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Hi all, I'm going to be renting a car and driving through Namibia and Botswana during the month of May. I have spent a lot of time backpacking and camping…

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Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:14:41 +0000

Hi all,

I'm going to be renting a car and driving through Namibia and Botswana during the month of May. I have spent a lot of time backpacking and camping, but have rarely ever had to book my campsites, hostels and hotels in advance. And if I did have to book them in advance, it was only by a day or two.

I can't seem to figure out how long in advance I need to book campsites, hostels and hotels in Namibia. I wanted the freedom of renting my car and simply getting to a national park, (like Etosha,) whenever I happened to get there, and staying in a camp over night. No planning ahead. Letting the road and my instincts be my guide.

Is this impossible? Is there anyway to travel Nambia and Botswana with total freedom regarding when you have to show to places by? Or will all the campsites be booked and I won't get to experience all of the awesome places in these countries.

Any advice would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks everyone!

Happy trails.

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Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:09:54 +0000

Thee are some campsites outside of Etosha that may not require a booking depending on availability, however the 3 campsites in Etosha fill up months in advance, so if you show up without a booking, expect to be turned away.

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Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:59:28 +0000

Thanks MissMullen09. Do you know if you have to book hotels and hostels in advance as well as national parks?

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Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:32:06 +0000

There may not be a requirement to do so, but you'll find some places can be very difficult to find budget accommodion without a booking, eg. Swakopmund. It is also noted that Namibia is a very large and sparsely populated country, which makes it more problematic if there is no accomodation available in a particular location when you get there.

I understand you enjoy the freedom, but there are always problems associated with that, particularly in a country like Namibia. So if you proceed on that basis then just be prepared for the worst case scenario to eventuate at some point...

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Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:28:32 +0000

Worry not - at this time of the year you will always find space somewhere and at all of the places of interest. There are three large campsites in Etosha that are linked via a good gravel road network, and i am sure you will find a spot at one of these three. Failing that, there are plany of camps just on the edges of the park. Let me know if you need some help.

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Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:09:24 +0000

I'm in the same boat. I'll be self-driving through Southern Africa for six months from May 2011 on starting in Cape Town.It is impossible to plan and book all the arrival dates for all the parks of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana in advance, Africa being Africa (and my old 4X4 being - well old). Besides I never traveled with that much advance planning. The parks are my main focus but I am seriously worried now that I'll miss out without advance bookings. Anybody can easy my mind with some advice? Will I be restricted to the out of the most iaccessible parks?

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Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:30:05 +0000

For Botswana, as soon as you have an idea of when you want to get into the parks, you can try here . They may be able to organise something last minute, if anything is available at all.

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Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:30:19 +0000

Unfortunately for Namibia, this is how it is, but as the last post suggests you can try as soon as you know. Let me know if I can help. Operators often have more success.

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Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:57:59 +0000

Thanks for the info and offer. I certainly cannot commit until my vehicle arrives in Cape Town. Nothing is certain in shipping. So I might have a week or so to plan park visits in advance. Will it be the same for ALL the parks or is it just the popular ones like Etosha, Naukluft, Moremi, Chobe? What about places like Khaudum?
Anyone know what the situation on park access without advance booking is in Zimbabwe and Malawi? If I find camping close to the park can I always just get in for the day? Are the day visitor, private vehicle numbers restricted?

Edited by: wildimages

Edited by: wildimages

Edited by: wildimages

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Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:11:40 +0000

Mainly Botswana and Namibia are the problem areas. You may have better luck in ZIM as tourism is still slow there. Khaudum should be OK as it is not on the main tourist route. In all cases day entry is possible.

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