Hi, there
I am waiting for visas to go to Botswana and Namibia. At some point soon, maybe within days, I may be arriving in Gaborone over land from Johannesburg where I am now. I have been to several African countries in the past and this is my first time in the southern part of Africa. I would like to take a few weeks touring the two countries and end up in Capetown.
I am a backpacking budget solo traveler and I just started to look into places to visit and to stay and it seems to me that the transportation would be the most tricky and costly part. I am envisioning a combination of various modes of getting from point A to point B including bus trips, renting a car and hitching a ride. I am very flexible as to the amount of time for the trip, destinations and the routes. I would like to hear from you how you would spend your time, where you would go and how, if your were not inclined or able to afford to join safaris offered by tour companies. And where would I not be able to access at this time of the year without a 4by4. Eagerly waiting for you to share your wealth of experience. Thanks
No experience with backpacking in Botswana, but if you have the money to get down there, you really have to save up to visit the Okavango Delta. It's still the most beautiful place I've seen on Earth.
I came through Namibia on public transport and you can get to all the towns by minibus (combi) but not the main tourist sites.
I went to Rundu, Otjiwarongo and Windhoek (no tourist sights but nice if you want to get to know Namibia), plus Swakopmund and Walvis Bay (flamingoes, dunes you can walk to, lots of craft and cake shops, lots of tour operators offering all kinds of activities) and out to Cape Town and Livingstone, by public transport. The minbuses are in a better state than most Subsaharan African countries and there is only person to a seat (!) but they take a while to fill up (except Windhoek to Swakopmund/Walvis).
To get to the best bits of Namibia (Skeleton Coast, Namib Desert, etc, etc) you need to hire a vehicle or join a tour. If you're on your own, a tour is a better option because of the cost of vehicle hire and the chances of breaking down in a remote area.
I loved the Namib Desert.
Gaborone was our final destination in Botswana so I can only give a perspective in reverse but The Okavango Delta is most definitely the highlight of Botswana.
To get to the Okavango Delta you need to get to a town called Maun. There are no direct buses from Gaborone so you will need to swap at Francistown. If you start early enough, the buses are regular enough that you can get to Maun on the same day but expect it to be a long day! If not, stay the night and get moving early the next day.
Once in Maun, there are plenty of places that offer excursions to the delta but for budget option I recommend Back to the Bridge Backpackers. I would also recommend only doing a single day tour as two days involved a lot of waiting around!
From Maun, there are a few buses during the day that go on Ghanzi which is close to the Namibian border. The cannot remember the exact times but there are three buses roughly at 8am, 12 noon and maybe 4ish. The journey there is about three and a half hours and costs 127 Pula with Seabelo Express.
Hope this helps
To get to the Okavango Delta you need to get to a town called Maun. There are no direct buses from Gaborone so you will need to swap at Francistown
Not true, unless things have changed since 2 or 3 years. There is a direct bus from Gabs to Maun that leaves early in the morning (6ish, for more info go directly to the bus rank and ask to the bus drivers). It takes 10h30 and stop one time. it's not the most confortable drive (don't drink too much!!), but it's direct and cheap.
you start early enough, the buses are regular enough that you can get to Maun on the same day but expect it to be a long day!
I wouldn't count on that. There use to be night trains between Gabs and Francistown that permitted that, but it's no longer the case see the man on the seat 61 site
However, if you have time, I would rahter go through Francistown to get to Kasane (via Nata). In Kasane you can go to a lodge for camping , for ex. Thebe River lodge, or Chobe Safari lodge which will be a bit cheaper than the other lodges, and go on safaris. From Kasane it's easy to go to Vic Falls, either by private transfer (1 day for the whole thing, but more expensivE) or by public transport (kombi/taxi/kombi for Zimbabwe; taxi/ferry/? for Zambia)
Okavango Delta is indeed a must - you can get from Kasane to Maun in one day
Another stop worth considering is Planet Baobab, near Gweta, to see the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. You could contact them to see if they offer transfer to get there.
From Maun to get to Windhoek, here's what I found on this post
It is quite simple to get to Mamuno´s Namibian border (main road to Windhoek) from Maun by using the public transport: There are a few daily buses from Maun to Ganzhi, leaving at around 8:30, 10:00 and 12:00. But the interesting one to catch is the 08:30 one, because this enables to reach Ghanzi before 13:00. At that time departs another bus from the same station, all the way to the border. It is a daily bus, that departs from Charles Hill to Ghanzi at 05:00 and returns at 13:00h.
+So, to sum up:
Maun 08:30h - Ghanzi 12:30 h. 47,30 pulas.
Ghanzi 13:00h - Manuno border post/Charles Hill 16:00 h. 38,00 pulas.
And from the border, it is fairly easy to hitch-hike...+
Namibia is tricky by public transport, as other have said. If you want to see Etosha or Sossusvlei, 2 of the main attraction of theis country, you'll need to join an organised tour (most likely from Windhoek) or try to meet other travellers with a car!
Sorry, I have to make a slight correction.
The price and bus operator I quoted was for Ghanzi to Gaborone and not Maun to Ghanzi.
The journey we took cost P52.10 and was with a company called Golden Bridge.
Hello,
All of this info is great being that I haven't the slightest clues as to what my itinerary is but I know for sure I want to see as much of botswana and namibia as I possibly can. Not only that but I am considering the "Southern African smorgasbord", given that I can afford it but 3 months in africa I can only assume is not cheap and Im curious to know if any of you have spent that much time there and about how much did it cost you.I have my lonely planet Botswana & Namibia besides me as I write this and page 15 under "When to go, Botswana" says September/October is the best time to visit (Im hoping to do October, November and December). I will be lucky if I can be there by late October... Aside from the backpacking experience, Im a photography enthusiast and I am going for the photography opportunities. Im looking at the Lowpro Dryzone to store my camera gear so I already know I will be carrying 2 backpacks so I am trying to travel as light as possible. Any recommendations of what kind of rucksack I should get? It seems I have lots of research to do, any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks
Brian
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