations, border closures, quarantine requirements, your travel visa and more using the Sherpa travel tool.
 

FIND OUT WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR YOUR TRIP

Official travel advice is available by calling 04 439 8000 or visiting www.safetravel.govt.nz

Batswana emphasize extensive greetings and inquiries after each other. It is polite to address senior men as Rra and women as Mma (literally, father and mother). Grown women should keep their thighs covered, but more and more women are wearing tight pants, and short skirts are seen in urban areas. While younger people should be deferential to their elders, and women to men, these patterns are sustained more strongly in villages than in the urban areas.

Country Code for Botswana: +267 Offical Travel Advice: Visit www.safetravel.govt.nz Botswana Department of Immigration: For visa extensions call (+267) 3611 300 Emergency Services: Ambulance - 997 Fire - 998 Police - 999 Medical Rescue - 992 (Private Company) The emergency services may not have English speaking staff. To avoid delay it may be best to seek the assistance of a Setswana speaker to call the emergency services.

Botswana's best bargains are handicrafts, and you'll find a variety. Look especially for hand-woven baskets made from the fronds of the real fan palm, Hyphaene petersiana, and the many different handicrafts of the San, like jewellery made from ostrich eggshells. There's usually a divide between the simpler outlets, perhaps direct from the producers, and the more stylish, well-located shops which often have the best pieces, but invariably charge the highest prices.

Provided the service is good, it is customary to tip lodge staff and guides in either Pula or any hard currency on your Botswana safari. The amount that you tip varies depending on the staff member’s role and the size of your group.In city restaurants and bars, a 10% tip is customary when the service charge is not included.

Charter flights on small aircraft are the norm for getting from place to place in Botswana with transfers and game drives conducted in open-sided 4X4 vehicles. Transfers and game viewing by motor boat and mokoro (dug-out canoe) are common in the Okavango Delta.

Setswana 78%, Kalanga 8%, Sekgalagadi 3%, English (official) 2%.