Our edition · Botswana
Botswana on Your Own
“Botswana on Your Own” is the complete ebook that plans your trip from A to Z. Master the Moremi–Savuti–Chobe loop by 4x4: deep sand, unfenced camping, bookings, budget.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
10 chapters · 11,000+ words · instant download · 14-day guarantee
You're planning your first independent trip
The guide starts from zero and turns every unknown into a simple procedure: rental, first roads, first bookings. The method behind our Namibia guide, applied to Botswana.
You want to avoid the expensive mistakes
Misunderstood insurance, the wrong season, overrated stops, an underestimated budget: the classic traps are well known — and all avoidable when you know where to look.
You don't have 60 hours to cross-check everything
Contradictory forums, dated blogs, sales brochures: we did the sorting and the checking. You get the ordered, actionable digest.
Table of contents
The contents, chapter by chapter
10 chapters that follow the real order of your preparation: decide, book, drive, live the trip.
- 01
Why Botswana Self-Drive
What makes Botswana's self-drive unique in the world, the step up from Namibia explained in concrete terms, and who this guide is for — and who it isn't.
The largest unfenced wild ecosystem accessible in a rental vehicle · The three fundamental differences from Namibia (self-sufficiency, technique, wildlife) · The right profile, travelling in convoy, and the honourable exits · The true cost, stated plainly
- 02
When to Go: the Flood, the Rains and Month by Month
Two calendars that don't line up — local rains and the Okavango flood — and the full month-by-month rundown to set your dates.
The founding paradox: the delta peaks in the middle of the dry winter · The unvarnished month by month (including the October trap) · The recommendation table by your priority · The booking timeline, counted back from departure
- 03
Renting Your 4x4: Maun, Windhoek or Johannesburg, Insurance and Traps
The chapter that pays for the guide: where to rent, the non-negotiable expedition kit, the water clause nobody reads, and the expedition-grade handover inspection.
Maun, Windhoek or Johannesburg: the three scenarios compared · The equipment checklist to get confirmed in writing · The water damage clause: the one risk excluded from ALL cover levels · Cross-border letter, one-way fees, permitted zones · The one-hour functional test at handover
- 04
Driving in Botswana: Deep Sand, Water and Mud
The complete training: the 7 laws of deep sand, the no-exceptions river-crossing procedure, Moremi's black cotton soil, and navigating without a single signpost.
The 7 laws of sand (1.2-1.4 bar pressures, momentum, stop instantly if you spin) · Water crossings step by step — and why you never restart a drowned engine · Tracks4Africa: GPS as safety equipment · Elephants, hippos, and real park speeds of 15-25 km/h
- 05
The Itineraries: 8, 12 or 16 Days, Day by Day
Four proven routes with distances and realistic driving times: the gentle version, the full northern loop, the grand loop with the pans, and the crossing from Windhoek.
8 days: Botswana by tar road and guided excursions · 12 days: Moremi–Khwai–Savuti–Chobe fully self-sufficient (~1,350 km) · 16 days: adding Kubu Island and the pans (~2,100 km) · 21 days: the great crossing from Windhoek · The principles that hold a Botswana itinerary together
- 06
Booking Your Campsites: the Scarce Resource That Rules Everything
The concession system dismantled, honest 2026 prices, the step-by-step booking method and the honourable plan Bs.
No central desk: 3-4 concessionaires to contact on the same day · 2026 prices: €35-55 per person per night for a bare pitch · Khwai, the community concession that rescues itineraries · The 6-step method and the plan Bs when everything is full
- 07
The Detailed Budget, Line by Line
Every cost in euros and pula, three complete profiles for 2 people over 12 days, and the savings that don't spoil anything.
The 3-profile table: €3,590 / €4,620 / €6,350 excluding flights · Fuel consumption that doubles in sand: the real calculation · Where to save (season, Khwai, convoy) — and where never (insurance, satellite beacon, park nights) · Money day to day: pula, cards, cash, US dollars for Zimbabwe
- 08
Camping Without Fences: Camp Life Among the Animals
The signature chapter: the complete protocol that turns apprehension into competence — setting up, food discipline, the night routine, and behaviour species by species.
The principle: a camp without smells is a camp without incident · Setting up before 4:30 pm: game trails, the tree above you, the camp triangle · The night protocol (and the truth about lions roaring 300 m away) · Hyenas, elephants, baboons, hippos: the visitors one by one · Children in camp and the ethics that keep the privilege alive
- 09
Health, Safety, Paperwork and Borders
Visas, border crossings with a rental vehicle, malaria in the north, evacuation insurance and the true ranking of risks.
Paperwork (90-day visa-free entry, international permit, minors' birth certificates) · Borders with the 4x4: letter, taxes, Kazungula, Victoria Falls · Malaria: the northern loop IS in the malaria zone — the complete doctrine · Insurance with medical evacuation and the satellite beacon · The true risk ranking: the road first, crime last
- 10
The Final Checklists
The chapter to print out: complete gear list, countdown preparation from D-300 to D-7, and the daily rituals of the trip.
The gear checklist (including the small kit that changes everything) · The countdown: D-300, D-240, D-60, D-30, D-7 · The rituals: day 1 in Maun, every morning, every camp arrival · The return checks (handover, deposit, fever)
The order form
The complete guide
Guide « Botswana on Your Own »
Master the Moremi–Savuti–Chobe loop by 4x4: deep sand, unfenced camping, bookings, budget
29 €
- 10 chapters, the complete method
- Day-by-day itineraries
- Printable version (PDF via Cmd+P)
- Complete checklists
Secure payment by Stripe · Instant download · 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
Start by exploring for free
Before you go
Readers' questions
What format does the guide come in?
Right after payment you receive a download link: the full guide in HTML, readable on any device and printable to PDF in one click (Cmd/Ctrl+P), plus the chapters in Markdown to read wherever you like. No proprietary app, no subscription.
Is the guide available in English?
Not yet: the guide is currently written in French, and an English edition is in the works. Prices, routes and checklists are of course language-independent — but if you don't read French, we recommend waiting for the English edition.
Is it up to date for 2026?
Yes: the price ranges, local rules and advice reflect the 2026 situation. The fundamentals — itineraries, driving or transport, logistics — change very little from year to year.
What if the guide isn't for me?
A simple guarantee: 14 days, money back, no questions asked. One email to our support is enough — full refund within 48 hours. We'd far rather refund you than leave a disappointed reader.
How is this different from the free pages?
Our free pages (the Botswana country page, destinations, field notes) give you the panorama. The guide gives you the complete, ordered method: day-by-day itineraries, a line-by-line budget, detailed driving and logistics, and every checklist. It's the digest we wish we'd had before our first trip.