Need some help--can I rent a passenger car @ Windhoek airport (& return) and drive it to Botswana and Vic Falls, Zimbabwe. Or, are there restrictions re: rental cars going across the border. If so, what are the restrictions and how do I solve them.
1
organist
You'll probably be all right finding a car that can go to Botswana. You fill out a cross-border form with the car hire people and they give you an appropriate letter.
The problem is that some of the major players won't allow you to take a rented car into Zimbabwe.
I don't know how you resolve this, unless you find a car hire company that allows cars into Zim. Maybe some of the smaller companies are more inclined to allow that.
2
tigashire
yes you can rent a car from Namibia and drive up to Botswana than if you want to do Zimbabwe you do that by picked by operators from Zimbabwe side for your Victoria falls day trip. You can leave your car at the Botswana side.
3
jenaand
If it's just a day trip to Vic Falls, then (as #2 says) organise that from Kasane and leave your car in Bots. Day trips are approx P400pp.
If you want to go for longer and need to take the car, you'll have to have permission from the rental agency. Most do not allow Zim, although someone has mentioned that Sixt do. You'll find the info you need in the Cross Border section of T&Cs. NB, you'll probably have to pay an additional fee for Zim and possibly Botswana as well. The car rental company will have to issue paperwork to allow you to cross the border. And chances are the excess for your rental will be affected outside the country of rental.
If you do take the car to Zim, there are road tax fees too. I think I paid about USD56 last month for a 1.6L engine car. (It's less for a 1.4L car or smaller).
Likewise there's a road tax (or some fee) for Botswana as well. I think P110 or N$/R140 from memory.
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