When we first decided to travel to Botswana, there was a raft of information online about self-driving safaris, rooftop tents on 4x4s and how to navigate the labyrinthine network of inaccessible dirt roads. This is what led us to firing up the Avis website and booking our very own Toyota Hilux twin cab. Finally, I had elevated myself to the type of man who confidently crisscrosses untamed wilderness in a 4×4. I would be an explorer. A pioneer, if you will. Leading my family through uncut jungle and—perhaps—even wrestling wild game with my bare hands for sport.
Once we’d booked the 4×4, the usual confirmation email showed up in my inbox but I didn’t bother opening it because, honestly, who bothers opening emails? Certainly not the kind of man who drives a twin-cab Hilux, that’s for damn sure. I had far more pressing matters to attend to, like growing a whole new batch of chest hair to match my all-terrain vehicle.
I can’t recall what made me do it but for whatever reason — roughly a week or two before we were due to fly — I found myself eventually opening that email. And there it was. This was no ordinary confirmation email. This was an email confirming that the 4×4 we had booked was not available and perhaps never existed in the first place!
Most of the blogs we had read suggested planning a holiday to Botswana months in advance, and for good reason. Trying to panic-book a last-minute 4×4 the week before you arrive is not only very difficult—it’s fiercely expensive. At that stage, the cheapest 4×4 we could find was nearly £1,000 per week!
Pro tip: We spoke to a Dutch family who suggested that flying to South Africa, renting a 4×4 in Johannesburg and driving it to Botswana worked out far cheaper for them. I’m very happy for them.
And so, with a heavy heart, I clicked the filter dropdown menu on the Avis search results and unticked the “4×4” option. I was falling back to earth with a thud, and landing in a 4×2 in the form of a sensible, mid-2000s Toyota Corolla, thus putting me in the best possible position to write this guide on the feasibility of driving around Botswana in a very shit car.
Do you need a need a 4×4 in Botswana?
That depends. For reasons that remain unclear, we booked flights to Gaberone in the far south of the country, even though we planned on spending all of our time in Maun and Kasane in the far north. The good news is that we were able to drive almost entirely on well-tarmacked roads. This is the route we took from Gaberone to Maun, Maun to Kasane and Kasane back down to Gaberone.
On the journey, we were able to successfully traverse the A1, A14 and A33 in our painfully non-4×4 Corolla.
What are the road conditions like in Botswana?
If you stick to the main routes like we mostly did, the conditions are very good. There is a notable exception on the A14 just before Nata, where the road turns into a nightmarish hellscape of potholes without any warning.
However, venture off the main A roads and things take a dramatic turn. Almost immediately, you will find yourself on dirt roads made from soft, desert sand. We got caught on one while searching for a crocodile farm that turned out to not exist, and were lucky to have made it through. By the amount of cars that we drove past that were stuck in sand and abandoned, others were not so lucky.
Can you drive at night in Botswana?
There’s nothing stopping you from driving in Botswana at night. However, the roads between towns are hundreds of miles long, largely featureless and completely unlit. Given the amount of wild and domestic animals we saw crossing the road during the day, we did our best to avoid driving at night.
On the one occasion that we had to drive after dark, I had to slam on brakes to avoid t-boning a honey badger, so 100% of the time we drove at night, we almost crashed into wild animals. I don’t fancy those odds.
Are there adequate petrol stations around Botswana?
Unlike it’s neighbour, Zimbabwe, Botswana is not known for having constant fuel shortages. However, the petrol stations are few and far between. It’s not uncommon to drive for hours without passing a town, let alone a petrol station. We made sure to always fill up our tank when possible and would advise you do the same.
Some of the roads were so deserted that we drove for half an hour without seeing a single other car in either direction, so the last thing you want to do is run out of petrol on a deserted road in 37 degree heat. On that note, it’s always a good idea to keep a ton of extra water in your car when driving in Botswana, in case of breakdown.
Is there anywhere to stop between the main towns?
There are several towns between the main points of interest (i.e. Gaberone, Maun, Kasane and Francistown). We stopped in Mahalapye & Nata, but Palapye and Serowe also looked like they had decent amenities.
What side of the road to they drive on in Botswana?
Thanks to some good, old-fashioned, British colonial rule, the Botswanans drive on the left of the road.
What is the speed limit in Botswana?
The speed limits are typically 60km/h in residential areas and towns, 120km/h on open road and, somewhat arbitrarily, 80km/h on that same open road where the traffic police want to rake in some of that delicious speeding fine money.
Did you get any speeding fines in Botswana?
I got my first speeding fine almost immediately, outside Serowe (for 700 pula / 50 GBP / 63 USD), and another shortly thereafter at Gweta (for 450 pula / 33 GBP / 40 USD). They’re issued on the spot by the local police (who all drove twin-cab Toyota Hiluxes as a personal affront to me) and you can pay them directly or by going into a police station.
If paying directly, they are able to issue you with a receipt to prove you’ve paid. One of them was able to accept card payments, the other was only able to accept cash.
To avoid fines when driving in Botswana, the obvious tactic is to not speed. However, when you’ve been driving down a long, featureless and perfectly straight road for 3 hours, it’s not uncommon to unwittingly break the limit. The fines I got were all issued by a white police 4×4 driving towards me with a built in radar, so keep an eye out for those.
Can I use my international driving licence in Botswana?
I had my UK drivers licence with me, as well as the piece of cardboard that you pay £5 for at the post office, wherein the post office clerk handwrites all of the information that’s on your actual licence and stamps it. This—apparently—is considered a more valid confirmation of your ability to drive abroad than the government issued plastic licence, but I digress.
On picking up the car from Avis, as well as the numerous police checkpoints that we were stopped at and asked to produce a licence, I only ever showed my UK licence (not the cardboard “international licence“), which seemed fine.
In marginal defence of the Toyota Corolla
In summation, I would like to reiterate that the Toyota Corolla is a very shit car. I was overcome with resentment whenever I saw a twin-cab Hilux pull into our backpackers’ parking lot, or pass me on the open road. However, we were able to survive and navigate our two weeks in Botswana perfectly with a 4×2, without any issues whatsoever.
On the occasions that we did want to go into the bush for some game viewing, there were plenty of locals with private hire safari 4x4s that were more than happy to take us into Moremi or Chobe on day trips.
That said, if you have the opportunity and the means, a 4×4 if definitely the better choice. There were a ton of roads that we weren’t able to go down because of our ridiculous vehicle and that will remain a source of great personal shame for me.
